Header under a door question

[willshak]

on 12/1/2008 9:09 AM jamesgangnc said the following:

Footer? :-) Maybe a Sill Plate?

[jamesgangnc]

I have to put a door in a wall midway between two floors. I know that the framing over a door or window is called a header. I know I'll have to build a "header" under the door in this case. Anyone know what it is called when it under a door?

[jloomis]

[PeterD]

Let's see, walk though the door, and your top half goes to the floor above, and your bottom half to the floor below?

Footer?

[JamesGangNC]

It's a garage with a loft in a 12/12 roof above it that I'm placing next to an existing deck/house. To keep the same elevation I will end up with a door part way between the garage floor and the loft. The door will open to a landing with stairs going down to the garage floor and stairs going up to the loft floor. The bottom wall framing will need to have a door opening that begins about 4 feet off the garage floor.

[Wayne Whitney]

Hmm, I don't see it. A header in this context is a horizontal element that takes a distributed vertical load and spreads it across to two point loads at either end, to allow an opening underneath the header. Your doorway will have a header above it. Below it, whatever load you have from the landing or whatever is in front of the door can be carried by the wall segment that is still there, there is no need for a header.

Cheers, Wayne

[Dioclese]

It's a garage with a loft in a 12/12 roof above it that I'm placing next to an existing deck/house. To keep the same elevation I will end up with a door part way between the garage floor and the loft. The door will open to a landing with stairs going down to the garage floor and stairs going up to the loft floor. The bottom wall framing will need to have a door opening that begins about 4 feet off the garage floor.

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If I understand what you're describing, its not a header. There's no dedicated opening below it. More inline with a subfloor beam description, even though not completely accurate.

[PeterD]

I still think footer would be the best term. The door is a typical split-entry type doorway, in fact I have one in my house, however, since I didn't build it, I don't know that piece's name!

[PeterD]

I can see what he is thinking, however... He's transfering the load from above via cripple studs, and then wants to re-distribute the load below the door, rather than having it rest on single studs.

[HerHusband]

I would still call it a header, though it's not really serving the same purpose in your case. The header "above" the door will carry the weight of the structure above the door and distribute it to the studs on the sides of the door. The only weight you would have "under" the door would be the floor and any live load. The stud wall under the door should support this fine without the need of a header, but there's no reason you couldn't add the second header under the door if you wish. If nothing else, it might give you some structure to tie into later if you need to attach a ledger on the outside of the building or something.

Anthony

[Voyager]

Does it matter what you call it?

If there is a landing in front of or behind the door, then you have a floor and it is called a floor joist.

Matt