Doorway in load bearing wall


  #1  
Old 07-22-01, 10:05 AM
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I want to open up the living room. I believe the wall is loadbearing. How big a doorway/archway can I put in that wall? How many studs may be removed? Shortened? How many cripple studs can I have next to each other? How far apart should they be?

Thank you

 
  #2  
Old 07-23-01, 06:03 PM
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Hi Frankiedad,Big job.You might want to contract this one out to a contractor.But if you want to try this one on your on the first thing you have to do is build a temporary wall.You build this with 2x4's the same way you build a wall.Keep the studs at 16" on center.Lift the wall in place,about a foot and a half from the wall your going to cut out for the archway.Make sure the wall is tight to the ceiling and nail the top plate to the ceiling joist.If the archway is going to be say 10feet across,make your temporary wall about 14 feet.Once you have your temporary wall in place,you can go ahead and remove the section of the wall to be your rough opening for your archway.Make sure there are no electric lines or water lines in the wall your going to remove.If there is there going to have to re-routhed.Now,remove all the studs you need to form your opening.Your also going to have to remove the bottom and top plate of all the studs you removed.Once you have that done,you have to support that section you removed.You have to make a support beam.You use 2x12's and 1/2 plywood for this.Cut the 2x12's the lengh of the opening,then cut a piece of 1/2 plywood the same lengh and the same width of the 2x12's.Now nail the 2 pieces of 2x12's together with the plywood in between.Now on your outside studs,the studs on both ends of your opening you have to nail (2) jack studs
to them with the width of your beam(which should be 11and1/2 ")cut from the top of the jack studs.Your beam you made will sit on top of these studs to support the section you cut out.Now nail your ceiling joist to the beam and the beam to the jack studs.Once you have this done you can remove the temporary wall.

Good Luck
 
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Old 07-23-01, 07:47 PM
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Smile

thank you

 
 

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