Originally Posted by
Jerry Peck
Bedrooms are "living spaces" too.
It's not the weight of the tub, it's the water in it. The best thing to do is to install a shower, no tub, that eliminates the 'will the tub ever be filled with water' issue.
Jerry,
The only reason I differentiated between bedrooms(sleeping areas) and living spaces is that the IRC does so. Floor live loads for sleeping areas are based on 30 psf and living areas at 40psf. These are not large rooms. The span from exterior to center wall is about 12 feet. In the bathroom, rough-in for a tub unit is already done. Plus my wife wanted the tub, but we always take showers. Tubs are great for washing venetian blinds, dogs, etc. The long dimension of the tub is centered over the center supporting wall and is against the exterior wall on the gable end where the first floor joist runs parallel on the double top plates of the wall below. The other joists running under the tub have been reinforced.