Framing

In residential construction, light frame construction (also known as “framing”) is a method of constructing a structure using vertical components known as studs to provide a stable frame for interior and external wall coverings. Joists are horizontal pieces that run the length of a floor or between walls or beams. Ceilings and floors are supported by joists.

Platform framing, in which each storey is constructed on top of the one before it, is now the preferred method among most builders. A stable work surface is created by using one floor as a platform for the construction of the following storey. It also enables builders to employ readily accessible dimensioned material rather than the longer or more natural wood cuts used in previous approaches.

Platform framing is the most popular framing style in modern residential building, in which each storey is constructed on top of the one before it.

One-story platforms with eight- or nine-foot-high stud walls resting on a subfloor—the platform—will be built. The roof is then placed on top of the structure, with each level framed on top of the previous. This approach can be used for one-story or two-story homes, and it has become the industry standard because:

Platform framing uses shorter pieces of lumber than prior approaches, such as balloon framing, which is advantageous because longer studs are more difficult to come by and more costly.
Natural firebreaks are created by the breaks in the studs from level to level.
Because the next storey is built directly on a platform, it is built on a solid work surface, resulting in a safer, more structurally sound environment.