DIY Home Improvement Forum banner

Any ideas how to deal with hidden header?

3K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  loftezy 
#1 ·
I'll try my best to describe the situation, since I don't have any photo editing software on this computer.

I am raising the floor elevation in my home office to match the floor elevation in the rest of my house. I am doing this so that I can create a third bedroom.

During demo, I found an existing header in the wall (cream colored in the photo) that I assume was there because that room was originally an outdoor covered patio. The room was since enclosed by framing under the header to create solid walls.

Here is my dilema: Since I am raising the floor elevation, I also need to raise the elevation of the door and window opening. However, the top of the new openings need to be above the existing header.

What is the best way to do this? Do I build a temporary wall that goes from the floor all the way to the rafters to provide support while I remove the studs and move the header up?

I will have the same dilema for the adjacent wall but that header is much longer and I will only need an opening for a 30" interior door. On that one, could I just cut the header in place, move it up with jack studs and leave the rest of the header as is?







 
See less See more
4
#2 ·
One thing I am seeing, before addressing the headers, is do you have a supported beam at the ridge to make sure your walls don't spread? I don't see any ceiling joists to keep the walls from spreading and the ridge from dropping. That needs to be taken care of.

You can support the roof with a temporary wall or just studs under each rafter. The long header can be cut and the part for the door raised but the remaining part of the header must be permanently supported which I am sure you already knew. I would stud under the remaining part of the header and support the rafters where the header will be cut and go at it.

Once again, before doing anything to the headers you need to be sure the walls aren't going to spread. Some folks think a hip roof won't give but it sure can. Just jacking up the rafters may be all it needs for that roof to come down around your ears.
 
#3 ·
There are quite a few down purlins that aren't shown in the picture and the ridge beam is supported. But I will double check everything prior to installing the temporary supports and moving the header up. I also plan to install new ceiling joists that will run parallel to the wall with the window and door. I can double up the last joist and run short perpendicular joists to the rafters to help hold that wall in.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top