I am converting a single car garage into living space and i want to make the garage door opening bigger. I will be cutting away about 4ft of a brick wall and need to know if i can remove the steel lintel and replace it with wood beams and 4x6 post from the ground up. The brick wall is just there for looks and only covers the front of the house but does not seem to be a load bearing wall in any way. I plan on using t1 11 to cover the opening and thought i could hopfully use wood supports to replace the lintel.
Thanks for any help

 

Can you post some pics?
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Some pictures will definitely help users here provide you with better answers. One thing you are definitely going to want to do is put a course of blocks or bricks across the bottom of the existing doorway so the wood does not set directly on the slab and be subject to water intrusion. Also, have you thought about how you're going to level up the floor of the garage? There are many more questions about this project then you have thought of.

 

Not at the property so its hard to get pics. I am leveling when i install the subfloor but had already planned to put the frame around the door on bricks. The part i am having trouble figuring out is i want to widen the opening to fit 2 windows in certain spots and the garage is alot wider thEn the door. I dont really want to deal with a 16 ft piece of steel and knocking out the bricks above it to set it. I was planning to support the wall using 4x6 posts and wood beams under the arch of the doorway. I just never really heard of people widening the doorway for a conversion and wanted some opinions. Thanks for the advice about the bricks though.

 

Welcome to the forums!

Any special reason for making the opening wider? seems like a lot of extra work. How much brick is above the garage? [just to the soffit? another floor?] http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...-pictures.html

 

of course you can replace the steel lintel - suggest lvl's in its place,,, your local lumberyard could probably size them for you & most yards have them in stock,,, otherwise build your own w/2x10's or 12's lagg'd together,,, personally we use lvl's

 

Thanks for the info. Its just 2 rows of bricks above the opening. I wanted to make it wider to match the windows on the other side of the house. Not looking forward to the extra work but thats what the wife wants so thats the plan. Lvls are kind of what i was thinking, making my own that is. I was just hoping it made since to other people too. Sometimes my ideas get a little carried away.
Thanks for the info.

 

It won't take a lot to hold up 2 course of brick but what about the wall itself - does it support the rafters or other load that needs to be addressed?

 

mark makes a great point - its NOT just 2 rows of brick, is it ? all garage doors i've ever seen have walls &/or roofs which need to be supported too

 

The brick doesnt seem to be holding up anything. There is nothing sitting on it over the garage and the frame of the house sits behind it. But even if i am wrong and it is supporting something wouldnt you think a set of 2x12s would support it.

 

Brick is often just a covering but the wood frame wall behind it is what carries the load. Just want to make sure the framing is sufficient to carry whatever is above it.

 

i'd like 2 lvl's much better