#balloon frame

We removed the windows on the first floor a few years ago. Ha! looking back at that post I was still hoping we could partially spray foam. As it turns out, they use a fire protective coating on the spray foam that additional spray foam won’t bond to. As a result, you put it all in at one time or you don’t put in any. But I digress. Removing windows on the second floor when there isn’t even room to put a ladder up outside added to the complexity of the project. Instead, I worked out a way to close them up entirely from the inside. Fortunately, the first window was the small pantry window that had been buried in the wall. It actually has vinyl siding over it on the outside, so if I wasn’t planning on doing it from the inside before, I certainly was now.

The pantry window (buried in the wall) covered by siding

Because our house is balloon framed, the windows don’t have jack and king studs with a header. Instead, they simply cut a hole in the framed exterior wall, added a partial stud on either side of the opening, and called it a day. To close these in, we just sistered to the studs on the sides of the hole, with replacement framing for the vertical studs that had been cut. Sarah’s dad, Mike, helped me pick up the five sheets of ¾” plywood for sheathing.

Framing a wall section

House wrap applied

Doing this from the inside meant that after I removed the existing window, I needed to completely frame the replacement studs and sheathing, along with house wrap stapled to the exterior. Then I fit the assembled framing into the hole from the inside. The downside of this approach was getting the house wrap tucked to the outside so it would cover the gap between the old sheathing and the new and create a proper drainage plane. However, the house wrap will likely all get redone when we replace the siding. For the time being, it’s mostly to protect the sheathing in the absence of siding.

“Scaffolding”

Window removed

New framing installed

I ran into an extra challenge with the window over the stairs, and had to build scaffolding from boards, plywood scraps, and a ladder. This wasn’t the safest work environment, particularly when lifting the heavy pre-assembled framing into the hole and then finding it didn’t completely fit on the first try. In order to reach the top so I could screw things in and trim one of the studs, I didn’t really want to put a stepladder on top of the scaffolding, so instead I climbed up into the attic and reached down from above. I managed to complete everything without accident.

Old window and rotten sheathing

New framing with extra sheathing

The last window I did was above the landing, near the top of the stairs. It required a smaller makeshift scaffold than the one over the stairs, but I saved it for last because I noticed the sheathing above and to one side of the window was rotted, as well as the stud adjacent to the window. I cut out the rotted sections and put in the new stud and sheathing above the window opening first, since I could slide it in behind the remaining siding. With that done, I then put in the pre-assembled framing for the window opening from the inside, just as I had for the others. Fortunately, the rest of the sheathing and studs in the house are in pretty good shape, despite innumerable leaks in the siding, soffits, roof, gutters, windows, and trim. My next job will be removing the second floor back door, which currently opens to about a twenty-foot drop.

Second Floor Demo Prep

With the drainage project finally wrapped up, we’re getting ready to demo the second floor! As in the past, we’re having a demo party where friends come over to smash the hell out of the walls and tear everything down. To make sure this process goes smoothly, safely, and makes as little mess as possible, we have some work to do up front. First, we need to clean up the first floor. With us living…

A homes's frame it the most important part of it's structure. It defines the style and layout of the house and does the heavy lifting to assure the rest of the components stay in their proper position and alignment.

Not every frame is built the same way. Today, most of the homes built in America use a technique called Platform framing. But this wasn't always the case. Over the years there have been two other techniques that were synonymous with home building up until the next new thing took over.

Timber Framing

Timber Frame  The most ancient form of wood construction. It is still practiced today by craftsman in small niches of the building community. No-one knows its origins, but the oldest existing timber frame structure still around today is the Ise Temple in Japan (690 AD).

Timber frame structures last hundreds of years because of their inherent strength and stability. The most impressive part is that they attain this immense level of strength without the use of metal fasteners like screws or nails!

Until the Industrial revolution nails were very expensive because they were hand cut. A timber frame uses complex mortise and tenon joinery to attach the posts and beams snuggly together.

The lumber used for timber framing is of significant size. 6x6 and larger timbers are common. Timber frame homes were the norm across American until the late 1800s when balloon framing became the popular choice. Most historic homes built before the turn of the 20th century are timber framed.

You can tell if your home is timber framed by snooping around in the basement or attic where you might be able to see the large, hand-hewn timbers. A timber frame is completely self-sufficient and requires no cross-bracing or sheathing to add racking strength to the frame.

This is by far the strongest method of framing. It also the most complicated and can be the most expensive. You get what you pay for!

Timber frames require a master craftsman (a housewright) to build and those trained craftsman are not cheap. Anyone can drive  nails into wood, but only a skilled builder can make the perfectly matched joints of a timber frame. years.

Balloon Frame

The balloon frame came about when people began looking for a way to build houses faster without the skilled labor needed for a timber frame. Only the trained craftsman able to cut the complex timber frame joinery.

Around the same time dimensional lumber (2x4, 2x6 etc.) was hitting the shelves of America along with inexpensive manufactured nails. And balloon framing used these revamped options.

In balloon framing dimensional lumber is fastened with nails and runs all the way from sill to peak. Balloon framed houses use some extremely long lumber.

The balloon frame brought the art of building a house into aan attainable job for the average contractor. Where the first balloon framed house was built is shrouded in mystery. Though Chicago is a likely contender.

The house was thought so flimsy by timber frame builders that it reminded them of a balloon which is how it got its name. Even though they were mocked they spread quickly throughout the country due to their ease of construction. And from 1890-1930 or thereabouts most homes in America were balloon framed.

The biggest problem with balloon framed houses is the fire risk. In the days of no insulation fires spread quickly through the long wide open cavities of the balloon frame.  Balloon frame houses can be retrofitted and insulated with added fire blocking to slow the  fire.