Using the resources above, you can find out both your deck’s total weight capacity and the deck load capacity for each footing on your deck. So if a hot tub like the one in the example is under that weight, the average deck should be able to support it. tub + 3500 lbs. Knowing your soil type is just as important. It also risks collapsing a deck. The amount of weight that each individual footing can hold is called the tributary load. The American Wood Council states that cantilevers are limited to 1/4 the span of the joists. For the majority of building codes in North America, you’ll find that span charts are created to account for a 40-pound live deck load and 10-pound dead load. Once we find out the appropriate diameter, we can then know if our deck is overbuilt and, thus, capable of sustaining more weight. Let’s say that distance is 14’. When you add a spa or hot tub to a deck you are adding a lot of weight. Can you put a hot tub on a deck? construction, and less joist overhang. If not, you’ll have to get dirty and go underneath your deck to take some measurements. However, you’ll have to get underneath — or at least have a good view of the underside of your deck – to see the dimension of lumber it was built with as well as to measure the distance between footings, footing type, and the type of hardware used. Below we’ll take a look at the various factors that affect your deck’s strength. But what does that mean? It means different types of soil vary in terms of how much weight they can support before whatever they are supporting sinks into the earth. Divide that distance in half. For our purposes, we’ll assume our deck is 12 feet long and 10 feet wide. In general, most decks can withstand 100 lbs per square foot. Now it is simply a matter of finding the area for each rectangle. On, not in. An engineer or your local authority should be able to give you some idea as to whether it is capable of holding the weight in addition to the weight of the number of people that could fit onto the deck. For instance, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan has an average snow load of 70 pounds per square foot. It is 10'x16', framed with pressure treated wood. My favorite storage solution is to shove more and more stuff “up in the rafters.” And that got me thinking… how much weight can my roof trusses take? Now keep in mind that the deck is meant to sustain that load over its entirety – not in a concentrated area. I went through the permits, but was not able to find a weight rating in there. Knowing the tributary load of each footing can help us determine the diameter of each footing. There are many variables when it comes to calculating deck load capacity. As always, thanks for taking the time to read this article. We get just over 19” for our footing diameter. If your footing is 24” sonotube, then it is more than strong enough to support your deck. There’s no official skateboarding weight limit, but the quality of the board you buy will affect how much weight it can bear before it gives way. While accounting for snow load in the U.P. That way, the weight is divided amongst three footings. A key indication of your fastener load bearing capacity is what you’ve used to affix beams to joists and posts to beams. If only nails were used, without hardware of any type, then you might want to think twice before placing an 8000-pound hot tub on your deck. So a 100 sqft deck would be designed to support 5000 lbs. Calculating a tributary load is fairly simple if you have a standard rectangular deck attached to your house. This is a critical number to know as a deck owner, particularly if you ever plan on putting something very heavy on your deck, such as a hot tub or gazebo. Mind, you didn't say embedded. If that is the case, you could have the strongest deck frame in the world, but bad soil will cause your deck to sink under loads that the frame of your deck is designed to support. It will simply ensure that the deck does not sink into the ground. It then determines the total load from each tributary area based on the design load of your deck. If you want to actually put people in that hot tub, you’ll need to reinforce your deck. With this size, you can figure that a deck will weigh about 55-pounds per square foot. The average homeowner does not have the tools available to determine how much more weight your deck can hold than the code minimum of 50 pounds per square foot. All posts copyright their original authors. How does this affect load-bearing capacity? Lastly, we’ll take a look at the different types of lumber you can use for your deck and how it will affect the weight capacity of the overall structure. Simply because it is assumed that you will clear your deck prior to inviting 20 of your friends over for a beer on that deck. Let’s take our 12×10 example and investigate the weight capacities of different types of beams. Remember that pi x diameter equals a circle’s area. Also, deck maitnance is key (waterproofing and that kind of stuff) to prevent the wood from rotting. If we have just four footings of 1 sqft under the tube creating four rought equal tributary areas of 16 sqft each footing will have to carry 16x111 lbs or 1776 lbs over our 1 sqft footing and we have 1776 psf Therefore, a deck of 120 square feet multiplied by 50 shows that your deck can hold 6000 pounds, including the structure. A residential deck should be designed to hold 50 psf (40 psf live load and 10 psf dead load). To safely install a roof deck, the roof needs to be able to support about 55 pounds of weight per square foot in general. 3000/1500 is 2. water + 1295 lbs. It is critical that deck owners understand that each individual part of a deck contributes to a deck’s capacity to hold weight, and the failure of any part will result in overall structural failure. Is there a way for me to test how much weight it can hold? Today we give you the short (for us) answer to this question, How much weight can a floating shelf hold? A well-made maple skateboard deck may hold around 220 lbs, but it is still likely to snap if you land incorrectly. But decks 2 feet or higher will need added support. Now you have an area for each footing. However, it is highly advisable not to push the 2x4 material up to its limit. We’ll have to install another footing beneath the beam. Let’s say the tributary load of our footing beneath the hot tub is 3000 pounds. Here is a formula you can use: H (porch weight)= 40 lbs/sqft floor live load + 25 lbs/sqft dead load + 30 lbs/sqft roof live load = 95 lbs/sqft (assuming roof over porch). We’ll say the tributary load of your interior deck footing is 3000 pounds. Most decks will hold more – sometimes significantly more – than 50 pounds per square foot. Log in to Reply. Eugene has been a DIY enthusiast for most of his life and loves being creative while inspiring creativity in others. I can now safely assume that my deck can hold much more than 50 pounds per square foot, as indicated by the deck span chart. Above, we calculated the tributary load of a deck, which tells us how much weight each footing can sustain. Then check out this footing load table, which can tell you exactly how big your footings need to be based on the size of the post, the span of the beam, and the length of your joists. Absolutely, but we’ve got to know how much weight each of our footings can handle. And it does not really matter because the frame of a Trex deck is what supports the deck, not the deck boards; therefore, a Trex deck is no stronger than a lumber deck. Structural concrete work is planned to bear loads, or hold weight, but transfer the weight to the soil base beneath the structure. Ask MetaFilter is a question and answer site that covers nearly any question on earth, where members help each other solve problems. That number is simply a minimum requirement. Below I’ve listed a few of the major areas that give a deck the ability to sustain large amounts of weight. Please feel free to drop me a line and let me know how I can improve this article for future readers. It is cantilevered off the house and 9ft above the ground. I have a deck. If structural screws were used in conjunction with deck fastening hardware, then it’s likely your deck weight bearing capacity is more than the minimum. per square foot. I highly suggest hiring a professional to check it out. Using the example above, if you have a beam of that size built with SYP lumber, and you have a span of 10’ but with three footings instead of two, you can safely assume the overall weight-bearing capacity of the deck is far more than 50 pounds per square foot. This means that if you had a 100 square foot deck (10′ x 10′), you’d be able to hold 5,000 pounds above it (assuming the weight was evenly distributed). This number is the footing area – but we need the diameter. They'll probably tell you that you have to pull a permit, so I wouldn't give them your name or address unless you want to jump threw those hoops. On the other end, a 2x6 can support a V8 engine of between 600 – 700 lbs. One of our last variables in determining deck weight bearing capacity, fasteners, are arguably the most important aspect of deck construction and the most overlooked. To determine the maximum load capacity of your deck, start by calculating its total area and multiply by 50 psf. Thanks for the advice. Generally, we’re talking about 50 pounds per square foot. However, a properly constructed cedar deck to specs of 50 pounds per square foot will be able to hold the same amount of weight as a deck that has used typical pressure-treated wood. The average homeowner does not have the tools available to determine how much more weight your deck can hold than the … Let’s take a 12×10 foot deck as an example. A 3 ply 2×8 beam for a deck with a width of 10’ allows for a maximum span of 6’. Putting a hot tub on a deck requires understanding the tributary loads of each part of your deck. At the beginning of the article, we determined that the total live load the deck could sustain was 4500 pounds, after subtracting for the “dead” load, which is the deck structure itself. Let’s change that area of 2 square feet into inches. It would be difficult to verify every last detail of your deck structure to ensure it is up to code, particularly the thickness of concrete footings and soil type. Let's add the dead load of 10 psf to our number and we get 111 psf in the area under the tub. Thanks guys... my ladies really want to start hot tubbin' nightly and I want to indulge them, and myself. Once you know how much the soil beneath a deck can hold, next you can figure out the weight of the deck. It is only slightly stronger than SPF lumber or Redwood and Wesetern Cedar. Before you calculate how much weight your deck can hold, you first need to understand how much weight per square foot it can hold. So I think I'm going to get a pro out there to spec it out. If your deck is built to code, then it is designed to hold a minimum of 50 pounds per square foot, of which ⅘ of that total is the “live” load. Trex claims it supports 100 pounds per square foot, although that number is not based on any specified criteria for a deck structure. Of course, this isn’t something you’ll want to guesstimate. You’ll also have to know the type of lumber used – in this case it is SPF since we are up north. It is also not as strong, which will result in potentially more footings since cedar cannot span the same distances as pressure-treated wood such as SPF or SYP. But our hot tub is 3900 pounds – what do we do? In the case of our deck, we have footings every 4’. For instance, a deck built on bedrock will have a bearing capacity of nearly 12,000 pounds per square foot. A deck is built to hold 40 pounds per square foot as "live load", which is everything you place on the deck that can be removed. is probably wise, you’ll notice that North Carolina, for instance, only has an average snow load of 15 pounds per square foot. To calculate the load, you should use 40lbs per square foot for live loads (these are variable loads that are dynamic such as the weight of people and furniture) and 15 lbs per square foot for dead loads (this is the weight of the materials used for the construction of the deck) for a … This includes furniture, people, etc. Wondering how much weight can a tension rod hold? per square foot. My spa started off at 600 lbs. Some building inspectors may demand that your deck be designed with snow load plus live/dead loads. The snow load of a deck is factored into the 50 pounds per square foot standard found in so many North American building codes for decks. It is always wise to contact a professional to get an accurate estimate of what your deck can safely handle. If you don't already have plans for the deck, draw up a sketch showing the size and spacing of bearers and joists (including the material if you can), the dimensions and materials of the decking itself and the details of how it is held up. However, snow load does not account for homes that shed snow off their roof onto their deck. Calculating tributary loads is not difficult, as long as you have a diagram of your deck’s framing structure. Ask MetaFilter is where thousands of life's little questions are answered. So, what’s the load capacity of a standard deck? Make the investment now to ensure you have a sturdy deck lest you get screwed later on. Advice for building a back yard cabin,... Atlanta MeFites: Contractor recommendations required! Such calculations would hold if, for instance, the load is square. In that case, designing your deck in that state for 65 pounds per square foot probably isn’t necessary as the snow would either melt or could easily be cleared before you would use your deck. There are many, many factors that affect how much weight your deck can hold. Maximum allowable overhang cannot exceed 1/4 … In short there’s no one right answer to “how much can my deck hold?” However, one rule of thumb to keep in mind while answering the question is that the answer commonly is that if a deck is properly designed, it’s built to hold 50 lbs. How to Determine if a Deck Can Support a Hot Tub, Deck Weight Limits for Composite and Other Types of Decking. Here’s what I’ve discovered: Yes, you can put a hot tub on a deck. As well, we’ll show you resources you can use to ensure you are building your deck strong enough. 855 lb. That doesn’t mean that your deck will suddenly have the same bearing capacity – it only means that your deck will not sink – ever. If you don't already have plans for the deck, draw up a sketch showing the size and spacing of bearers and joists (including the material if you can), the dimensions and materials of the decking itself and the details of how it is held up. Multiply each area by 50, and you have the number of pounds per square foot that each footing can hold. On the other hand, if you have soil that is extremely wet, all clay, or simply unstable, then it is likely your soil will not sustain the minimum of 1500 pounds as dictated by building code. When we built a deck-expansion onto our house, we also got a fairly large spa. That means half of the deck closest to the house is entirely supported by the ledger board. To calculate the weight of the deck, I’ll use a 10×10 deck for this example. Since we are shelf geeks and own a company that manufactures floating shelves, this is an easy one for us. Add to this the weight of the tub itself and any filters, pumps etc and you will have a total weight for the whole thing. Have a look underneath your deck. Next, you measure the distance between the footings. I want to know how much weight my deck can support. ... After adding a spa, plus water, plus people in the hot tub you can add around 6000 lbs to your deck. But as mentioned above – an overbuilt footing still depends on a properly constructed deck frame. Curious if your deck’s footings are up to code? Do that for each midway point between footings. Since a hot tub will more than likely fall into the area of just one, or maybe two, footings, we need to know that one footing can handle the weight of a hot tub. That being said, most weight-bearing calculators for decks assume a default of 1500 pounds per square foot for soils. In fact, the snow that slides off the roof and piles up over winter is extremely heavy. If I'm not mistaken, usually hot tubs are sunken into decks. Dividing by 5 will allow you to determine that 4500 lbs is the max live load your deck can hold. First, you divide the tributary load of 1500 – the weight-bearing capacity of the default soil type used to determine building codes. Then find the square root, and multiply times 2. You cut a big hole in your deck, then pour a concrete foundation on the ground to support the weight of the hot tub, and drop it in. If so, how much does that cost? If you want to host a large party on your deck but still aren’t sure if it can handle the weight, it’s best to contact a building engineer. You’ll measure the distance from the ledger board to the center of the support beam and draw a line. Remember, you don’t need to be a structural engineer to determine how much weight your deck can handle. The other half is supported by the footings supporting the beam. Add to this the weight of the tub itself and any filters, pumps etc and you will have a total weight for the whole thing. The gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) is the maximum amount of weight the trailer is able to safely hold and transport, as rated by the manufacturer. It may cost you, but you’ll know for sure the limitations of your deck and the steps for rectifying any issues. Here’s an example from deckmagazine.com: A 56-sq ft. hot tub with a dry weight of 855 lbs. This calculator determines the size of each tributary area of your deck. After I completed my deck, I was proud of it and, of course, wanted to show it off to all my friends. Decks built ground level up to 2 feet off the ground can support up to 100 lbs per square foot; sufficient for most hot tubs. For … If there is no strong wind, a 2x4 measuring at least 8 feet can support at least 1,000 pounds vertically. Many building departments limit joist cantilevers to 24" maximum. Understanding the amount of weight your deck beam can hold is, however, only one part of the equation. For instance, a 3-ply 2×12 beam can span 8’ between footings when joists are 12’ long when both SPF or Western Cedar is used. Or, we can place the hot tub where two or three tributary load areas intersect. They will tell you exactly what the code is for that sort of thing. That is a big range. If you look at the joist span tables above, it doesn’t take long to see that SYP is stronger than the other lumber species. The key is to make sure you use the appropriate nails or structural screws, as indicated by that piece of hardware. Like anywhere from 25lbs to well over 300lbs. Call your city's inspections department. can hold 420 gallons of water and seat 6-7 people (average weight per person = 185 lbs.). One of the best tools in your arsenal to determine deck weight capacity are deck load calculators and max span calculators, widely available online. The thickness of concrete is an important factor in load-bearing strength, but to conserve resources and avoid over-building, other factors are also taken into consideration. All of them did, I'm sure, have a solid foundation. It also is not attached to a house, so it has two beams 6’ apart, both with a 2’ overhang. Therefore if you have a hot tub that weighs 4500 pounds, that doesn’t mean your deck can support it since that weight is only in a concentrated area. The GVW includes the weight of the trailer itself, plus its payload and anything that adds to the total weight. The first thing you need to work out is how much water the jacuzzi will hold (in gallons) and multiply that by 8.345404, which is how many pounds one gallon weighs. If you are not sure if your deck is built to code, then fortunately you can still determine how much weight your deck can hold. Afterward, I began to wonder how much weight can a deck hold? This is for soils that are a mix of loam, silt, and clay, which also happens to be one of the weaker types of soil. Draw a rectangle from that point up to the first line halfway between the house and beam. Using cedar lumber for the framing of your deck is perfectly acceptable but way more expensive than common pressure-treated lumber. There is no specific amount of weight that each weight plate can support, however they can only hold up to 10. The depth of each structural member will also be a key player here. The Spa itself if friggin heavy (to the extent of needing to use a crane to lift it onto a 2nd-story deck). or 7 lb. Reverse that and divide your area by pi. How much weight will a .125 inch wood screw support? That means more footings and/or larger dimensional lumber, 12” o.c. Don't get confused with what weight you might think or want to load the deck with. What started as a small gathering ended up pretty large, and there were a lot of people on my deck. I spent a week at a vacation house on the Russian River, and the rickety deck (about 15 feet off the ground) had a pretty large 4-person hot tub jacuzzi on it. Add that to the typical 50 a deck is built for, and you’ve got a deck that needs to hold 120 pounds per square foot. The next portion is to figure out how much weight this footing is going to hold. If you find that your deck joists are 2×10, but the deck load calculator only mandates 2×8 joists, then you can safely assume your deck is much stronger than 50 pounds per square foot. If your deck is built on bedrock, gravel, or even sand, then you’ll have a higher – and potentially even a much higher – soil bearing capacity. and eek out a longer span. SYP lumber can span 10’ – 2’ more than the other species. Do I need to hire a professional to do that? For example, a 2x4 lumber may hold a 4-cylinder engine comfortably but may not hold a bigger one. You must use at least five framing nails to attach the rim joist to the ends of your joists. That number is simply a minimum requirement. The gross vehicle weight (GVW) is how much the trailer and its payload weighs together. Therefore, if you have a deck beneath a roof eave where snow will slide onto, you either need to regularly clear your deck or install a roof snow guard of some type. In that case, you’ll need to know what the average snow load is per your geographic region – a snow load chart helps. I want a jacuzzi out there. Just as 50 pounds per square foot is the minimum weight capacity for a deck built to code, so too is soil bearing capacity. How much weight can a 11 7/8″ X 1 3/4″ X 20′ wooden I-Joist hold. Soil matters. The three major types of wood species used in deck construction are Southern Yellow Pine (SYP), some combination of Spruce, Pine, and Fir (SPF), and Redwood, Western Cedar, or Red Pine. Also, some of the most highly durable skateboard trucks have weight limits of 250 lbs. As the weight of the tub full of water will have to be calculated in addition to however many people the deck is deemed fit for, it is highly unlikely that the deck can take the extra weight legally, unless it was over-engineered in the first place. How much weight/ How many people can my rooftop deck hold? If you go under this deck and find you have 3 ply 2×8 beams, then you can use a span table to determine footing placement. Take a close look at the hardware. Why? If your deck was built to code and the appropriate permits were pulled and signed off on, then it is entirely likely your deck holds a minimum of 50 pounds per square foot. He is passionately interested in home improvement, renovation and woodworking. Help me make my curtains as noiseproof as possible. However, if you are using post to beam connectors, joist hangers, and hurricane ties to support your structure, then standard 10d nails are just fine – the hardware itself will provide most of the support. Luckily, we now know how to calculate those loads since we did it a few paragraphs above. The type of lumber used is also critical in determining how much weight your deck can hold. The answer is, a lot of weight—if it is done right. One square foot has 144 square inches – so for us it’s 288 square inches. The total load for each tributary area is then divided by the area of each footing in order to determine the load psf imposed on the soil. total weight. The joists are 2"x12" over 20ft, 16" on center ; The framing under the deck is typical 2"x4" framing (living space), on a concrete foundation; The deck was built in 1980 up to code. Weight. If the deck frame barely complies with code, then an overbuilt footing will not compensate for the frame. So, if the spa is less than 100 pounds per square foot you likely have nothing to worry about. Aimee Ann on June 7, 2018 at 4:04 pm I have a 2nd story rec room, measuring 24×18 in … However, you can determine if your deck is overbuilt, which can give you an idea of how much more weight your deck can hold. The … Join 6,470 readers in helping fund MetaFilter. (8.35 lbs / gallon). On the other hand, if you build in a ground-snow load that exceeds 40 psf, then you can enter your snow load in the “Live Load” field to size a joist span to handle heavy snow. Here’s the official answer: Unless you have “storage trusses” specifically engineered for extra weight, you shouldn’t store anything in them. Figuring Out How Much Your Deck Handle As a general rule of thumb, if you have a deck that’s raised only a couple feet or less, it can support about 100 pounds per square foot. Default is 50 psf which you can change. Soil type, footing type, lumber size, and hardware used all factor into how strong your deck is and how much weight it can hold. Most decks will hold more – sometimes significantly more – than 50 pounds per square foot. 288/3.14 = ~96. If you drove a dump truck over it, yes this would throw all our calculations out the window. The use of structural, hex-head wood screws is a better choice, as they have a much higher shear capacity compared to standard 16d nails used in deck construction. for 7 occupants = 5655 lbs. The spa filled has 320 gallons or 2672 lbs. Again, knowing your deck lumber species can allow you to see if your deck is overbuilt. Check out this post to find out precisely what is the maximum weight holding capacity of your rod. The type of load in question will also determine how much weight a 2x6 can hold on edge. It’s possible that it could hold much more weight than 50 lbs. 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