shop modification help

[BigBody79]

the shop that i have at my house is a block building. the door is in the wrong place. I want to block up where the exsiting door is and then move it to the gable end.
here are some drawing on how i want it:
what is there

what i would like to see

How hard/ how involved is a project like this?
How do you get the header in place?
How do you support the building while there is no header?
How do you calculate what type of header to use?
let me know what you think.

 

[kaiser715]

What is the roof construction like? Trusses?

Method will depend on how much that wall contributes to the support/stability of the building.

 

[rockcity]

might as well build a new shop. that work is intensive.

the right way is to tooth-in the new block, install a good sized lintel (header) and door framing, and finish up the block.

It doesn't look like the block goes up much higher than the door, so you wouldn't need much of a lintel cause it wouldn't have to support much weight from just 1 row of blocks.

for 8-10' doors, a fairly standard lintel would prob. be at least a 6x8x3/8" angle with a minimum of 8" of overhang on each side on the block.

without knowing your exact measurements or the layout of the building or exact structure, I'd guess it would take roughly $2500 for a professional to do the work.

Check the NC building code as it describes a lot about minimum requirements for span, load bearing, and minimum lintel bearing on the wall.

It would probably be easier to demo most if not all of that wall and start over. It will look much better. Depending on your location, you may need a permit for this work. Johnston County and Wake county you practically need a permit to replace the screen on your storm windows. Other counties don't really care, Pitt county is one, but check first before the county forces you to stop work and seek professional assistance...

the code may not always the best necessary, especially a homeowner that may not need a permit. If you don't know the proper and safest methods, look at the nc code book and the OSHA 1926 book for a good start. On a structure that small, you'd prob. be ok by just doing it, but rather be safe than sorry, it doesn't take much more time or $$$

 

[BigBody79]

the roof is just wooden trusses. there will be no block above the header. it will just have to hold the roof on that edge. the building has 8' ceilings.

it is an exterior wall, but with the trusses going the other way let me know what yuo think.


2500 sounds alot cheaper than a new building.

 

[rockcity]

not knowing the building, sometimes its better to go new than to modify. Don't know, the building could be halfway falling down, if so, a new building sounds much better...

If the trusses are going from left to right, that shoudn't be a load bearing wall, so you shouldn't have to worry about supporting any weight with the lintel. This way, the lintel will be mainly for support for a roll up door. If you don't have a roll up door, you can use a couble of double 2x8s as a header to frame out the door, treated of course. It all depends on our choice of a door.

I think the hard part will be properly blocking up the existing door. You'd have to support the rafters while you remove the existing block and lintel, tooth-in new block all the way up to the rafters, then remove the support for the rafters. If you decide to leave the existing lintel in there, you'll have an easier time, but it won't look as good in the end. It all really depends on the final look you are after.

 

[BigBody79]

I understand what you are saying about the building. I wouldn't want to give definative advise on something that i haven't seenbefore either. I think that with the existing door I would leave the header in place and just block up to it. I know it wouldn't quite look at good as it could but it is a woodend header that takes the place of the last row of block.
when looking at the diagram the roof line on the left actually goes out/down another 3 to 4 feet. Making the enterance to the shop only about 7' tall. As for the door I'm hoping to go for a 8x10' roll up door.

One of the main reasons for moving the door to the other side is so that I don't have to drive all over my yard to get into the building. It is set up in such a way that it isn't a straight shot to the door. By moving the door to the other side I will be able to lessen the impact on the yard and if it rains this year I'll actually have some grass.

I'll get some pictures of the shop and post them up for a better understanding of what I would like to see happen.