ROUGH
OPENING FOR PATIO DOORS:
Carefully read the installation instructions that came with your
patio doors. They include recommended rough opening dimensions.
"Rough opening" refers to the inside dimensions between the side
(trimmer) studs and also between the floor and the bottom of the
header. This opening will be slightly larger than the patio door
frame. The extra space provides room for shims to level and plumb
the horizontal and vertical patio door frame members.
Marking
the Rough Opening-
The interior wall is marked and opened up first and rough framing
completed before exterior wall material is cut away. On the interior
side of the wall, use a stud finder to locate a stud closest to
one of the sides of the proposed new patio door opening. This will
give you an existing stud to work from.
- At
floor level, use a drywall saw to cut a hole in the drywall on
the rough opening side of the stud. Wear safety goggles.
- According
to installation instructions, mea sure the width of the rough
opening from the inside face of the stud. Use a carpenter's pen
cil to mark the opposite side at floor level.
- Cut
another hole in the drywall about 7 feet directly above the first
hole and against the same existing stud.
- Mark
the opposite side of the opening at the 7-foot level and snap
a chalk line across the top level.
- Snap
a chalk line connecting the upper and lower rough opening width
marks from floor to ceiling.
Cutting
Interior Drywall-
Use a drywall saw to cut drywall along the existing wall stud from
the ceiling mark to the floor. Wear goggles and a dust mask.
- Cut
through one side of the rough opening along the vertical marked
line. Use short strokes with the drywall saw to avoid cutting
through electrical wires. To ensure against cutting into wires,
use a hammer to knock out sections of drywall next to electrical
outlets located in the rough opening space. This will show you
where wires run.
If you use a power saw to cut through drywall, set the blade depth
to no more than 5/8 inch.
- Make
the cut along the chalk line on the opposite side of the opening.
Then cut the horizontal rough opening line.
- A
Use a hammer and a pry bar to remove drywall from rough opening.
Dispose of drywall debris.
- Pull
out any insulation. Move electrical wire/boxes away from the rough
opening area as necessary. If you are not familiar with electrical
wiring, have a licensed electrician complete the work. The same
applies for plumbing.
A temporary
wall must be set up before the existing wall studs can be cut away
to make room for the new patio door rough opening. The temporary
wall must extend from the floor to the ceiling and cover an area
slightly wider than the proposed rough opening. Erect this temporary
wall about 2 feet in from the patio door wall. It will support the
ceiling and roof while the old studs are removed and the new header
and trimmer studs are installed.
Cutting
Out Old Studs-
With the temporary wall frame in place, use a metal cutting blade
on a reciprocating saw, saber saw, or hacksaw to cut through nails
at the top and bottom of studs. Use a pry bar to pull studs away.
Installing
New Studs-
Headers must butt against full studs on each end of the header.
Rough opening width is measured between trimmer studs. Therefore,
the width between the two full studs must be 3 inches greater than
the actual rough opening width to account for the 11/2-inch width
of each trimmer stud.
- Determine
the exact space you want the patio door to be placed. Marl-, each
side of the bot tom plate of the wall to the rough opening dimension.
(Do not locate a patio door any closer than 1 foot from any corner.
Corner framing is critical to structural stability.)
- Install
full studs 11/2 inches away from the marks. This will leave room
for the trimmer studs. Be sure studs are plumb.
- Toenail
the studs at the top and bottom.
Header
Requirements-
Local building departments have charts which explain required header
size for specific rough opening spans. Header thickness must equal
wall stud width. Remember that lumber's nominal dimensions are not
the same as its actual dimensions. For example, a 2x4 actually measures
11/2 X 31/2 inches, and a 2x6 is actually 1 1/2 X 5 1/2 inches.
Check with your local building department, but most codes require
an 8-inch-wide header for a 6-foot opening and a 10-inch-wide header
in an 8-foot opening. You can make headers for 2x4 walls by sandwiching
a piece of 12-inch plywood between two 2-by boards. Spike the header
together with 16d nails. For 2x6 walls, sandwich a section of 1/2-inch
plywood between a length of 2-by lumber and a matching length of
4-by lumber.
In most
home construction, the header is 6 feet, 101/2 inches from the subfloor.
Position the header to this height between the new, full studs and
follow this procedure:
- Use
spare 2x4 boards to prop up the ends of the header.
- Toenail
header to full studs at the ends and into the top plate.
- If
you can, nail through full studs into the header ends.
- Cut
the trimmer studs to fit snugly between the bottom plate and the
header.
- Nail
trimmer studs to the full studs with 16d nails.
- Cut
the existing bottom plate flush to the subfloor on the inside
face of the trimmer studs and pry it away from the rough opening.
NOTE:
If the rough opening is greater than 6 feet, install two trimmer
studs on each side of the opening for extra header support. Plan
for these doubled trimmer studs by placing regular full studs 3
inches away from rough opening width marks. This will compensate
for the added width the trimmers. In addition, the header must be
3 inches longer so its ends will reach the full studs for toenailing.
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