Failed Building Inspection on Set

Just got a call from my local fire chief informing me that a set on stage at the theatre failed inspection by the fire dept and building inspector. I didn't have a hand in this set and haven't seen the issue myself yet, but he said something about supports not on 16" centers and boards cracking on the deck of the second story. He hadn't seen it himself though because he's out of town. He did say he supports the building inspectors decision to shut down the show until the issues are resolved.

I'm about to hop in my car and go see what's going on. Anyone used to seeing building inspectors expect 16" centers on 2x4 platforms?

I do know that the people who built this set were parents of kids in the show. When I saw the set this week, it looked well-built by carpenters (minus the use of OSB on walls). I'll be interested to see where it was breaking down and what deficiencies there were in the construction.

Please report in detail. I am VERY interested in this issue. please find out (if possible) what codes the inspector cites, if any, to justify his findings.

I'm with Michael on this... let us know what they say before flying off the handle.

Initial report is that the set was substandard to both code and standard industry practices due to construction materials, methods of joining and fastening elements together, and general build quality.

Show opened 30min after scheduled curtain. Building inspector was blown away at how quickly parents arrived with trucks, tools, and lumber. They failed inspection at 5p, started Act 1 by 7:30p.

Set never should've been allowed on stage as was originally constructed. More details to come.

http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/scenery-props-rigging/18200-building-permits-scenery.html

Also, IBC :

105.2 Work exempt from permit. Exemptions from permit requirements of this code shall not be deemed to grant authorization for any work to be done in any manner in violation of the provisions of this code or any other laws or ordinances of this jurisdiction. Permits shall not be required for the following:
Building:
8. Temporary motion picture, television and theater stage sets and scenery.

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Normally, there's no inspection unless a permit is given. Hard to believe a building inspector would tell a fire inspector more than the owner/user of a premises.

Someone really must have pissed off the AHJ. Drop a c-note or two and I bet everything will be just fine.
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It's a school production. When the fire dept tells the school the two-story set is unstable for people to dance on, it's seen as a courtesy.

They intended to shut the show down, but if the fire and building AsHJ (authorities having jurisdiction) both concur that it is not safe, the school would postpone the opening until proper reinforcements are implemented.

Fire and Building AsHJ both admit they don't know in this matter where the demarcation point is between code and.common sense. Building AHJ says he's not inspected stage sets before and doesn't know what codes are applicable. What he does know is how to recognize a spongy floor (OSB decking...) and cracked 2x4 joists...

I've got a little more time now to go into specifics.

They used OSB for decking and walls, which is too spongy for decking and sucks up too much paint for walls.

They screwed adjacent platforms together instead of bolting them.

They had an insufficient number of cross-members supporting each 4x8 sheet of OSB, though I suspect if it had been 3/4" ply, this would've been less critical.

Where multiple corners of platforms intersected, they had one vertical 2x4 for support, which was not bolted but just screwed into the 2x4 frame.

It wasn't all bad. What was there was carpenter grade work, but it was carpenter grade work that was well-intentioned-but poorly implemented.

What occasioned the AHJs to inspect? Generally they have to be called.

My understanding is that someone brought it up in casual conversation to them, "You hear up at the arts center that they've got the middle school play this week? Huge set. They've got a second story to it" or something like that.

Nobody called them up with the intent of reporting the show. It just hadn't appeared on their radar earlier in the week to go check the stage out. Having the the assistant fire chief walk through is not unusual for us, though it doesn't happen frequently. Having the building inspector come in was a new one for us, but the assistant fire chief wouldn't have called the building inspector without a good reason.

Wow, NEVER heard of a building inspector doing his thing on a set before. In the short run it sounds like a good thing, in the long run this could be really messy. If State governments start making theatre companies pull permits for scenic builds things are going to get stupid fast.

Hopefully construction will pick up and they won't have the time.

Van said:

Wow, NEVER heard of a building inspector doing his thing on a set before. In the short run it sounds like a good thing, in the long run this could be really messy. If State governments start making theatre companies pull permits for scenic builds things are going to get stupid fast.

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My space is in the depths of state govt. and we have never had anything inspected beyond the NFPA stuff.

The only inspections for sets I've ever heard of involved Actor's Equity - and that had more to do with angles of rake, or slip/fall protection, etc., so more design than fabrication.

Fascinating. I'm glad parents pulled through, however, and everyone learned a valuable lesson about life. Or something.

You gotta wonder what they would do if you had triscuits. Ask for an engineer stamped drawing? It must have just felt too iffy.
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BillConnerASTC said:

You gotta wonder what they would do if you had triscuits. Ask for an engineer stamped drawing? It must have just felt too iffy.
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Ha. Would have been an interesting discussion.

I'm not sure why they did not like the OSB on the walls... holds to much paint? Who cares! It is just facing...

Footer said:

Ha. Would have been an interesting discussion.

I'm not sure why they did not like the OSB on the walls... holds to much paint? Who cares! It is just facing...

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The OSB on the walls was my comment, not AsHJ. The people who built the set used OSB everywhere where I wouldn't have used it anywhere. I would've used Lauan on the walls because it's easier to transport and handle and sucks up less paint, 3/4" ply on the decking because it's stronger.

MNicolai said:

The OSB on the walls was my comment, not AsHJ. The people who built the set used OSB everywhere where I wouldn't have used it anywhere. I would've used Lauan on the walls because it's easier to transport and handle and sucks up less paint, 3/4" ply on the decking because it's stronger.

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Yeah even 3/4 CDX would have been a better choice than OSB. What thickness did they use ? 3/8 & 1/2" are always on sale a Home Despot. I see them get used way too often.

Van said:

Yeah even 3/4 CDX would have been a better choice than OSB. What thickness did they use ? 3/8 & 1/2" are always on sale a Home Despot. I see them get used way too often.

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Out of curiosity - how do you paint CDX (or OSB for that matter). I've been buying the cabinet grade 3/4" Arauco Chilean plywood from Home Depot because it is cheaper than ACX for platforms ($31). So how do you get a smooth surface at an affordable price? VSSSD is not going to make it affordable - though I have used it to emulate stone.

This reminds me of a similar 'inspection' we had on a high school set a few years back...

For 'Seussical the Musical' we built an 44'w x 18' deep raked stage that went from about 24" DS to like 7' US. It was all framed in 2x6 with adequate supports and all carriage bolted together using scab plates so the structure did not rely on fastener strength and was decked with 3/4" ply. The school board's electrician came in to wire some aisle lights in the theatre and called his 'girl friend' at the central office about the size of the set and wondered about safety.

Long story, short version - the school district paid for a structural engineer to take a look at the set. After climbing all over and under the thing, the guy shook my hand and said, " you obviously knew what you were doing". In retrospect, I think the schools just want to cover their bases or behinds. If something were to happen I am positive a lawsuit would follow because someone would likely think they just hit the lottery.

So now a few years later I walk into another school to help fix their lighting and I see where they had flown something overstage using cotton clothesline slung over the structural steel above the stage and tied off on a few 2x4's screwed to the stage floor. I quickly advised the director that not only was this crazy, it was incredibly unsafe and downright stupid. He said the summer community theatre was the guilty group!

Sometimes you never know what you'll find onstage at the local school!

IMHO, while plywood is nicer than OSB, OSB is designed and rated to be used as subfloor. It's probably under you right now. I wish I could remember where (may have been here!) I read that while OSB will feel slightly spongier, it has about the same tensile strength as CDX.

One must be careful about the cabinet-grade plywood (also know as paint grade, etc). It is NOT rated to be used as subfloor. It does not have the internal strength of CDX, ACX, or OSB. I would not use it in a life-safety situation.

Standard practice I learned was to build the platforms in CDX or OSB, then add facing and decking of masonite. Gives a great paint surface, and on a larger platform you can cross the platform seams with the maso to make everything nice and smooth. And still comes out cheaper than ACX. Although, I've been have some issues with masonite recently, which I've been meaning to start a thread about. . .