Rough opening is too small for sliding patio doors
Just before installing a sliding glass patio door today in our self-built home, we measured the rough opening and it is 1-3/4 inch too short for the height of the slider. (The slider is 6 feet wide by 6 feet 6 inches tall.) How this happened is anyone’s guess. At any rate, we have two choices (I think):
A. We completely remove the header and the cripples above it, reduce the height of the cripples by 1-3/4 inch, and use shims and a 2×6 piece cut to fit in under the left and right sides of the header on the jack studs to increase the height of the rough opening by the necessary amount.
Or,
B. We use a Sawzall to cut off the bottom 1-3/4 inch of the header across its length.
Problems we see with both fixes:
A. This is a load-bearing roof-end wall. Even if we work fast, there is the potential for sagging once the security and strength of that header is completely removed from the framing. Can we possibly hold it up with temporary framing while we do what we need to do before replacing the header in its new position? Use a wall jack? (We don’t have a wall jack.)
B. We used three 2x10s with 1/2 inch plywood sandwiched between to create the header. Taking 1-3/4 inch away from the header will, in essence, create a 7-1/2 inch header. Is that strong enough over the six foot width of the door to sufficiently support the roof?
There could absolutely be another fix we’re not seeing…we’re not builders by trade.
Replies
It's not a good idea to build a house if you don't know what you're doing.
You might have more problems than just this door header. Hire a good carpenter or contractor to go over your framing and make sure it's safe and meets code.
The framing exceeds code, and the header framing isn't the issue at all.
From outside, pull back / up your housewrap in the area of your header.
Temporarily nail (Leave heads enough to crowbar out) a 2x10 to the top plates and the cripples above what you want to cut off. Make that 2X10 longer than the opening so you nail to the king studs.
Pull all the sheathing nails from the header.
Cut the cripples in place shorter, and the sheathing, knock out the blocks
Cut the nails holding the header to the framing.
Jack up the header, I’d install new jacks.
Nail the sheathing off.
Repair housewrap.
Install sill pan!!!
Install door.
Lemme know if I missed anything, hot action in the World Series....
Brilliant, thank you so much!
Just do what Calvin said, nothing else is needed. It's not a big job at all. It would take an experienced carpenter less than an hour. This kind of thing happens all the time.
Go ahead with Calvin. This normally happens during the renovation. It will take less than an hour for an experienced Carpenter.
You will need to confirm your header sizing with span tables that coincide with your code authority. If you are in a remote area with no code authority find the nearest town and use the tables that they require. If you rip 1 3/4” off you essentially have a tripled 2x8 header which is probably fine for your application as you are only carrying roof and ceiling load, but if you live in an area of heavy snow load it may not be adequate. There are quite a few variables you have to take into account when using the tables like building length, species of wood and etc. No one on this forum can give you proper advice unless they refer to the span tables themselves and input your specifics.
If you do need to take the header out, you can temporarily hold up your ceiling joist and(or) rafters with some 2x4’s quite easily, don’t need a jack.
You referred to it as a roof-end wall. Does that mean a gable-end wall? They generally are not load-bearing as floor joists, ceiling joists, and rafters usually run parallel to them and bear on the adjacent walls. If this is the case, your header may not even be needed unless it IS actually supporting the framing above, in particular a ridge beam of LVLs carrying rafters in a vaulted ceiling. Photos or a framing diagram would be helpful.
If it is load-bearing, depending on how much load it is carrying, you may be able to saw the bottom off and still have plenty of strength. Making the entire cut with a sawzall would be a bear. You'd get a much better, neater result cutting as deeply as you can with a circular saw from both inside and outside and then finishing the depth of the cut with the sawzall. Is it carrying just a roof/ceiling assembly or an entire second story and roof?
If you want to raise the entire header and you're worried about supporting floor joists above that bear on that wall, you can frame a temporary wall a few feet into the room parallel with the exterior wall to support the structure above while you remove the beam, trim the cripples, and reinstall the beam. I'm sure you could find videos of this online, but I usually just screw a 2x6 or 2x8 to the joists above, lay a 2x6 on the floor, and then drive studs in between them, positioning the studs directly under the joists above and ideally directly above the joists below.
Hope this helps.
Or do what Calvin suggests. His method will work well since you wouldn't be leaving the header out for any appreciable length of time. The structure really wouldn't have time to sag on you, especially with sheathing nailed to the framing above. I second his suggestion to use new jack studs cut the correct length rather than poking little filler blocks in there.
She had a pic posted in another thread but the slider isn’t shown. Ridge beam, single story. Vaulted ceiling, Loft at one end. No idea where this slider is located. No roofing Installed in that picture.
Plumb’s in a bad mood.
Series back and forth. Hard to concentrate.
Purely out of idle curiosity, how can anyone think that 6' 4 1/4" is the rough opening height for any kind of door? And for that matter, what kind of door is only 6' 6" total height? I've seen Atrium doors that were meant to fit inside and existing door frame, but for new construction?
Has it snowed yet?
Another vote for calvin's scheme. If there is a ridge beam I hope it doesn't bear over the header though.
Maybe a pair of 7.5 inch LVL would work. Or a flitch.
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I apologize for my grouchy response. Life's been a beach lately.
You've gotten good advice. I agree with Jlyda, Calvin and Flash.