Gameroom construction/building code?

[mike]

We just bought a newer foreclosure earlier this year in the DFW TX area.. Home is only 4 years old and has a designated gameroom. It is located upstairs and I want to move a small coin-op pool table up there.How can I be certain that the room is capable of this weight?

I contacted some pool table movers and they told me that if the room was coded for a gameroom, it should be fine. So how can I be absolutely sure these floor beams are ready for 750 lbs of pool table? I do have access to the original plans that were submitted to the HOA. I would also like to move a jukebox (400lbs) and a pinball machine up there as well (300lbs)

Thanks in advance

Mike

[SteveBell]

If your home is built to code, it should be OK. I'm not an architect or a builder, but by searching I see that floors should be designed for 30 to 40 pounds per square foot of dead load.

Assuming your game room is 15 x 25:

15 x 25 = 375 square feet 375 x 30 = 11,250 pounds maximum load

Your proposed load is:

750 + 400 + 300 = 1,450 pounds

That's well within the limits.

To double-check, call your local building permit office, and ask them about what you're planning. I'm confident they'll tell you to go ahead.

I used to sell waterbeds, and they went upstairs all the time. A king-size waterbed weighs around 2,500 pounds.

[DanG]

The very best answer would be to cut an access panel in the ceiling below hoping to find a lumber species and grade stamp. Once you know what dimension, species, grade, center to center distance, and span distance you can go to this site to see what the bearing capacity might be:

You want the loading to make 40# or more with an L/360 deflection. Be aware that if the span is 20 feet, then that deflection will be about 5/8" so stiffer is better. The other concern would be the floor sheathing used Two layers of 5/8 or one layer of 1 1/8 should be adequate, but anything less gets iffy if the pool table legs hit mid center.

[PeterD]

Heck, 750 lb is just three of your friends standing side-by-side, right?

Were this my house, I'd probably run it by an engineer (with original plans in hand).

These would be close to the wall, right? This could be a factor (depends on other factors, too, such as where the load bearning walls below are.

[Bobk207]

Mike -

The pool table will be cnetered in the room....the jukebox & pinball most likely against the walls.

Living space is around 40 psf live load so if pool table is ~30 sq ft...its floor place allotment allows it to weigh ~1200lbs.

If it were my house I'd put those things up there & not give it another thought.

Don't worry be happy.

Most of the time people weigh more than "stuff" (book cases & file cabinets excepted)

cheers Bob

[John]

As has been suggested, it's the point loads of the feet that are the problem. The plywood in between joists are not a good place for legs that carry that much load.

To distribute the load better, place the legs on plates (thick plywood, solid wood, steel, whatever that's really stiff) and make the plates either really big (like 12-18 inches square) or even better, rectangular so they rest across 2 or more joists.

I wouldn't be concerned with the overall weight either.

keep in mind that if you place the jukebox on one side, then the pool table, then the pinball machine on the other side, and they all rest on the same 4-6 joists, this would not be good.

James

[Bobk207]

The pool table only weighs 750 .......750/4 is only about 190 lbs per leg.

Unless the pool table is wearing high heels, the floor system will be fine.

Even then, although the plywood or oak floor would marred, there is no concern for structural integrity.

Anyone who is remote concerned.............. do the experiment. Cut a block of wood the size of the bearing "foot print" of the pool table, place it on the floor & get a 200+ lb guy to stand on it.

12" x 12" (or larger) are totally un-necessary

If the floor was oak & I was concerned about marring it....I'd use some 4" x 4" oak.

The pool table isn't going to punch through the floor deck any more than "full size" Oprah in high heels might.

Joists are bending elements & typically deflection limited. So loads near the wall will be handled better than loads near the center of the span.

Even if you wind up with the most un-advantageous toy placement and you only activate 4 joists; you will have ~200lbs of allowable capacity per ft of joist (in the span direction)......

plently of capacity.

Everyone stop fretting....play pool, pinball or listen to the music....stop worrying.

cheers B

[RicodJour]

Coded for a game room? I've never heard of such an animal, though I suppose your local codes might have such a category.

It's a house, residential sleeping second floor is often designed with a live load of 30 pounds per square foot. Some people use 40. In all instances in such a calculations you want to choose the conservative value.

Let's take a worst case scenario, I mean really worst case. ;) You could have several people standing around watching your amazing cue ball jump shot into a glass holding your dentures. Your friends are awed, clustered around your small billiard box (4'x7' SWAG). You've got five fat-assed friends that are pulling 250+ and you at a trim

185, figure 1500 on the hoof, plus the table and you're north of a ton spread over the area - roughly 6'x9' or 54 SF and that puts you in excess of 40 PSF.

But how dismal of a situation is it really? It's unlikely your friends will take root and become fixtures, and there's a lot of required elbow room with no additional load. If you take 4' as the absolute minimum to stroke a cue stick the area balloons up to ~12'x15' with pretty much the same load, which is way down around an average load of 10 to 15 PSF. In other words a well populated cocktail party would put a more severe but more short term load on your floor.

If you want to be positive you'll need to have someone determine the actual loads and location, structural member size, species and grade (if they're TrusJoists (or approved equal) it'll be a lot easier to determine the acceptable load) and run some calculations.

R

[PeterD]

Oh god, I was thinking the same basic thing, but didn't want to say it... Now, the real question is: what happens when the four fat-assed friends start jumping up and down cheering because you sank that que ball and broke your dentures? Jumping in unison? Up and down. As only beer swilling buddies will do?

See my above comment. Maybe you would *want* them to take root?

All great advice, and a good post... Thanks for the smile, Ricod!

[mike]

thanks for all the responses - is good info and got a few laughs out of it as well!

If any of you are available to help us muscle a pool table, jukebox, and pinball machine up some stairs this weekend let me know!

Mike

[PeterD]

Where, and how much beer do you have?

Good luck on the table, I don't envy you at all on that move, the jikebox and pinball machine will seem so easy after that one.

>

[Tim]

Mike,

You will find out this weekend who your REAL friends are. :-)

They will be the ones lifting the Pool Table. Your 'other' friends will be real busy this weekend and can't make it, or their dog just had puppies and need to be watched, or their kid's soccer game is this weekend but they really want to come by.....etc.....

And the really true friends? They will be their Saturday 'NIGHT' after the big move saying they wish they could have gotten away to help you, but at least they are there now to see your new toys.

Have fun!

[Sue]

replying to mike, Sue wrote: So after all these years, how is that floor holding up? I'm in here because I am an ijoist designer, googled game room loads... yes there is a beast 60 psf... SOOO I was researching pool tables to apply the load to my floor since its over a 25' Garage. Or are you still even in that house? Just curious as to how the floor is holding up after 11 years if the pool table is still on that floor. Thanks... Just Curious.