Construction of the Shell 



right braces from the floor to the member in question. These braces should 

 remain in place until the permanent braces are substituted. The outside board- 

 ing, the under floors laid diagonally, the braced partition and the partition bind- 

 ings are effective agents to the desired end. 



It is important that the boarding in of a balloon frame should be laid 

 diagonally, as it is 

 a most effective 

 brace in itself. If 



1 t s direction be 

 changed several 

 times on the same 

 wall surface its ef- 

 fectiveness will be 

 greatly increased. 



Ordinary floor 

 timbers are of 



2 x 10 stock; this, 

 of course, in cases 

 where they can be 

 supported without 

 too great a span. 

 Lower floors are, 

 under ordinary 

 circumstances, eas- 

 ily supported on 

 girders and piers 

 in the basement; 

 other floors, how- 

 ever, must be made 

 self-supporting. It 

 is better to lean 

 toward the side of 

 strength and rig- 

 idity than to cal- 

 culate too closely. 



It is not only that a floor will bear the weight imposed upon it, but that it will 

 do so without too much sag and will not give. Such things tend to crack and dis- 

 lodge the plastering and make a spring-board of the house in general. We have 

 advanced beyond the Colonial methods, in which the timbers, though bulky, were 

 comparatively slight in depth. It is the depth that counts. It is safe to abide by 

 the following rule, which, though it may be slightly excessive, is in the right 

 direction. For a 12-foot space or under, use 2 x 10 spruce timbers, set 16 

 inches on centres and cross-bridged two to three times. 



For 12 to 15 foot span use 2 x 10 spruce timbers, set 16 inches on centres, 

 and every other timber "doubled" up (two timbers spiked together) and cross- 

 bridged three to four rows. 



Fig. 5. Section through frame of house 



