Header Above New Door

[Bernie Hunt]

I'm moving my back door over 4 feet and replacing it with french doors, so I'm going to have to reframe that section of wall. I know I need 1" of header thickness for each 1' of opening. My question is how big should the king studs and trimmers be? Is there a guideline for this like the header size? My opening is still under consideration by the design committe, (wife), but let's say its either 6', 7' or 8'.

For point of reference, it's a two story house, the new door is in an exterior wall, on the first flor, and on a gable end.

Thanks,

Bernie PS: Any good web resources for framing a hip roof to extend out over the new door? I've got a feeling the angles on the sides may be tricky.

[Tom Baker]

International Residential Code 2000 states in part, "Headers shall be installed above wall openings in all exterior walls and interior load-bearing walls in accordance with Figure R603.6 and Tables R603.6(1), R603.6(2), and R603.6(3). The number of jack and king studs shall comply with Table R603.6(4). Headers shall be connected to king studs in accordance with Table R603.6(5)."

Local wind, seismic, and snow loads; width of building; and width of opening are taken into account in choosing header depth and number of king and jack studs and the fasteners to be used.

This is to suggest that there is more information needed to decide on the construction needed.

TB

[Harry K]

King, jack, trimmers, etc. are always the same size as the rest of the wall in all construction I have seen. How many of what depends on local code and opening size.

Hit your local library for a basic carpentry book on framing of hip roofs. The angle cuts are not a problem -if- you know how to use a framing square.

Harry K

[Bob]

I use this rule of thumb: opening under five feet - use one jack stud on each end. opening five feet to 12 feet - use two jack studs on each end. openings 12 feet and above (as in a 16 foot garage door) - use three jack studs on each end.

For headers, I use two 2" X 12" cut to correct length, nailed and glued together with a 1/2 inch peace of plywood between them.

Bob

[Bernie Hunt]

Harry,

Thanks what I'm looking for. How many 2xs or 4x do I need to put under this header for 8 feet?

Bernie

[dbird]

probably need 2 X 10's over a 8 foot opening....... but check the local build. code it might be different and might want more(wider 2X's)