There are two basic framing methods: platform and balloon construction, as shown below. Platform construction is much more common than balloon framing, though balloon framing was employed in many two-story houses before 1930.

With both methods, wall studs and ceiling and floor joists occur every 16 or 24 inches, measured from center to center. These standardized layouts result in the least cutting and waste of of floor, ceiling, and wall materials.

Most older houses have 2-by-4 wall studs spaced 16 inches on center; many newer houses have 2-by-6 wall studs either 16 or 24 inches on center to make exterior walls stronger and create a larger cavity for wall insulation.

Exterior wall sheathing adds rigidity to the structure and provides a flat base for siding, stucco, brick, stone, and other exterior wall finishes.

Older homes have diagonal sheathing—1/2-inch-thick boards nailed on the diagonal. Most newer homes have plywood or similar composite panel sheathing.

Exterior roof sheathing serves the same purposes for roofing materials. Most contemporary roof sheathing is either plywood or oriented-strand-board (OSB) panels; spaced wood sheathing is common for wood shingle roofs.

With platform construction (shown at right), walls sit on top of subflooring. Multi-story houses are built one level at a time with each floor providing a platform for building the next series of walls.

With balloon framing (shown below), studs run full height from mudsill to the top plate, to a maximum of 20 feet.

This method was popular before the 1930s and is still used on occasion for stucco and other masonry-walled, two-story houses because such structures shrink and settle more uniformly than do platform structures.

But balloon framing is more dangerous to erect because of its weight and height, and the long, straight wall studs required have grown increasingly expensive and difficult to find.

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