relocating a door
#1
07-31-05, 07:09 AM
relocating a door
Hello,
I need to reconfigure a closet. This means that I will be sealing off teh closet door opening on one side of the closet & relocating the doorway to the other side of the closet. This is on an older home so I will have to be cutting through an exsisting wall and creating the door frame. I've never done this and would appreciate any advice.
Thanks in advance,
Lori
I need to reconfigure a closet. This means that I will be sealing off teh closet door opening on one side of the closet & relocating the doorway to the other side of the closet. This is on an older home so I will have to be cutting through an exsisting wall and creating the door frame. I've never done this and would appreciate any advice.
Thanks in advance,
Lori
#2
08-04-05, 05:12 AM
Group Moderator
You first need to figure out if the wall you intend to cut out is load bearing or not. If you have access to the attic, a quick look will help you figure that out. The best thing to do is remove the drywall floor to ceiling, wall to wall from inside the closet on the wall where the door will go. This will enable you to see whether there is any electrical wiring in the wall that needs to be relocated. My guess is that there's wiring in the wall. It never fails. 
Remove the studs from the area where the door will be located. Determine where the center of the door will be, and mark that on the bottom plate. Next, you need to determine how far apart to put the king studs (the ones that run from the top plate to the bottom plate). If the slab of your door is 32", (for example) your jamb is 33 1/2. The rough opening size for such a door would be about 34 1/4. That is where the trimmer studs go (the ones that run from your bottom plate up to the header.) The king studs are on the outside of that. So you would mark your rough opening on the bottom plate. From your center line, measure over 17 1/8" and square off a line. Measure 18 5/8" and square off a line. Measure 20 1/8" and square off a line. Those lines represent where your studs will go. Do that on both sides.
Install the king studs first. For small doors in non load bearing walls, you can head off the door with two 2x4's laid flat, or just build a small 2x4 or 2x6 header. Once the header is installed at the proper height (usually 82 1/2") you install the trimmer studs, (usually 81") After they are in, cripples are short 2x4's that fill in the framing from the header to the top plate. Next, you can open up the door way by cutting out the bottom plate. Ensure the bottom plate is nailed to the floor on both sides of the new doorway. There's your rough opening.
Remove the studs from the area where the door will be located. Determine where the center of the door will be, and mark that on the bottom plate. Next, you need to determine how far apart to put the king studs (the ones that run from the top plate to the bottom plate). If the slab of your door is 32", (for example) your jamb is 33 1/2. The rough opening size for such a door would be about 34 1/4. That is where the trimmer studs go (the ones that run from your bottom plate up to the header.) The king studs are on the outside of that. So you would mark your rough opening on the bottom plate. From your center line, measure over 17 1/8" and square off a line. Measure 18 5/8" and square off a line. Measure 20 1/8" and square off a line. Those lines represent where your studs will go. Do that on both sides.
Install the king studs first. For small doors in non load bearing walls, you can head off the door with two 2x4's laid flat, or just build a small 2x4 or 2x6 header. Once the header is installed at the proper height (usually 82 1/2") you install the trimmer studs, (usually 81") After they are in, cripples are short 2x4's that fill in the framing from the header to the top plate. Next, you can open up the door way by cutting out the bottom plate. Ensure the bottom plate is nailed to the floor on both sides of the new doorway. There's your rough opening.
