The name comes from a French Missouri type of construction, maison en boulin, boulin being a French term for a horizontal scaffolding support. Balloon framing uses long continuous framing members (studs) that run from the sill plate to the top plate, with intermediate floor structures let into and nailed to them.
What is balloon framing?
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.
What is one advantage of a balloon frame construction?
The main advantage balloon framing has over platform framing is the increased wind load strength. The roof structure tied to the sole plate by the continuous studs make balloon framing very popular in hurricane-prone areas. Balloon frame structures also have less settling than platform framing as a result of shrinkage.
Are balloon frame houses strong?
Though not as strong and imposing as a timber frame, balloon frames were eventually regarded as a more than acceptable way to build a house. And from the 1890s until the 1930s it was the most common form of construction in the country. The one rather large drawback to balloon framed houses is their fire risk.
Is a balloon frame house safe?
Why do people want to know? Well, of the three types of framing, balloon frame houses have the greatest danger of catastrophic fires. To be clear, there is nothing intrinsically more flammable about a balloon frame house. It wasn’t built with kindling in the walls.
Why is balloon framing no longer used?
But wide spaces between studs create safety hazards. “This framing method was used because of its ease of construction and availability of good lumber,” Stack said. “The method allowed many urban workers in America to build their own homes.” Balloon framing is no longer used today, Stack said.
How are second floor joists supported when using balloon frame construction?
The floor joists for the second floor were usually supported on a ledger or ribbon that was let into the studs. Balloon-framing was replaced by platform-framing (today’s building method of choice) when the trees that produced the long studs became scarce.
What type of construction is balloon frame?
Balloon framing is a style of wood-house building that uses long, vertical 2″ x 4″s for the exterior walls. These long “studs” extend uninterrupted, from the sill on top of the foundation, all the way up to the roof.
Are there load bearing walls in balloon framing?
The balloon frame, essentially, eliminates the heavy timber frame. Instead, the floor members sit on the walls directly, which become load bearing elements.
How does balloon framing differ from platform framing?
The central difference between balloon and platform framing is that the studs in a balloon frame extend from the foundation to the rafters, whereas in a platform frame, the studs are independent on each storey.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of balloon framing?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of balloon framing? The advantage of balloon framing is there is not a lot of vertical shrinkage. The disadvantages of balloon framing are the lumber is large and hard to handle and the vertical hollow spaces allow for fires to travel quickly.
Which type of framing is most commonly used in housing?
The most common framing technique in modern residential construction is platform framing, in which each story is framed on top of the previous one. Builders will frame in one-story platforms of typically eight- or nine-foot-high stud walls resting on a subfloor—the platform.
What are the disadvantages of platform framing?
Other major cons to wood platform framing include its risk to homeowners’ health (wood plays host to mold and mildew that can make homes toxic) and a home’s longevity (the wood used in platform framing is subject to rot and termites that can compromise your home’s structural integrity, requiring major repairs down the
