I'm throwing a party next week and I have trance and hip hop music and a strobe light. I'm inviting about 80 people.
I have a three-floored house. The living room is a carpeted 13'5"x15'5" room that's on the middle floor and takes up two floors (the second floor is open to below). My house was built in 1999, we bought it new and it's made of wood (British Columbia). Right underneath the room, the basement is unfinished and I have an unfinished toilet and an unfinished bedroom. The ceiling isn't done and all you can see is wood beams and flat wood. The wall for the toilet goes right in the middle of the area beneath my basement and it's unfinished also but it might be holding up that area of the house up?
Here is my question: With fourty odd teenagers dancing in my living room, what am I looking at here in terms of my living room floor caving it to the basement?
I just need to see if its actually plausible.
2007-02-05 17:28:54 · 7 answers · asked by SM 3 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
It pretty much depends on the floor joists. A typical design criteria is for a live load of 40 pounds per square foot (psf), plus a dead (stationary) load of 10 or 20 psf. If you assume that 40 teenagers weigh 125 pounds each, the live load is 5000 pounds. With a floor that measures 13'5" by 15'5", the live load averages about 25 psf.
You're probably alright, but if they start jumping in unison you may have a problem.
2007-02-05 18:02:26 · answer #1 · answered by Tech Dude 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a "live load" problem. The answer will depend on the species of wood, the size of the joists, the number of nails connecting the floor joists to the rim joists, the thickness of the plywood subfloor, the type and thickness of the flooring, and the total weight of the people. I don't know if your buildings engineer envisioned a dance with forty people when the framing was being designed. Also, I can't tell you if the framing was nailed together properly when the house was built. If the framers short-nailed the building, then whatever else the calculations say it won't hold together.
2007-02-06 01:37:14 · answer #2 · answered by nathanael_beal 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
As being your house was built in 1990 as should have passed State Building Code's it's most likly that it will hold 1000's of LBS of weight before any Damage would happen. an being you can see the florring from the Basement the support's should be 16" apart(PER BUILDING CODE)if their not you might find out what your State Code for Floor support's are But for the most part your Flooring will support alot of weight before an Damage happen's
2007-02-06 01:42:06 · answer #3 · answered by undertakker35 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Just to be safe, the smart thing to do would be to charge everyone a $50 cover charge. With forty heads you're looking at $2,000 bucks, just enough to cover the cost of installing a new floor in case your floor does cave in. Make sure you paid your homeowners insurance.
2007-02-06 01:49:12 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
First off, I know the BC laws too and you need to get a permit to have a party that size in your house. And you better review your house insurance as there are protective clauses in there for deliberate damages. AND THIS constitures deliberate distruction. Also the firedepartment will come by because you do not have adequate fire escapes, fire extinguishers and will shut you down and the cops will be by.
To be sure.
2007-02-06 02:08:04 · answer #5 · answered by ButwhatdoIno? 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
This sounds like a question for a structural engineer, or for the architect who designed your house. I suggest checking in advance - better to be safe than sorry!
2007-02-06 01:36:37 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
More than likely It won't collapse but will sure bounce a lot. And don't be surpised to see cracks forming in your walls and ceilings.
2007-02-06 01:56:16 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋