Attic Storage Live Load

Of floor area dead load of partitions 20 lbs.

Attic storage live load. Dead load of attic floor when floored 20 lbs. Dead load of first floor ceiling not plastered 10 lbs. Unlike stiffness live loads and dead loads are added together to determine minimum design values for strength. In attics built purely for storage purposes you may find 2x6 ceiling joists or in some cases even 2x4 joists.

If we look back at the definition above for live loads we can see that attic storage is considered a live load since this load is produced by the user given the nature of the space. Other uses for attics and lofts include a live load plus a 10 psf dead load for the weight of the floor support system floor sheathing sheetrock on the underside and any insulation. Joists and rafters must be strong enough not to break when loaded. The span table for a 30 psf live load 10psf dead load floor indicates a required fb value of 1 315 and a minimum e value of 1 800 000.

However if the attic is intended for storage the attic live load or some portion should also be considered for the design of other elements in the load path. Dead load of first floor ceiling plastered 20 lbs. D w provides an adequate and. In this case your joists are adequate to support a 30 psf live load and 10 psf dead load.

Of floor area dead load on second floor 20 lbs. Flooring for dead loads may not be sufficient for live loads the loads created by people and the features of living space. Other residential rooms 40 psf. If your attic joists won t bear the weight necessary to finish out a living space but the engineer cleared them to support floor decking for light storage you can install inch plywood or.

Basically if the space is large enough to accommodate storage of various items the user will use the space as such. Offices require 50 psf. Use span tables for progressively heavier loads until you find the limits of your floor. 3the transverse wind load for stud design is based on a localized component and cladding wind pressure.

Storage space dead load of partitions 20 lbs. The previous homeowner may have simply covered the joists with plywood to use the space for storage. In sleeping only areas a 30 psf live load is required.