Reading the paper and answer question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reading the paper and answer question - Essay Example conventional methods and materials defy been replaced by modern means of nail connections and light wood frames. He further sees directlys carpenters as finishers of houses, rather than builders of houses. He begins by telling the readers about Henry Mitchell, his neighbor who has lived in the same house for 85 years. Henry Mitchell watches the generator renovate his house often. Each renovation watched by his neighbor reminds the source of the original builder of his house one and a half centuries ago (Invention & Technology, 1999). The writer notes that before the 19th century, frame houses were built using large timbers. The constructors believed that sawing machineing was a waste of materials and labor, so, through experienced workers, they only squared off logs to facilitate connection. This gave rise to the heave frame. They introduced nails and lumber in mass production, tolerant further advantage to the balloon fram e. The results were savings in man hours, less requirements in skills and a dispatch change in ways of building. The writer also notes that balloon frames are structurally and materially more than efficient. Since no joint is of more significance than another, past the connection between each wood is efficient. This exemplifies accommodation of building practices progressively. Although the practices called for less labor, simplified connections and utilize light weight materials, they were limited because construction of houses never reached a fully automated level. Therefore, in as much as it was an innovation, it has stayed resistant to change, to the surprise of many (Invention & Technology, 1999). The writer also believes that the American style of construction of houses was influenced by the Midwest, made up of the French, Amerindians, Europeans and Spaniards (Invention & Technology, 1999). The 19th century saw bare-ass houses rise in demand, occasioned by a change in wood technologies, and American settlers nearly the Mississippi at that time found new cultures in building. The settlers built sawmills as one of their new enterprises, contributing to the millions of feet of lumber produced in the region. This denotes a change towards the new culture, because if the settlers had been close to a river, they would have used saw planks instead. The writer also believes the invention of balloon frame lies with the Chicagoans. This is because the balloon frame is among the Citys founding myths. It has also been mentioned as a contributing factor to the 1872 Chicago fire. It is believed that in 1833 when Chicago was a year old, Augustine Taylor, a carpenter from Connecticut, was requested to build many houses but his response was to invent balloon frames (Invention & Technology, 1999). In that year, wood was of variable quality and dimension. In the structure of a balloon frame, one joint may collapse due to poor quality wood, but the main structure wi ll remain stable because of many redundant joints. Nevertheless, the openings left by the collapsed joints would let in cold in cold weather. It was, therefore, suggested by Taylor that dimension lumber, since it reacts in different ways than wood plunks and timber, be selected by experienced carpenters. It would then be assembled into a building leaving allowance for contraction and expansion. With all the displayed experience, observers noted that Taylor must have worked with balloon frames before his arrival in