It means that a house is just a place to eat and sleep, while a home is lived-in (often by a family) and full of memories.
Not sure when the proverb was first used but all the early uses are American. In 1953, the American writer Polly Adler used the term as the title of her autobiography. In 1964, Bacharach and David wrote a song with the same title, which was a hit for Dionne Warwick.