About House Framing

Today, house framing is done mainly with two by fours and plywood in a style that is commonly referred to as platform framing. Houses built with this type of framing are noted for using many pieces of small lumber to create a frame that looks like a "bunch of matchsticks." A modern house that is framed with standard wood timbers and then sheathed with plywood is very strong, and if properly put together, it can withstand most forms of severe weather. Many under construction projects that one often sees, scattered across the countryside, are a far cry from the old post and beam construction style that was so common a hundred years ago, both in home construction and especially in old barns.

History

Today's platform style is an offshoot of the ranch house, a one-story expansive building that has become quite popular, since the middle years of the twentieth century. Even houses that are two or more stories high, now use the platform construction technique, where one layer is built at a time. The predecessor to this was the balloon frame house, where vertical frame members were extended two or more stories in the air, and then each floor was fitted in between the vertical framing members. These structures made for some elegant and beautiful places to live in, but the wall spaces that ran uninterrupted to the roof, turned out to be fire traps.

Significance

Today's style of house framing has become very modular, allowing for some unique and exciting possibilities for innovative architectural design. Instead of building the entire frame at once, a house is built one story at a time. In a multi-storied building, the first floor is constructed and then a plywood floor is put in place before the building is continued upwards. This construction technique facilitates such unique designs, as split-level houses and cantilevered upper stories.

Expert Insight

Plywood is a modern building material that has immensely improved the quality and strength of wooden house frames. This rigid material, which comes in 4 X 8 foot sheets, is used extensively as a sub-floor and as exterior sheathing. Since the entire sheet consists of layers of wood pulp glued together, the resulting strength of the exterior walls is greatly increased and the need for wind braces, a time consuming operation, is eliminated. Plywood also adds strength when used in roof construction.

Features

The exterior walls of a residential house are nowadays usually built from 2 x 4s, but sometimes 2 x 6s are used for added insulation space. The walls consist of a bottom and a top plate, plus the vertical, framing members. This allows for a sturdy wall that can accept numerous openings for windows and doors. Each of the four walls is set into place and then a box frame and plywood sub-floor is installed on top. The floor and its framing members, called joists, tie the whole unit together. On top of this, another section of house is built. In some cases this might be a roof or it could be another story. When adding a roof the framing members can become quite heavy (2 x 10s or 2 x12s are not uncommon) to again allow for extra-thick insulation. Sometimes trusses are used instead of rafters. Trusses are convenient because they provide roof support and an interior ceiling at the same time.

Function

Actually, the house frame has quite a few functions, besides the most obvious one of holding the whole house together. The frame also gives support to the many windows and doors that might adorn your house. For another thing, the frame is also the recipient for the exterior siding as well as the interior walls and ceilings. Then there is the roofing material (asphalt shingles are most common) that sits on top of the rafters and keeps your place dry. The frame also holds the insulating materials for your house. The thickness of the frame helps determine how much insulation your house can hold. And finally, most of the electrical system is run through the frame of the house.