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Q&A

When did they start using balloon framed houses?

When did they start using balloon framed houses?

Balloon Framed Houses. The house’s use of balloon framing can be seen when the siding was replaced. In 1833, a breakthrough in building technology revolutionized the construction of private homes, making them affordable to middle- and low-income families and ultimately allowing the proliferation of suburbs nationwide over the next 150 years.

What are the dangers of balloon frame houses?

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.  The problem comes down to design. What is Balloon Framing?

How does balloon framing work for second story?

In balloon framing the studs extend as one, from the sill to the top plate of the second story. The second story floor joists are supported by a ribbon board set into the studs.

How tall are the studs in balloon framing?

For the uninitiated, balloon-framing is a building method in which the wall studs run the entire height of the outside walls from the mudsills to the roof plates. If the house was two stories high, these studs could sometimes be as long as 20 ft.

Balloon Framed Houses. The house’s use of balloon framing can be seen when the siding was replaced. In 1833, a breakthrough in building technology revolutionized the construction of private homes, making them affordable to middle- and low-income families and ultimately allowing the proliferation of suburbs nationwide over the next 150 years.

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.  The problem comes down to design. What is Balloon Framing?

Why do people want to know about balloon framing?

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.  The problem comes down to design. What is Balloon Framing?

How big are the studs on a balloon frame?

In a balloon frame, there is an equal distribution of vertical compressive loads over a series of 2×4 or 2×6 inch studs. The studs are spaced approximately sixteen inches on center but often vary between twelve to twenty-four inches.

How old is the oldest balloon house in the world?

I’d like to point out that there certainly are many, many balloon-framed structures, between 75 and 175 years old, that haven’t floated away. When balloon framing first appeared, there’s certainly plenty of evidence that there was disdain for this new type of construction.

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.  The problem comes down to design. What is Balloon Framing?

When did the balloon frame house become affordable?

In 1833, a breakthrough in building technology revolutionized the construction of private homes, making them affordable to middle- and low-income families and ultimately allowing the proliferation of suburbs nationwide over the next 150 years. This innovation was the balloon-frame house. Home construction previously was arduous and expensive.

How can a fire start in a balloon frame house?

You see, in a platform frame (how we build today) there is a break between each floor in the stud bay called a top plate. A balloon frame doesn’t have this break and so a fire that starts in the basement can easily (and very quickly) spread to every floor of the house.