This is the dramatic moment the poorly constructed roof of an outdoor shed crumbles under the weight of piled-on snow just moments after the owner’s son had been playing underneath.

CCTV footage captured in the courtyard of the house in Yichang, in China’s central Hubei Province, shows the massive roof being supported by several thin wooden sticks on the morning of 3rd February.

In some places, the owner, not named in local media, had used bar stools and even the back of a small pickup truck to keep a few of the sticks propped up because they were too short.

Just moments later, the entire structure crumbled to the ground, unable to carry the weight of freshly fallen snow.

The owner posted the video on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, with the caption: “Today, just ten minutes before the heavy snowfall in Yichang on the eve of the Lunar New Year, my son was still playing under the canopy when it suddenly collapsed.

“It was really perilous. With the New Year approaching, amidst the blizzard, I hope everyone stays safe!”

Fortunately, there was nobody out in the yard when the incident happened.

Many netizens later criticised the shabby roof construction.

One user titled ‘rice rice ben rice’ commented: “You just supported it with sticks?”

And ‘Dragon-Kin’ wrote: “Nowadays, many people make full beams and reduce the number of columns for the sake of beauty.”

While ‘hs~hs’ said: “Ours was supported by very sturdy objects and it still collapsed.”