Header Size For Garage Door Opening

Measure the width of your door frame.

Header size for garage door opening.

Many homeowners have two cars and need garage space to shelter them both. Many home builders do not consider this a structural necessity but a style and price choice for the homeowner. If there isn t enough room above the opening this can t be done without raising the roof of the garage. The standard size for double garage doors is 16 feet wide and 7 to 8 feet high.

And the garage door header is based on a 2 car garage door opening. 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. My first job as a carpenter s helper was to construct headers for the tract houses we were building. When in doubt use 2 by 12 inch headers.

The span for the girder is based on the size of an average sized game room. Pull a measurement from the floor of your space to the ceiling next to the door opening. If you are putting in an opening between 4 and 5 feet wide then you ll need two 2 by 8 headers. The structural ridge span represents the size of a large family room.

If the opening will be 5 to 6 feet wide such as for double doors then you will need two 2 by 10 headers. The span above the door opening is framed with a long header that supports the wall area above the door and this header will need to be raised or rebuilt in order to increase the overall door size. Header spans are typical for a window and a patio 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.

The right header size. Table 1 consolidates loading sizes and cost data for all of the applications. Cut two 2 x 6 pieces of lumber and attach to the face of the wall running from the edge of your garage door jambs to the ceiling of your garage. 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.

Window door garage door headers supporting roof wall floor loads. This lumber will be used to attach your garage door track and a portion of your assembly. Window door garage door headers supporting roof loads only. Most door frames that are 4 feet wide or less require a 2 by 6 header.