Garage door header ???

[lennyzx11]

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.


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.(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.


Lenny

 

[s219]

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.

 

[davesl708]

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.

 

[Woody65]

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.

 

[lennyzx11]

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.

 

[EddieWalker]

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.

 

[davesl708]

For this application I would think 30% overlap would be more than adequate.

 

[lennyzx11]

S219 that's what it was attic trusses.

 

[Woody65]

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'.

 

[lennyzx11]

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

 

[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.