Header Above Sliding Glass Door

Window and door header requirements.

Header above sliding glass door.

Together the headers king studs and trimmers act as a system that transfers weight from above down and around the window and door openings to the floor and foundation below. A typical header width with single jack studs is cut 3 larger than the rough opening. Also be aware double or triple jack studs may be required based on the opening width and the load the header carries. Doors in a load bearing wall that holds the weight of the house created by beams and trusses need a larger header than those in non load bearing walls.

However all the header sizing tables i have seen require 2 2x10 for this size opening. The longer the distance a header spans and the heavier the load it supports the more substantial it needs to be. If you have a floor above you ll need 2 2x6 s unless the building is 36 wide in which case you ll need 2 2x8 s. A 36 door has a rough opening width of 38 so your header is cut at 41.

The header for a door is much like a bridge transferring the weight above it to the floor and foundation below. Calculating window and door header requirements is complicated because they depend on a variety of factors including the size of the opening the weight of everything above it snow loads if it s an interior or exterior wall and more. We are installing a new 6 sliding glass door to replace an existing window. So for piece of mind i am leaning toward replacing the header to avoid future problems.

So if you re on the top floor you can use 2 2x4 s unless the building is 36 wide in which case you ll need 2 2x6 s.