[gbronner]

Balloon framing requires: chop tree -> haul log to sawmill -> cut logs extensively -> haul dimensional timber to warehouse -> haul to customer. That's great if you have a train and good roads, but if you are in the middle of the forest,

chop tree -> hew it on-site -> haul to building area is very cost effective.

If you have infinite wood (remember, clearing land requires removing the trees anyway, and people would often burn them just for the potash), it is both cheaper and better to use post and beam.

[kelnos]

Right, but the entire point of the article is to talk about how construction evolved, in part as a response to the need to build many houses, quickly, and not require highly-skilled and specialized labor to do it.

What you are saying is also true, but is not pertinent to the article.

[jeffrallen]

Balloon framing also either generates a waste stream of sawdust and offcuts, or requires a complementary industry to use that material profitably. Which today is engineered wood products and wood pellets for heating.