Porch safety concerns - Local - Myrtle Beach Sun News
"The breaking point was the extra weight of about 50 people standing in one area of the porch, Cox said.
"It gave way like a trap door in the middle point," Cox said. "The age [of the lumber] and the weight on top were contributing factors."
Cox estimated that the area that collapsed could hold about 4,000 pounds.
The combined weight of people and porch furniture would have brought the weight in one area to around 10,000 pounds, he said.
Other remaining support beams under the porch are beginning to crack, and there are more rusty nails in the boards, according to engineers inspecting the house."
"The outside wall began to twist when the porch collapsed, Cox explained.
Metal braces are now supporting the outside wall and the structure is not in danger of falling, Tanner said."
From looking at picture #5, it looks like the porch roof is being supported by columns that rest on the porch's rim joist. From the way one of the porch support columns splintered (pic#7) It looks like these people were extremely lucky that the roof didn't come down on them.
There are a lot of these homes built on piers around here, everyone wants a deck. One of the engineers is recommending that homeowners have their homes evaluated twice a year.
"Cox is urging homeowners and renters to have their homes inspected by an engineer at least twice a year to ensure the structural integrity.
"You can get too many people and this is what can happen," he said. "An engineer could come close to giving you a maximum weight limit for your porch."
Sounds like overkill to me......