How To Build Window and Door Headers in Walls (page 3 of 3)

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How To Build Window and Door Headers in Walls-Page 3

The Clever Way I Used to Build Headers
My first job as a carpenter’s helper was to construct headers for the tract houses we were building. I’d cut and nail together “header sandwiches” consisting of two 2x12s with 1/2-in. plywood between. This size worked out well because:

The finished 3-1/2 in. thick headers (1-1/2 in. plus 1-1/2 in. plus 1/2 in.) were the same thickness as the 2x4 wall framing (3-1/2 in.; see.
When we installed the headers even with the top of the standard 92-5/8 in. high studs, it established just the right height for windows and doors.
Since the architects and engineers who designed the houses had calculated that 2x12 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. By overbuilding, we carpenters could focus on building houses—not on poring over complicated charts to determine the header size for windows and doors. That’s everything a carpenter (and a DIYer) could ask for in a header: the right thickness, height and strength.

Cripples help fill in the space above headers and below sills. Install them in step with your other wall studs; carry through the 16- or 24-in. spacing so plywood sheathing and drywall panels can start and end in the center of a cripple.

Big Openings Need Special Headers
You can see that even beefy, double 2x12 headers can’t span tremendously long openings, like those for garage doors and expansive windows. You can triple or quadruple standard lumber to increase strength, but often this still isn’t strong enough and creates problems; extra-thick headers protrude from the rest of the wall, look awkward and make installing drywall and moldings a nightmare.

There are a variety of engineered wood products and metal beams that can span longer distances than standard wood.

The metal I-beams used years ago to span long distances have been largely replaced by these engineered wood beams, now so widely available.

Garage doors and other large openings require headers too beefy to be made from standard lumber. These fabricated wood products can span longer distances and carry greater loads.

Trimmers, Cripples and Sills Complete the Rough Opening
Three more components are used to finish the work headers began:

Trimmers butt under, and support, each end of the header and are nailed to the king studs alongside them. Longer headers and those supporting more weight require the support of two or more trimmers on each end, and some openings require more than one king stud. Again, consult your architect, engineer or local code official to determine when you need to install extra trimmers or king studs.

Sills establish the bottoms of window rough openings (the clear opening required for installing windows and doors). With large window openings, it’s a good idea to use doubled sills for strength and stability.

Cripple studs fill in the space between the sills and the 2x4 nailing plate below; they carry only the weight of the window itself. Sometimes cripples are installed over a window or door to fill in the space between the top of a header and top of a wall. These do carry weight.

As a bonus, all this extra wood provides an ideal anchor for the nails used to install wood trim and moldings—especially the wide stuff.