Need Some Garage Door Advice

[DADI03]

Another option is that you could drive into one of the center pillars about 10 miles an hour. During all the repairs.... redo it right!

Just kidding of course.

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Then insurance pays for it. Might want to delete this thread first though

 

[MegaFan]

buttplate - based on your photo above, it may not be as big of a deal as some are saying. I built a 3-car, 30x48 garage and did, in fact, use a continuous laminated beam/header across the span of all three doors; the one on the left is a 10' wide door, while the other two are 9' wide, and all three are 9' tall. One reason that I chose to use the continuous header was because of the smaller/narrower width of the structural supports between each door.

Comparing to your photo, look at the width of your structural support areas, which means a lot of room for reinforcing a new header, if required. If you can't talk with the original framers, you may have to remove some interior garage finish to see what you have. You might even be able to safely remove/redesign some of the door framing jack/trimmer studs, depending on how the header rests on the king studs.

Could you get by with a single, 10' width door to accomodate a larger vehicle? If you only widened the center door, as an example, you are greatly reducing the overall area that needs to be changed, which means tremendous dollar savings in replacement door costs too. Removing/redesigning your center supports and removing six inches to a foot from each side gets you to either a 9' or 10' wide door.

 

[lostchild]

Ok, here we go.

When my builder built my house 18 years ago he framed and installed 8' wide garage doors. As you can imagine, EVERY time we pull a vehicle in the garage we pucker up until the mirrors clear. I have had the thought to widen them many times but that is as far as I have gotten, the thought.

My home is a story and a half with a bonus room over the garage. Does anyone have any experience with a garage door widening project or any ideas who to contact?

I feel your pain. Both the mirrors on my Flex and the trim on both sides of my garage door are scuffed and scratched. Could just fold both mirrors in every time I enter garage, but what a PITA.
Subscribed for suggestions from the ODT braintrust.

 

[MegaFan]

buttplate - more info on my thoughts from above. Top half of the photo below is a before pic, with a similar house design with 3 garage doors, but all are roughed for 9' widths. You can see that each design is unique, and this plan does not call for a continuous header/laminated support beam but, instead, uses three similar but well spaced/placed smaller headers. My suggestion is simply to find out what is behind the wall and see if you could go from the top half of the photo, remove the mid-span blocking, and add additional jack/trim studs to create the lower half of the photo, gaining a full foot of width in the process. You would want to temporarily provide a jack to support the header that is being worked "under", then make the changes in the jack/trim studs and never have to redo the header itself.

All of this is contingent on knowing how your wall is constructed. You might be able to do all three doors to maintain symmetry once you know what you are starting with. I am planning a 2-car garage widening project at my lake house in AL, and doing something similar to a 2-level patio and deck area, where I am removing headers, removing support posts, installing temporary 12' jacks, and then rebuilding a gabled porch and upper level deck. This is simply "food for thought" to offer an opinion or point of discussion when you find a builder interested in your project.

 

[buttplate]

I have my wife digging through photos of the original construction. I hope to find a few of the framing to answer some questions. I should know more soon.

 

[buttplate]

These guys are right, that header is load bearing. Either it is 8 feet wide and the framing sits at the ends in which case it's a big project, OR, the header is actually longer and they just framed for a smaller door for whatever reasons. If the latter that door framing isn't load bearing and can be moved out to accommodate a larger door. You should really get a good contractor out there to advise you of options.

Does anyone have a "good", reputable and insured contractor to recommend?

 

[Morgan]

Taking the mirrors off will be WAY easier!

 

[3rd Rail]

If you plan to ever park your car hauler trailer inside go with an 11’ wide door.

 

[jeep78]

If your garage is sheetrocked, and you can not find the old photos, grab a razor knife and remove some sheetrock to reveal the framing. Quick to repair if you decide not to do the mods at this time.

 

[gyppo]

Unless you really like to park a car in the center section I would just build a sturdy wall in the center section and expand the two side doors. If I were planning on spending a long time in that house I would get a steel beam installed and use a couple of steel supports. If a car took out the only support in the middle of that span the full end of the house may have a structure failure.