Balloon Framing Roof

Light frames of wood are constructed around studs that run continuously from top to bottom of a building.

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. Balloon framing was the most common form of construction in america from about the 1880s to the 1930s. Conventional wall stud framing wall studs are spaced either 16 or 24 from center to center. Balloon framing is a style of wood house building that uses long vertical 2 x 4 s for the exterior walls.

Balloon framing framework of a wooden building in which the elements consist of small members nailed together. In addition more of the exterior wall can be insulated due to the more efficient framing. The roof is a truss structure that consists of horizontal ceiling joists and sloping rafters. With both platform and balloon framing wall studs and ceiling and floor joists occur every 16 or 24 inches measured from center to center.

Balloon frame structures also have less settling than platform framing. These long studs extend uninterrupted from the sill on top of the foundation all the way up to the roof. It is customary for second floor joists to rest on a 1 x 4 inch ribbon that has been set into the studs. The roof structure tied to the sole plate by the continuous studs make balloon framing very popular in hurricane prone areas.

In balloon framing the studs vertical members extend the full height of the building usually two stories from foundation plate to rafter plate as contrasted with platform framing in which each floor is framed separately. Balloon framing is one of the earlier wood construction methods. Unless you were a skilled housewright most people were unable to cut the complex joinery required for a timber frame house. 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.

Details for conventional wood frame construction. In the 1800s people started looking for a way to build houses faster and more inexpensively. Scandinavia canada the united states up until the mid 1950s and around thetford forest in norfolk england. Some of the key aspects are.

Platform framing is a more modern approach in construction. The first approach to achieving a strong durable struc. 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.