I have built the little house in a 16x24 configuration. Now i want to put on an addition along the 16ft wide end. I understand that it is ballon framing and the 24ft length are the side walls my roof rafters sit on, but are the ends load bearing? I wanted to either remove the top plate to add on and continue the wall, or will i need a large header across the 16ft width to continue this addition to make the room longer, thus the cabin longer than the original 24ft?
The ends are not load bearing but they are bracing the structure. IIRC you do need a bracing wall section every 24'... best to check the wall bracing section of the IRC there. Will this be a large open plan or are there other bracing walls in the vicinity?