Balloon Framing Roof

Details for conventional wood frame construction.

Balloon framing roof.

Balloon framing is a method of wood construction also known as chicago construction in the 19th century used primarily in areas rich in softwood forests. Light frames of wood are constructed around studs that run continuously from top to bottom of a building. Balloon framing is a style of wood house building that uses long vertical 2 x 4 s for the exterior walls. The balloon frame figure 6 1 2 is a widely used type of light framing.

Some of the key aspects are. The roof is a truss structure that consists of horizontal ceiling joists and sloping rafters. Balloon and platform framing advanced this framing method also known as optimum value engineering ove is a type of platform framing that makes better use of lumber. These standardized layouts result in the least cutting and waste of floor ceiling and wall materials.

Conventional wall stud framing wall studs are spaced either 16 or 24 from center to center. With both platform and balloon framing wall studs and ceiling and floor joists occur every 16 or 24 inches measured from center to center. The roof structure tied to the sole plate by the continuous studs make balloon framing very popular in hurricane prone areas. In addition more of the exterior wall can be insulated due to the more efficient framing.

Scandinavia canada the united states up until the mid 1950s and around thetford forest in norfolk england. It is customary for second floor joists to rest on a 1 x 4 inch ribbon that has been set into the studs. Platform framing is a more modern approach in construction. The first approach to achieving a strong durable struc.

In the 1800s people started looking for a way to build houses faster and more inexpensively. Balloon framing was the most common form of construction in america from about the 1880s to the 1930s. These long studs extend uninterrupted from the sill on top of the foundation all the way up to the roof. The major difference between balloon and braced framing in a multistory building is that in balloon framing the studs run the full length from sill to rafters.

Balloon frame structures also have less settling than platform framing. Unless you were a skilled housewright most people were unable to cut the complex joinery required for a timber frame house. Balloon framing is one of the earlier wood construction methods.