Single Wall vs Double Wall Construction

[Hotzcatz]

There are actually several different styles of single wall construction. What Leilaniguy has been describing is technically "post and beam" construction since it has the 4" x 4" posts with the beam across the top. Another method of single wall construction doesn't have the 4" x 4" posts at all but has vertical boards supporting the whole structure. They are generally face nailed to the side of the floor framing. Sometimes the vertical boards are tongue and groove, sometimes they are board and batten. The false "board and batten" you see on new construction is trying to mimic the old true board and batten houses, but the new construction folks put the false battens at 16" on center when the old board and batten houses used 12" wide boards at the widest and sometimes on 6" wide boards. Some of these houses had a belly band on the inside but not the outside of the house, some had it on the outside instead of the inside, some had it on both sides, some of the later ones had two exterior belly bands.

Also in these old plantation houses, the floor was made of tongue and groove boards and not sheets of plywood.

Last year I did three sets of plans for single wall houses. One had plank flooring and vertical 2" x 6" tongue and groove walls and double hung true multi-pane windows. She also installed a claw foot tub which seemed like a lovely touch.