Balloon Frame Attic

First to second and second to attic.

Balloon frame attic.

Balloon framing is a style of wood house building that uses long vertical 2 x 4 s for the exterior walls. 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. Absolutly no insulation in the walls or between floors. One thing about balloon framing is that you can end up filling the upper floor with cellulose if you don t watch it.

Balloon framed walls are different than platform framed walls. Otoh my parents had the upper floor of their old farmhouse blown full of cells really cut down on sound transmission a lot. I tried to post a photo but alas. Ballon framed two story house with full attic built in 1901.

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 stud walls are usually 16 inches apart and contain no inherent vertical fire stops. Not that this is particularly harmful but it s a bit of a waste of cells. 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. Interior of the outside walls are plaster on lath. You can see air when you look down where a bottom plate would be. 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. 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. These long studs extend uninterrupted from the sill on top of the foundation all the way up to the roof.

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.