Putting French Doors In A Load Bearing Wall

Doors and windows rubbing or sticking.

Putting french doors in a load bearing wall.

I provide my plans to install a pass through window on a load bearing wall after discovering hardware for a pocket door spanned into the window location. Get a building permit two or three weeks in advance of beginning the project. The reason why this project is so difficult is due to the potential danger a load bearing wall supports the structure so its absence through accidental destruction could lead to the room or entire house collapsing. However if you know where to cut into the wall the project is quite.

Before doing any work determine if the wall is load bearing or non load bearing. If in doubt consult a structural engineer. If a load bearing wall has been removed on the first floor without proper support installed for the load above it. If the wall is load bearing a temporary wall will need to built using 2x8 plates on the floor and ceiling and 2x4 studs at an angle to support any weight from the floors above.

Inserting a door or window in a load bearing wall can be a tricky situation but not an impossible one. Remember to lay the header into the space between the existing wall and the temporary wall. Need advice as to the whether to pursue the placement of a pair of french doors wall opening needed 82 1 2 x 62 1 2 in a 19 foot long 8 foot high load bearing wall which divides the familyroom and living room. Lay down the bottom plate.

Before you start cutting studs make sure that the wall in which the new french doors are being hung or any of the studs that you are removing are not load bearing. The house is 20 years old and the wall is drywall. On a simple passage door in a non loadbearing wall a header made from a pair of 2 x 4s installed on edge is usually sufficient while a typical double patio door in a non load bearing wall might require a 4 x 6 header or a 4 x 8 header.