A construction technique invented in Chicago in the 1830s. It replaced the timber-frame construction that had typified previous American home-building. The new technique lowered cost, reduced the need for highly skilled workers, and enabled the construction of larger homes.
In this approach, machine-sawed boards are nailed together to form a frame, which is then covered in siding. These were the first mass-produced homes, and most homes today are built using a variation on this method, called "platform construction".