Here’s more stout building at the cave!  Using the front wall, the back kitchen wall, the shear wall, engineered posts, and laminated veneer lumber beams as support, we built the second-floor platform with 2 X 12 joists on twelve-inch centers.  The load capacity for this platform exceeds the highest standards in commercial construction.

After building the structure, we sheathed it in tongue-and-groove OSB, and prepared for the hardwood flooring.  The stout structure means virtually no bounce or deflection when walking on it.  If we added a ramp, we could park school buses on the platform!