Is a sagging DIY overhead structure safe to leave up?
Long spans without support and reliance entirely on joist hangers create immediate safety risks for anyone underneath. Homeowners with no construction background are left guessing whether to tear the structure down immediately or risk leaving it up until a replacement can be built.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Removing hooks and hanging objectsDid this help you?
- 2Keeping children away from the structureDid this help you?
- 3Planning to take it down or replace itDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Way to long a span without support, i wouldn't let my kids anywhere near it”source ↗
“I know nothing about this kind of stuff and it just doesn't feel right having *everything* on joist hangars.”source ↗
“Can I leave this up until a new one goes in? My gut says it needs to come down ASAP.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 5Is this brick crack structural or just cosmetic?
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