Help with converting two garage doors into one
 

Hey guys!

I am trying to turn my two seperate garage doors into one large door. Each door is 8ft wide and separated by a two foot center column in the front. This column is load bearing. I want to knock this out and put a new header in. I have had three separate companies quote me 3 very different prices and ways to do it. This makes me nervous.

One guy said he would do a steel I beam another guy a steel lintel and the third said he would just re frame it all in with a wooden header. There is two bedrooms and a bathroom above the garage and a risk of sag or collapse is not an option. Has anyone done this before or have experience as the best way to do it and what size beam would be needed?

All the best,
Josh

garage door opening
 

First off you will most likely need building permits. I would contact a engineer to calculate the footings on each side of the garage door opening that will need to be increased to carry the additional weight from above. I would use a glu,lam beam, it would be nice if the garage wall was a framed 2 X 6 wall, you may be limited to the depth of the glu lam beam if you have a low ceiling height ( like a 8' plate height) if you have a 9' or 10' plate it shouldn't be a problem to install the proper size beam to carry the load. Relatively easy job depending on the exterior siding material, whether it's brick, stone, stucco or siding.
,

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...cbaeed705d.jpg

This is the house.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looks like 7' garage doors, with a 8' ceiling height?.Bit more involved with the brick veneer, but still not a problem. Do you have a set of plans form the original build, this would be really helpful! City or County building permits I'm sure are required and they would want the see engineer calculations.

John

That’s what’s crazy. All three contractors said they wouldn’t need a permit. Just over 9ft ceiling on the inside and 7ft tall garage doors. I unfortunately don’t have original build sheets


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looks like 7' garage doors, with a 8' ceiling height?.Also looks like a poured concrete stem wall, so it would probably be either a wood or metal stud construction. It's more involved with the brick veneer, but still not a problem. Do you have a set of plans form the original build, this would be really helpful! City or County building permits I'm sure are required and they would want the see engineer calculations.

John

Sorry, Sent that twice. It could be done with out a permit, but if a building inspector drove by and saw what was going on. They would put a stop on the job until plans were submitted to the building department. Don't go for low bid...use someone with a good reputation!

You most definitely need a permit and engineered drawings
A you're changing structure
B dont use any contractor who says you dont
C even the concrete needs to be of known strength or have a stronger deeper footing to handle the extra loads at the end
D you need either wood or steel beam AND a lintel. A lintel is literally a piece of angle attached to structure to then hold up your brickwork above the new door . Go hit he "ledge" above those two doors now ... its steel

Goodluck with this could be super cool when done ... correctly lol

I'd leave it as-is. I think one door would look strange with that arch over only 1/2 the door.

Yup. Same thinking here.

Trying to fit a boat into one side and need the extra width. Plus taking the camaro up the steep hill and having to gun it up in that narrow opening makes me nervous every time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I kind of like the two doors you have now! However, I do understand that the two doors are kind of a pain... Beautiful house! :cheers:

is a boat going to fit in there? how deep is the garage?

One side goes back two car lengths so it’s technically 3 car garage I guess


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'd contact a structural engineer who can design an appropriate solution then ask the contractors to bid to the design. You'll need permits and the issuing agency will want "stamped" structural drawings from a licensed PE.

Totally agree.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...b939144bc9.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...21e072cf1a.jpg

Here’s a couple renderings of what it would look like.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just a suggestion- store the boat locally and not have to fool with your garage doors.

Daniel

are you looking to put a 18' wide door in?

If just a 16' I would reconsider...

Years ago I built a 24X28 freestanding garage. My wife wanted two separate doors, I wanted a single 16' wide. It is a pain to park two cars side by side using the 16' door. Why are they always right, lol...

Just an opinion, your situation may be very different...

A few things.

a standard two car garage door is 16 x 7. Going wider is doable, just remember that all the materials for the engineering on these garage doors are based around 16', going wider means more weight, more stress on the hardware and materials. Tread lightly, use trusted and old companies for the manufacture.

Using an engineered beam or steel is the only way too go across the head. It's super easy, and reasonable, for an structural engineer to do, which then makes the permitting and installing (spec) a piece of cake.

Hope this helps, mike

I would open the wall to check to see if that section is load bearing. It may not be, as most garages are built with the beam extending all the way across both openings. That way if a car jumps into gear or some kind of accident happens where someone drives into that small section, the entire house wouldn't come down.

It will still be load bearing for that wall itself , walls and roof above , snow loads, wind loads etc etc

That stem wall above is bearing right through that center column. I would talk to my PE about two ways of picking up the loads-

First would be doing an I beam straight across the opening and picking up the loads on 2 heavy wall columns on the right and left corners.

The other way would be to possibly do a steel flush "T" beam arrangement running back through the garage after picking up the front load. This way you could share the load across the area without loosing headroom.

Of coarse this is total speculation without being there and doing an exploratory on it. I do high end residential work in a very niche market and get challenged by this type of scenario alot. There is a couple of options for you, but get a good structural guy there to do the calcs for you, cause there is definitely some weight there. And I don't know your local codes, but I would say it would surely need permitting!

Another word of caution is if you do it without a permit and something bad happens, your insurance co will hang their hat on the "No permit".

It is definitely load bearing. I cut into the sheet rock and its load bearing and separated by two headers. Got a few quotes to take out the pillar. A couple wanted to use lam board and another a steel I beam. I am sure both would work, however the I beam seams more sturdy.

I am actually going to hold off on this project as the car is having to have the engine rebuilt and that whole process is probably going to cost me quite a bit.

If someone tells you they would bear that load with LVL instead of steel, please don't hire them.

I'd store the boat and leave it as-is. If you are like me, you'll want the space and the boat will eventually move out anyway.

Just man up and take a chain saw to it. You'll be fine! :thumbsup:

:superhack: