Gotta wonder what EA is thinking some times.
If I had to guess, I'd say that they were thinking that they needed to keep things simple. Automatic orientation of the roof serves that purpose well, but building in general takes a bit of exploring and experimentation to get the hang of and to figure out how best to use all the tricks. I've been building houses since Sims 3 came out (and in Sims 1 and 2 as well, but really this is a completely different ball game), and I'm still learning new things.
That's why I like seeing new faces in this section of the forum. It means that something new is just around the corner.