All, I have built or have helped build three garages this summer. I have done other garages in the past one here and there for friends. I am no means a expert but I do know my way around tools and construction as my dad was a General Contractor for 30 yrs (until his death) and I worked my way through high school and college doing construction.
My first garage this summer, I helped build was a 26X40 for a friend. Everything was 1/2 OSB, 2X4X10@ 16" O.C, no windows, standard trusses @ 24 inchs,2 garage doors on the none load sides (peak side) of the garage. It came out beautiful.
The second was moving my friends original 14X20 garage that was built in the late 1950's over to my home reconstructing it on a new concrete pad. Everything on the garage was 3/4 plywood/board for sheathing,
2X4X8@ 24" O.C., 3 small windows, roof peak was not trusses but "custom" built with 2X6, garage door on none load side (peak). I am very happy with it. It came out beautiful.Then there is the current one, that is where my questions come up, and I somewhat concerned about.
The garage is a 24X32. It is wood frame like the others on a new concrete pad as well. The garage is built 2X4X10 @ 16" O.C, 1/2 OSB Everything, 3 Larger windows (40 inchX40 inch), and one smaller window(23X40), Garage Door on Load Bearing Side (32 foot side), Garage has 2 Large and heavy LVL Beams that were speced out by city officials for over the garage door. All Windows use normally built Headers (2 -
2X8s with sandwhich 1/2 plywood).So my concerns;
As I was unsure of the exact window size when I built the garage I made my headers slightly larger then the windows. So the header is supported basically on the ends like it should and then it has a additional support before entering the window frame area.
Is this OK? Are headers allowed to be larger then the window layout assuming the 16" O.C framing of the wall is maintained? The largest header is 53". So there is like 6-8 inches on the side larger then it needs to be.
Then there is another thing that I am concerned about, on the none load bearing side (24 foot side) of the garage. I have tied the wall down with anchors into the concrete (I have actually have one or two extra on each wall) and the tops of the wall are tied into the trusses. The roof and windows are currently installed. The 24 foot none load bearing wall seems to give a little in the center, not at the sides as you would get to the corner. If you smack it (I am
230lb), it will vibrate a little all the way up to the roof. Its not bad enough thats going to come down or anything but compared to the load bearing side of the same garage and the other garages, which are built slightly different, it vibrates. The load bearing side is solid.I know it will not be as firm as the smaller garage as it is built with 3/4 and only 8 foot walls. The 26X40 one I helped build has its doors on both ends and the 40 foot walls are on the load bearing side, so I can say that is not a really good comparison.
Is this normal? Did I forget something?
Again the trusses are tied to the top of the wall and the base is tied to concrete. I believe it is not the headers causing me problems cause the problem only appears on the none load bearing side in the center.
I am considering running a 2X8 across what would be the bottom of the trusses (roof ties/ceiling joists) in the center to see if that would firm it up a little. There is already 2X8's (left over wood from another project) running across both sides of the trusses (roof ties/ ceiling joists). So when I am done, I would have three strips of 2X8 lumber on the trusses (roof ties/ceiling joists).
Any suggestion or ideas?
Thanks, Chris