"Kevin" wrote in message
...
Again, thanks for all of the thoughtful responses! Great tips
Swingman, I will certainly apply those. After this discussion, I
think I will reduce the size of the box of drawers so that overloading
the floor joists is not an issue. Instead, I think I will build
several smaller units around the space, including some in the knee
wall that runs along two sides (and yes, dealing with any load-
supporting-knee-wall issues, if they arise!).

Kevin

Well, maybe and maybe not. Swingman's advice is solid, but here's another
thought. Floor joists can handle the most weight at the points nearest to
where they attach to the wall. What may be a lot of load in the center of a
room may well be a very tolerable load close to the wall. It would be worth
your time to do a little web research on the load bearing capability of the
dimensional lumber that your floor joists are made from. A quick
conversation with an architect or a structural engineer would probably be
very enlightening. As well, your weight is going to be spread across the
width of your cabinet. That means that the weight per square foot will be
quite a bit less than the weight of the cabinet. You might be perfectly ok
with your original plan.

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-Mike-