The E-Sylum:  Volume 7, Number 49, December 5, 2004, Article 10

BOOKS: WEIGHING HEAVY ON HOMES?

Last week Nick Graver asked: " Since average homes 
are built for typical room occupancy, most book collections
place a much heavier strain on them, long term. Have
homes sustained cracks or damage due to the weight of
collections?"

Alan Luedeking writes: "My advice to Mr. Graver: Choose
not to locate your numismatic library, your waterbed and 
your grand piano on the second floor.

David Davis writes: " I am not sure if I have ever seen anything 
either written or discussed on the subject. It would seem 
prudent to anyone designing a new home to let their architect 
know about the size of their library and method of storing 
books. As I keep almost all of my books in barrister bookcases 
that are relocatable and of different heights due to the ability
to stack same, I designed my bonus room (soon to be my
library, I hope) over the garage to carry 125 lbs. square foot 
instead of the typical 50 to 60 used for conventional homes. 
I used barn trusses instead of residential trusses. The fact that 
most bookcases are located on the periphery of a room which 
are more likely to be over weight bearing walls or beams probably 
saves most floors. Such problems are the reason most remodellers 
have to be very cautious when asked to remove walls in older houses."

Granvyl Hulse writes: "My house is a 130 year old fifteen room 
two and a half story wooden building. It was in the attic that I 
stored the Numismatic International library until recently. 
About ten years after I took on the job as NI Librarian, and 
before I had my cataract operations, my late wife called me 
into the living room on the first floor, and pointing to the ceiling, 
asked me if I saw anything unusual. One look with my glasses 
off and I headed to the lumber yard and picked up two eight by 
eight inch eight foot long beams. One was placed in the
basement, and after jacking up the cross beam on the
living room ceiling the second was placed directly above
the basement beam.

The weight of the books in the attic was literally
forcing the house to sag inward. I am happy to say that
I have had no further problems, but if my wife had not 
spotted the living room ceiling sagging we, and the l
ibrary, would have eventually descended into the basement.

Joe Boling writes: "When Fred Schwan built his (then-new) 
house in Port Clinton, he had a full wall (floor to high ceiling 
with ladder) book case installed. As he loaded it, the wall 
began to sag and crack. The solution was to go under the 
house and install wedges on the foundation pilings that 
were supporting that wall.

Books are not the only load-creator. Safes also create
massive floor loads. One reason I could never live in
a condo is that there are none that will support my
two-ton safe (that was the weight before it was filled) 
not to mention the problem of getting it to any floor 
above the ground level - it has to come in through a 
garage with no steps)."  

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

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