Indeed. I used to look down on the balloon framing + drywall construction used in the US. Until I bought a house in an earthquake zone and learned that my prefe

Indeed. I used to look down on the balloon framing + drywall construction used in the US. Until I bought a house in an earthquake zone and learned that my preferred building techniques involving brick and mortar would be completely unsafe. Then I thought about cold climate energy efficiency, and my way was pretty much terrible and once again inadequate. Understanding the requirements made me develop a lot of respect for balloon framing.