# Adding an exterior door question



## FredIV (Nov 9, 2011)

Hi Gents. I'm looking to create a new exterior door to my workshop. Currently there is no door except for the rollup garage door. The garage is attached to my house. Adding a door presents a few obstacles that I would love some suggestions and thoughts on. 
The framing of my garage sits on a footing or short foundation wall that is about 9" high and about 9" deep. I've attached a pic of the footing and the framing. This creates a problem of not having enough height for a standard 80" door because the wall plates will be in the way. One option would be to customize the door to fit that shorter opening and place the door on that footing, create a small step down into the shop. Not a huge deal because I still have the garage door to bring materials in and out of the shop.

The other option is to chop out that footing down to the level of the garage floor and install a standard pre-hung exterior door. I'm sure I would have to reinforce the chopped out section in order to set the door frame and carry the weight of the wall. 
So, my question is; is it conceivable for me to obtain option #2 from a structural standpoint? Am I jeopardizing any structural obligations here? Or should I just shop for a custom sized door and go with option #1?

Here's a pic of what I'm referring to. I would like to add the door between that one outlet on the right and the garage door. 
Thanks,
Fred


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## JustJoe (Oct 26, 2012)

If I understand the question right then it isn't a problem at all. If you rent a giant diamond-saw you can cut out a 36" length of that footer wall to get your room. It will go a few months faster than chipping away with a hammer and cold-chisel. 
Your framing for the door will take over any lost support because you'll be tripling up 2×4 going up each side, and then the header going across. Google something like "frame exterior door in bearing wall" or check out a book from your library to get the correct configuration and you'll instantly see how the load is carried. (It's not carried by the door frame, that just sits in the pocket you'll create.)


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## GrandpaLen (Mar 6, 2012)

I see no problems following Joe's lead, providing there is no water runoff in that area.

Best Regards. - Grandpa Len.


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## tefinn (Sep 23, 2011)

Another plus to what Joe said.


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## FredIV (Nov 9, 2011)

Thanks so much. Would you recommend pouring another footing or foundation to sit the studs on when I build the rough opening?


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

You might have to patch the slab depending on how aggressive you are with demo, but other than that you should be okay. The structural load will be transferred to the floor via the header and studs. There shouldn't be much of a load under the door threshold.


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## JustJoe (Oct 26, 2012)

If you measure the opening correctly and don't cut it too wide, then the studs will come down and sit on the existing wall. Buy the pre-hung door, measure how big an opening you need, including shims, and cut just that amount out - no more.


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## FredIV (Nov 9, 2011)

Awesome. This is what I was hoping for. Thanks so much for the great responses guys.


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## firefighterontheside (Apr 26, 2013)

The typical rough opening for a 36" pure hung door is 38". This usually gives you the right amount of space for shimming and insulating. Cut the concrete out 38" wide. Getting the bottom of your cut smooth may be a little difficult. If it's too rough you may want to level it with some sort of concrete leveling product. Try to get it level with the garage floor. Your header should be a double 2 by 10 preferably, but you can make it whatever you need to to get the 80" door in there. The header will be 41" long. As Joe said look up some framing reference to figure out how the framing needs to be done. Shouldn't be a problem. Enjoy.


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## leeman (Jan 3, 2014)

If you are not so familiar on any wood working, it is impossible for you to do such idea you want.. If that is the case, you better seek company that provides or sells exterior doors, because if not, the price of the new one perhaps is much lesser when you buy materials and create your own. A reliable site so far that I know id dealing with exterior and interior doors is http://caldwells.com/exterior-doors , try this one, they are reliable when it comes to home furnishings maintenance including all types of doors.


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