Is There Really An 'isaan' Style Different From Thai ?

[Svenn]

So we all know that Isaan has noticeably (ahem) different food from central Siamese Thailand, but is there really any other marked difference in anything else? I've heard that plaid cloth is a signature of Isaan, along with wats whose roofs slope all the way to the ground (e.g. Wat Xieng Thong, though Chiang Mai looks similar)... but I've never seen a difference in house design or anything else. I'm wondering, would it be possible to build a traditional house where a central Thai would look at it and immediately say, "that must be Isaan"?

I've noticed many farangs build Sukhothai-style wood houses in Isaan (with the pointed peak and flares on the gable end), which is obviously out of place (and perhaps a kind of Siamese Thai colonialism?). Laos would be a good source of finding the Isaan style, but all the homes there seem to be too modern or shacks. In terms of landscape, Cambodian sugar palms are a strong mark, since the rest of Thailand is too wet for them.