If you are building a new bearing wall or cutting in a new doorway be sure to check your local building code span charts or consult an engineer to properly size the header.
Header size for sliding glass door.
Window door garage door headers supporting roof loads only.
Tables providing size selections for various beam spans and loading combinations for southern pine dimension lumber and southern pine glued laminated timber are available for the following applications.
An engineer will be able to determine the necessary size of the header type of wood and the number of king studs and jack studs.
My first job as a carpenter s helper was to construct headers for the tract houses we were building.
Sliding glass door size vs.
The existing header is 2 2x8 and is actually long enough for the new door.
Between 4 and 5 feet the header should be built 2 inches wide and 8 inches long while a larger opening needs a header that is 2 by 12.
Window door garage door headers supporting roof wall floor loads.
For header spans see tables r502 5 1 and r502 5 2.
Non load bearing windows and doors do not require a structural header.
Size larger sizes are typically more expensive.
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.
We are installing a new 6 sliding glass door to replace an existing window.
82 inches or 6 feet 10 inches.
For instance in the basement remodel all the doors have simple 2 4 framing around them.
Most door frames that are 4 feet wide or less require a 2 by 6 header.
If you are putting in an opening between 4 and 5 feet wide then you ll need two 2 by 8 headers.
If you are creating an opening no wider than 4 feet for a door or smaller window then you need a 2 by 6 header.
So for piece of mind i am leaning toward replacing the header to avoid future problems.
Sliding glass door heights.
If the opening will be 5 to 6 feet wide such as for double doors then you will need two 2 by 10 headers.
Outside of the 80 inch standard height there are two other common sliding glass door heights.
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.
The clever way i used to build headers.
The right header size.
However all the header sizing tables i have seen require 2 2x10 for this size opening.
Your header size is determined by the load it carries.
Header size required to support the roof ceiling and one center bearing floor of a 28 ft.
96 inches or 8 feet.
So your jack stud should be cut at 81 for a 6 8 tall door.