Header Height For French Door

The standard height of the rough opening for a door is the door height plus 2 5 8 inches.

Header height for french door.

Typical specs are 9 ft ceilings ff to finished ceiling 7 0 window headers from ff and 6 8 door header above ff. When we installed the headers even with the top of the standard 92 5 8 in. Which means the jack studs are 81 inches long typically. Since the architects and engineers who designed the houses had calculated that 2 12 headers were deep enough and sturdy enough to span the longest 6 ft opening it was surely strong enough to span the more numerous smaller openings.

For example if the doors are 84 inches high don t forget french doors can be very tall then the opening will be 88 inches. So if you re on the top floor you can use 2 2x4 s unless the building is 36 wide in which case you ll need 2 2x6 s. For header spans see tables r502 5 1 and r502 5 2. Most door frames that are 4 feet wide or less require a 2 by 6 header.

This is also the top of the jack studs. The next jack stud will be cut to the height of your door plus 2 1 2 and minus the thickness of the bottom plate 1 1 2 as it will rest on top of this. The horizontal support that spans the rough opening at the top of the door is called the header. My stock drawings however specify the ceiling height at 9 2 sub floor to ceiling height and a window header at 7 4 above the sub floor.

So allow an extra inch at the bottom and two inches at the top for the jamb. 82 1 2 inches also happens to be the standard header height for windows and doors. Between 4 and 5 feet the header should be built 2 inches wide and 8 inches long while a larger opening needs a header that is 2 by 12. High studs it established just the right height for windows and doors fig.

If you have a floor above you ll need 2 2x6 s unless the building is 36 wide in which case you ll need 2 2x8 s. Please note that due to the way the top jamb is installed the vertical measurements can be loose. The additional room allows for a 3 4 inch top jamb a shim space above the door jamb and the thickness of. So your jack stud should be cut at 81 for a 6 8 tall door.