Garage door header ???

[LD1]

On a gable end. Dont over think it.

My 18' garage door opening is a single vertical 2x12, and a single horizontal 2x6. And I even think the 2x12 was unnecessary and overkill with the building sheeted with OSB then metal.

 

[lennyzx11]

LD1, did you mean the other way?

 

[2458n]

Residential and Commercial have different standard widths. for a home your lookin at 8,9,and 16. The emboss on the front determines this. The set up to change hinge locations, and bottom strip add to the cost at the factory.

 

[ultrarunner]

I'm in a sea of 15' garage doors... must be a California 1950's thing...

Of course I have seen just about any and every size... especially the older homes with the carriage doors.

Good call to check the door you want first...

I needed a 12' wide door and it was not too bad with one brand and double with another... sure makes for a super nice one car garage... 12' door and 16' wide building...

 

[LD1]

LD1, did you mean the other way?

No. Both boards run the horizontal orientation.

But the 2x12 is stood vertically, like a floorjoist. The 2x6 is laid flat.

Think lime a piece of angle iron, with a 6" leg and a 12" leg, with the 12 being vertical, and the 6 being flat across the bottom which is what you see when you are standing I. The door opening looking up.

If I had to do again, I don't even think I would use the vertical 2x12. Just the flat 2x6. It can't sag, sheeting on the inside and outside is all tied to it.

 

[EddieWalker]

Headers are not only to support the load of what's above them, they also keep the wall straight over the distance they span. The longer the span, the more this comes into play. While you might get away with cutting corners using just a single 2x12, you also might have issues doing this. For the price of another 2x12 and some half inch plywood, it doesn't make a lot of sense to not do it the way that has been proven to work. Modern building methods and building codes are the minimum that should be done. It is not best practice, but if you build to the minimum standards, you shouldn't have any issues. Using just one 2x12 over a 14 foot span would be a huge risk in my opinion.

 

[LD1]

With a door header mid way up a wall, I could see so.e benefit keeping the wall straight.

But when the header is right up at the roof line near the bottom of the truss, and you have proper lateral bracing of the truss, I don't see any added benefit to help heep the wall straight.

On mine, of you were to push right in The middle of the header, you would have to bow the bottom cords of ALL the truses plus the end wall on the far side to make the wall deviate from straight.

I am by no means a pro builder, and lots of members on here are. But I think alot of times people get set in their ways on how to do something without understanding the "why" and if it is truly needed.

But certainly if in doubt, error on the side of caution

 

[LD1]

Here is the best picture I have to show how I did my 18' header Might have to zoom in but you can see it:


The inside of the garage is the 2x12 stood vertically.

The bottom is a 2x6 since I did 2x6 walls. Basically forming a wooden "angle iron" piece as I mentioned.

The vertical boards are 22" tall.

Its capped with a double 2x6 that the truss sits on. Same as the top of the wall the rest of the way around.

All that gets OSB sheeting over it tying it into the truss + metal over it. then osb on the inside.

Right in the middle of the door (center of the truss) is a angle brace, going from the top of the header to the top of the third truss.

It is solid as a rock and aint going anywhere, vertically or horizontally. Just didnt see the need to triple up + plywood on the header. the eaves, different story

 

[EddieWalker]

One of the nicest things about building your own buildings on your own land is that you get to do it the way you want to. As a builder, I am responsible for what I build, even if there is no code, I will build it to code or above. I feel the same when giving advice on here. I try to limit my criticisms to how others build things if I think it will work how they did it, but sometimes I'll point out something that is really bad. It's a fine line.

What I like the most is when I hear from other builders with more knowledge who speak up and share what they know.

 

[LD1]

Nothing wrong with that at all. As a builder, you have to stand behind what you build, and if I were hiring someone to build for me, I would want them to have your mentality.

On a stick built building, it is very important that the headers get sized properly on the eave ends.

On a post frame with proper header to carry the truss around the top (or even better to have trusses direct to posts), it isnt a big deal. There would be no door header if it was just a wall. Heck, even the wall can be optional if you think about an open sided building or shelter. So the header is really only there to frame around the opening and give a place to attach garage door hardware.