Converting Gargage Door Structure

We have a double car garage and the doors are two separate doors. Is there a way to remove the separating divider to install one garage door. I hate that divider post and would rather get rid of it. Can this be done?

 

Expect to spend a good bit of money. The odds are that middle 'divider' is providing support. You'll likely need to build a temporary support first,then remove the middle along with the shorter headers that would be replaced with a longer, larger one .... all this after you get the blessings and instructions from an engineer.

 

You will have to look at the header over your doors but it's most likely that you simply can NOT remove the center "divider". As Marksr mentioned that center post is likely structural support. There are some rare cases where the center divider is there just to support the garage door tracs but in almost all residential construction it's a structural support column.

One garage I did has an 18' opening and required two 16" LVL's to span the opening. The other garage door opening was 22' and required two 18" LVL's. It can be done as a retrofit but it's something that's usually built in during initial construction.

 

Just to add I have seen at least slight sagging with a double sized openings even when it was part of the original construction. Wood can sag over time though perhaps not as much with LVLs. I'd lean toward steel or just not do it. <Just opinion>

 

I've done it a handful of times. Usually they were in the gable end of the garage so easy to reframe because it's not a load bearing wall. I would contact a contractor or garage door company that has done this before. I have also seen a garage where two doors were removed and one door was installed leaving the center post. This gives the appearance of two doors.