Sliding Door In Load Bearing Wall

The header for a door is much like a bridge transferring the weight above it to the floor and foundation below.

Sliding door in load bearing wall.

Installing a pocket door in a load bearing wall requires replacing the old header with a longer one. It was a load bearing wall requiring. This happens on bearing walls. An engineer will be able to determine the necessary size of the header type of wood and the number of king studs and jack studs.

The header is usually made out of dimensional lumber installed on its edge. I needed a space to park my john deere zero turn mower. If the wall is load bearing you will have to construct a temporary wall to support weight before you can install the header. You put the pocket door in and the hardware for it and you leave the exposed part and then it slides into the wall and that part gets covered with drywall.

That s why the header has to be twice as big. 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 it s often necessary to involve a structural engineer as fred and kim did when they removed a load bearing wall. However if you know where to cut into the wall the project is quite straightforward.

Inserting a door or window in a load bearing wall can be a tricky situation but not an impossible one. Creating the opening for the new header may require temporary ceiling support while the header. Non load bearing windows and doors do not require a structural header. The first thing to understand is there could be a concentrated load above a door.

This is an extra step that adds to the cost and it will probably have to be included in the plans you file to get the permit. In these instances there s a structural header that acts as a beam over the door to support the load or weight that s bearing down on that portion of the house.