I'm trying to get an approximate feel on how much can a 10cm brick wall be loaded with. Here is an image to describe the problem:
I am planning to make an elevated bed and the beam on the picture should be the main carrying construction. It should be able to withstand two people sleeping there, I plan to test it with 4 people directly hanging at the beam and swinging.
I don't have enough experience on how the brick wall would behave when exposed to such stress. The load will be solely vertical.
Does it makes sense to put another beam as a pillar as suggested in the picture below?
I know it would probably help, but I wouldn't want to go solving problems that don't need to be solved.
How would you approach this problem? What would be your biggest concern?
Best Answer
I would highly recommend that you come up with a plan that uses legs on this bed construction that come all the way down to the floor. This way you do not need to fasten into the wall at all. Such a construction can also be easily disassembled for moving from room to another room or another dwelling. You also avoid messing up the wall.
Long legs on an elevated bed will need to be constructed so as to prevent racking of the structure. One way to achieve this would be to put a skirt board around the legs on three sides near the bottom. Some angular bracing may also be necessary.