Help with house framing?

Question

I want to make a doorway in an existing load baring wall? I only plan on taking out one 2x4 so here is the question: How many 2x4s does there need to be in between the two 2x4s beside the one I am taking out? If you need more details just ask! Thank you!

I mean how many 2x4s stacked on top of each other do there need to be?

And when do you cut the stud to put your header in? Do you cut the stud before you put the header in? Wouldn't that make in unstable?

Answer 1

The components for rough door framing are king studs, jack studs, cripple studs and a header. Let's say the rough opening is two inches above door size, which is typical, but sometimes exterior doors need three inches. But anyway, two inches. The king stud is same length of as a regular stud. The jack is the height of the door rough opening minus 1-1/2" for the plate. The header sits on top of the jack studs. Cripples go between the header and the top plates. The header is usually a 2x12 or 2x10, but can be smaller. Let's say you are using a 2-6 door. Don't know, but for illustration purposes. To lay the studs out, find the center of the door on the plate. Then measure over 1-3 plus 1" to find the position of the jack. Then another 1-1/2" for the king stud. Do the same for the other side. The header will be 5" longer than door, so it is 2-11. Usually it is 2-2x12's or 10's with 1/2 inch between to make the thickness of the wall. The cripples, space the same as the spacing as the wall, so sheathing material lines up. In other words if it 16"oc, space the cripple 16" oc from the regular studs, not the king studs. This way sheathing will still line up and you don't need to splice pieces together.

Ok after add details, I see. The framing needs to stay the same as I descibed, but you use a smaller header. Since this is remodel, support the joist(s) that will be over the opening with some temporary bracing. Cut out the opening, trying to minimize drywall damage. The hardest part is keeping the exsisting stud in place but cutting it high enough to slide a header up there. I have only done this a couple of times myself, so interested in other people thoughts, too. I usually end up accepting a bit of drywall work. So I cut the drywall, save it, and sawzall the cripple to length I need. Then get the kings in place. Then slide the header up and screw it through the drywall for tempoary support. Then put the jacks in place. It requires some nailing through drywall to get the studs in place. But it works. Then fix the damage to drywall. Install the door.

Answer 2

first off you should never mess with a load bearing wall unless you get and engineer to move the bearing to some other point.. you need to make some "king stud trimmer combinations first...a king stud is a regular height stud and a trimmer is a 2x4 to support the header for the door... if you are using a common door then the height would be a 6' 8" door. if you have an 8' wall i would cut you a kingstud and some trimmers.... i would use like a 4x8 if its a load beraring wall and hold you header all the way to the top plates. so for your trimmers you would just take off 7 1/2 " off of your stud height. then fir down form their with 2x4. so your trimmer is just a support for your header. and a kingstud is just a normal stud. you would want to nail your trimmer to your kingstud so they are one unit. and for your fir down height just use a single 2x4 to establish your door height. and cut some 2x4 to nail to the bottom of your header and the top of your 2x4.

Answer 3

You might want to put in a temporary support while you are doing this. Then you need to build a header out of at least 2 by 6 to go across the top and a 2 by4 on each side to support the load. To build the header, put a piece of 1/2" plywood between the 2- 2 by6's.

Answer 4

You need to build a header on two 2x4king studs and have two cripples. Look at a diagram of a framed door and see what I mean.

Answer 5

Give the 10 to Robling

Steven Wolf

Answer 6

16inch