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watboy

framing a door. is this a load bearing wall

watboy
12 years ago

I am framing a door and it's in an existing wall. i'd like to cut out one stud to make the openeing and there is a beam above it. not sure it this would be an issue and it this wall is a load bearing wall. how can i tell? and can someone let me email them pictures?

Comments (21)

  • User
    12 years ago

    I see you've been on GardenWeb since 2002, have you ever created a Photobucket, Flickr, Picasa, Tinypic account for free? Those sites will give the html code required to upload a photo onto the forums of GWeb. That is much preferred to sending photos to individual members.

    I went to the Remodeling Forum here on GWeb and did a quick search on the terms "load bearing walls" and there were lots of results which I show below. If there is a problem connecting with that information from this link, go to the forum and in the search box AT THE BOTTOM OF THAT PAGE, enter the same terms I did, and you'll soon have the same information I see now.

    After you solve that problem with some good advice, come on back over and we'll talk about other things related to smaller home living. Glad you stopped by. :)

    Here is a link that might be useful: Load Bearing Walls

  • TxMarti
    12 years ago

    You can definitely have doors in load bearing walls. You can't take out a stud that bears the end of the load (like a corner) because you wouldn't be able to redistribute the weight. It would help to see the wall though. Just make sure you have the right size header set on jack studs to take the weight.

    We're doing something similar right now.

    Here's a good how to that I just found. It doesn't say how to get out the studs that are in the way. You'll probably have to have a nail claw pry bar to get a grip on the nail head if they are toenailed into the stud.

  • TxMarti
    12 years ago

    How to tell if it's a load bearing wall.

    Go up in your attic and see if the rafters or trusses rest on that beam.

  • watboy
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    thanks. well it is supporting ratfers and trusses. and the other issue is from the bottom of the floor to the horizontal beam is 81 inches. not sure if i could do a door there since there would need to a header correct? or could that beam be the heather?

  • TxMarti
    12 years ago

    Is the horizontal beam exposed? A photo sure would help.

  • watboy
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Yes it is exposed. I'll see if I can get a photobucket account. I'm not very computer savvy or a carpenter lol

  • TxMarti
    12 years ago

    Is it a decorative beam? If so, I wouldn't trust it.

  • watboy
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    no its in an unfinished attic not decorative. i started a photobucket account trying to figure out how to post now.

    http://s1114.photobucket.com/albums/k527/watboy2000/

  • watboy
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Did my picture come through?

  • TxMarti
    12 years ago

    The picture isn't on the post, but can get to it through the link thingy.

    Is that a center beam (is it two 2x12s nailed together?), with attic space above? Or is that an exterior wall? I can't tell what size anything is in your photos. What size is the beam and what size the studs supporting it, and how far apart? How are the studs attached to the beam? That beam is not like one in any house we've built or remodeled. I still think you can put a door there, but you need to get the how to from someone who has seen that construction before. The center beams we've used in the past have had support posts about ten feet apart. Your support studs look much closer together, if that is a center beam.

    My dh used to remodel older houses. I'll show him your photos and see what he thinks. When was your house built, and what size door do you want to put in?

    Sorry I'm not more help.

  • watboy
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    House built in 1953 the support studs are 16 inches apart . I want a door30 inches wide 80 inches high. This is an unfinished attic if you look up you can see the roof peak. This beam does not span the length if the house. It starts in middle of one room and goes to this room .beam is 2 2 x 12s put together

  • TxMarti
    12 years ago

    OK, that makes sense. Is it a hip roof?

    I think you can put in a 30" door with no problem on the width, and use the beam as header. The only problem (a biggie) I do see is the height because a typical door frame is about 3/4" thick, plus you'll have to leave at least 1/4" to 1/2" around the frame to square it. And you need to leave at least 1/2" at the bottom so the door will swing freely. More if your floor is really unlevel within the swing area. That's almost 2 inches out of your 81 inches. That doesn't leave enough room for the typical big box door. Hollow core doors have a solid frame around the outer edge, about an inch, so you can cut or plane off a little, but from the bottom only if it is a door unit that comes with the frame.

    Your only other option would be a solid wood door so you can cut more off the bottom of the door.

    It's always something isn't it? When we start a project, we always run into some problem and ask ourselves why it can never be simple.

  • TxMarti
    12 years ago

    p.s. Put a level (a 3' level at least) against the bottom of the beam where you want the door and see if it's bowed or how much out of level. That will give you some idea how much you will have to adjust the door and frame.

  • TxMarti
    12 years ago

    p.s.2 Where on the beam do you want to place the door? Don't mess with the studs that hold up each end.

  • TxMarti
    12 years ago

    That's what I thought at first too ML. But I think it's just taken really close up. If you look at the studs in the 2nd picture, you can see that they are 2x4's with the 2" side showing, and the insulation covers the rest. Look at the size of the nail head in the beam for reference. However, compared to the 2x4, it doesn't look like the beam is a 2x12, more like a 2x6.

  • watboy
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    You guys are awesome all of you.They are 2 2x6s next to each other to make one beam. I think my neighbor called my house a salt box roof. There us insulation over head.The room is really just an alcove u want to frame in and make into a room. The actual space is16 feet by 6

  • TxMarti
    12 years ago

    Glad we could help. I finally showed your pix to dh last night and he said pretty much the same thing I did. He thought a hollow core door might work too if your beam was level and you only have to cut a little off the bottom of the door & frame.

    Good luck with it and let us see your progress.

  • User
    12 years ago

    Watboy, when we redo our kitchen and take in the back porch as part of it, we'll have to change the roof it now has, from shed to a real dormer roofline. It gets so low at the back side of it, there is barely room now for the exterior door. So by the time the porch floor is raised level with the existing kitchen, our glass door won't work. You are lucky that your floor is level with the rest of your house.

    Very glad you stopped into the forum, we all enjoy having new houses to look at and work with. Please do show us what happens to the finished room. I know it will add greatly to your enjoyment of your home.

  • watboy
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I just wanted to say a million thanks to all of you. I was able to get the door framed out today after work. i attached a picture hope it works. sorry the lighting is horrible in there. that's the next thing I will be ding, installing an overheard light. hope that's something i can also tackle myself

  • TxMarti
    12 years ago

    Looks good, from what I can see. But most importantly, it makes the room function the way you want.

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