Balloon Frame Attic

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 frame attic.

If you look around the edges of the 2nd story subfloor or attic subfloor in a balloon frame house you d be able drop a penny down to the basement in the stud bay. In a balloon frame the 2nd story subfloor is held up on the edges by a ledger board instead of resting on the top plate in a platform frame. I tried to post a photo but alas. Fyi balloon framing is where the studs go down below the floor joists and sit directly on the sills so that there is no bottom plate.

These long studs extend uninterrupted from the sill on top of the foundation all the way up to the roof. First to second and second to attic. Balloon framing is a style of wood house building that uses long vertical 2 x 4 s for the exterior walls. Once up there it usually was able to dissipate out gable vents or through the roofing.

The balloon frame uses a continuous wood stud wall member that stretches from the foundation to the attic. Ballon framed two story house with full attic built in 1901. Not that this is particularly harmful but it s a bit of a waste of cells. One thing about balloon framing is that you can end up filling the upper floor with cellulose if you don t watch it.

These stud walls are usually 16 inches apart and contain no inherent vertical fire stops. The balloon framing used in houses of that period i lived in one back in cincinnati oh in the 1970 s and 80 s allows water vapor that passes through the plaster and lath to be vented up into the attic of your home. Absolutly no insulation in the walls or between floors. Otoh my parents had the upper floor of their old farmhouse blown full of cells really cut down on sound transmission a lot.

You can see air when you look down where a bottom plate would be. Exterior walls are orginal wood lap siding covered with some type of asbestoes siding. Queen anne and shingle style buildings are typical examples of balloon framing. Is anyone aware of any studies science behind this common issue of insulating and old house the proper way.

In balloon framed walls the studs are continuous from the mudsill all the way to the top plates on the uppermost floor where the rafters rest.