Garage door header ???

   / Garage door header ??? #1  

lennyzx11

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2015
Messages
1,257
Location
Bennington Vermont
Tractor
Kubota L3301 HST/LA525 & 1964 Ford 2000 gas
Guys, I know not enough information yet. What would be a standard replacement size header you would think for the below?
Wife has me on vacation in Florida and bored to tears.<laughing>
My garage at home has a 8ftW X 7ft tall door that is too small for truck and tractor without folding mirrors, ROPS, etc.
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1454248478.918182.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1454248516.101896.jpg

I have enough room to widen it out to 14 ft and save the walkin door or even lose it to but don't want to. The ceiling is 10 ft high inside with the trusses running parallel to the door.ImageUploadedByTapatalk1454248674.648304.jpg(don't mind the mess. Working on a new counter for laundry room)

There is storage above the garage but only down the center and little used. I forget the name of that type of truss.
We have little to no snow load in southeast Oklahoma also.

The long term plan is put a bigger door here. Directly behind it put the original small door and build an extension on the rear of the shop for the "land of dust and noise"(woodworking tools) and then a lean to on the lake side tall enough to get the tractor in and implement storage.

Gotta go. Time for another walk on the beach and too early for beer she says.
However, found my new possible dream job.
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1454249129.542702.jpg

Lenny
 
   / Garage door header ??? #2  
Sounds like you have "attic" trusses. Since that door is on a gable end, it shouldn't have any roof load from above if the trusses are setup right. So I'd size the beam to whatever doesn't sag under its own weight over the width of the door you use, plus some extra for margin. Or if you just don't want to think about it, a double 2x12 would take no brains at all up to 16' long, would just be heavy to handle. Can be installed one at a time to make it easier.

I would definitely use double 2x just so you have some resistance to wind and bending in and out of the wall. You may want to study the framing up above the ceiling -- sometimes there will be a diagonal brace running from the middle of the header up to the trusses. Sometimes two of them to make an X. The idea is to keep that end-wall truss rigid so it can't bow in under wind loads, or if someone casually drives into the header by accident.
 
   / Garage door header ??? #3  
I would build a laminated beam for that span. Two 2x12's with 3/4 plywood inbetween glued and screwed together will be several times stronger than a standard header.
 
   / Garage door header ??? #4  
Like s219 said, there is little to no load on a gable side header. So, a double 2x12 would be more than adequate. If you snug it up against the bottom of the truss, you could possibly get 9' of clearance in height. In regards to the width, 14' is not too long for a 2x12 not under load. As previously stated, you can add a piece of plywood sandwiched between the boards for extra strength.
 
   / Garage door header ???
  • Thread Starter
#5  
What would be the minimum overlap if "scabbing" the 2x12s or must they be one piece end to end? In boatbuilding we used 6 times the width for the minimum length of the overlap.
 
   / Garage door header ??? #6  
A couple of 2x12's would be fine with a single jack stud at either end. How thick are your walls and do you want the header to be flush with the wall? Do you ever plan to finish off the interior walls? 2x4 walls mean two 2x12's and half inch plywood in between them. 2x6 walls mean three 2x12's with half inch plywood in between each board. I like to glue mine together. Nail pattern should be one at the top, one at the bottom, every 12 inches.

Before you start cutting anything, I would go and price doors. It's been awhile, but the last time I priced an odd sized garage door, the cost was so bad that I went back and figured out a way to use a standard sized door. That was probably 12 years ago, so maybe it's better now. I would also have that door on hand before starting the project. There is no way I would want to have it wide open and not know when it's going to arrive.
 
   / Garage door header ??? #7  
For this application I would think 30% overlap would be more than adequate.
 
   / Garage door header ???
  • Thread Starter
#8  
S219 that's what it was attic trusses. ImageUploadedByTapatalk1454253146.300869.jpg
 
   / Garage door header ??? #9  
What would be the minimum overlap if "scabbing" the 2x12s or must they be one piece end to end? In boatbuilding we used 6 times the width for the minimum length of the overlap.

I wouldn't put a seam. Since you only plan on going 14', full length boards are the way to go. They are light enough for one person to lift them onto the jack studs one at a time and assemble the header in place. If you have a helper, you can easily assemble the header on work benches and lift the whole header onto the jack studs since the height is only 9'.
 
   / Garage door header ???
  • Thread Starter
#10  
Before you start cutting anything, I would go and price doors. It's been awhile, but the last time I priced an odd sized garage door, the cost was so bad that I went back and figured out a way to use a standard sized door. That was probably 12 years ago, so maybe it's better now. I would also have that door on hand before starting the project. There is no way I would want to have it wide open and not know when it's going to arrive.

This I plan to do in ref to getting the door first. When I get home , I want to measure the space I have to go to the largest standard size available. Thank you for the nail pattern info. I was wondering about that. And the fact that only one jack stud/trimmer is needed under each end.

I enjoy working alone,(wife says it's because it gives me time to hide the evidence) but have already planned on using that shiny new tractor to help put it in as much as possible.
Lenny
 
 
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