2x10 header for 9 foot span

barry2020 · Oct 5, 2020

I am putting in a suite in the bottom floor of the house. I will be replacing a sliding door and window combination with new doors (triple panel prehung). The rough opening is 9' and right now there is 2x10 header with 2 jack studs on each side.
My neighbor came over yesterday and upon seeing it he said he didn't think the header was up to snuff. He said he thought more jack studs would be needed and the header should extend past the jack studs (I guess no king stud then?). He did not comment on the thickness of the header (2x10) as we did not measure it at the time.

Any thoughts on this? If this is not up to code are there any ways to beef it up without ripping everything out?

This morning I looked at the plans on file with the city and noticed the original layout only had a single door so this was most likely put in after past inspections.

thanks

Nealtw · Oct 5, 2020

Are the walls 2x4 or 2x6, if you are looking from the inside how thick is the header compared to the studs?
Do you have a floor above this or just a roof with rafter tails or the gable end of the roof?
Are you in a heavy snow load area?
What rough opening do you need for the new doors?

barry2020 · Oct 5, 2020

Hi thanks for the reply. I believe the header is double thickness from what I recall as it is not as thick as the studs themselves.
I have one floor overhead.
As for classification of snow load it appears to be medium snow load (was told "design any structural loads under a snow load of 2.0 kPa to be safe").
The existing rough opening I am working with is 108".

I hope this helps.

Nealtw · Oct 5, 2020

Which part of the roof is over this opening?
2x4 or 2x6 studs.
What is the rough opening required for the new door?
It is common knowledge that 9 ft is 108 inches.

barry2020 · Oct 5, 2020

Sorry about that.
2 x6 studs
I am not sure what you mean by what part of the roof. The opening is an exterior wall on bottom floor with main living area (floor) above it. This exterior wall runs perpendicular to the rafter ties.
The rough opening required for the new door is 9 ft.
I hope this helps.

Nealtw · Oct 6, 2020

So you have the weight of the floor and the roof above, I am not an engineer but i think a 2 ply would be pushing your luck. If it is a 2 ply you should have room for one more and the one more could be an LVL.
If you need more than that you might remove one ply and replace it with 2 plys of LVL .
Others here may help with that, but I have always had the benefit of an engineer dictating what to put in.

Old Thomas · Oct 5, 2020

Most codes are online. In the code are tables that specify if it holds a roof or a floor and a roof, the span, and the species of lumber. Your local climate conditions are considered in your code. If it is existing and straight, that says a lot. Generally no shims are placed at the top of a wide door to allow a little deflection of the structure above. Too many variables to guess.

3onthetree · Oct 6, 2020

Thank your neighbor. You need an LVL.

HotRodx10 · Oct 6, 2020

You can get many different answers from people who haven't seen the structural system, but if you want the right answer, you're going to need a structural engineer to look at it, evaluate it, calculate the loads, and tell you what size beam you actually need.

Old Thomas · Oct 6, 2020

Just look in your residential code.

mramj4 · Oct 7, 2020

Structural codes are avialable online and tell you what type of header you need. But since you're referring specifically to the studs that hold up the header, how long as the double door been in? And the house hasn't collapsed, that should answer your question.

ront02769 · Oct 12, 2020

For a 9am span you will need a minimum triple two bye ten header is using conventional lumber. Going to LVL would also be an option.

3onthetree · Oct 12, 2020

ront02769 said:
For a 9am span you will need a minimum triple two bye ten header is using conventional lumber.

Only with 30psf snow, a 12' wide building and nothing else considered.

HotRodx10 · Oct 12, 2020

I'll restate my earlier post - speculation by persons who haven't seen the framing system above the opening are just guesses, and tables are only applicable within the limits of the assumptions that went into creating them. If you want the right answer, get a structural engineer to tell you what you need, or at least get a builder/contractor who has looked at what you have above, and can tell you if the tables you're looking at are applicable for your situation.

ront02769 · Oct 15, 2020

Probably not worth it....but did you miss the point that stated an existing header??? I am out. Have at it.

HotRodx10 · Oct 15, 2020

Did you miss the point where the OP stated "I looked at the plans on file with the city and noticed the original layout only had a single door so this was most likely put in after past inspections."

The existing header may not be adequate. Going by 'it hasn't fallen down yet' is a risky way to go about assessing the adequacy of a structure. Plucking a beam size out of a table may not result in something adequate, either, depending on whether the assumptions that went into calculating the loads on the header are consistent with the actual loads the header has to carry.

2x10 header for 9 foot span

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