Adding a door and window to my garage

[pickettwayne]

Hello all,

I have a single story single brick detached garage in my back garden. The roof is a flat one made out of wood covered with like a fibre glass.

I'm wanting to add a door and a small two foot wide window in the side of this garage.

My question would be. Do you think I need a lintel?

There doesn't seem that there is going to be a lot of weight on the door and even if I add a lintel then lintel will be touching the wooden struts for the ceiling anyway.

Any other tips on the whole process of cutting a door out would be greatly appreciated as I've never done this before.

I have attached a photo of the side of the garage to help me explain. Excuse the mess, only just moved in. :shock: (BTW, The garage is the wall on the left in the photo)

Thanks again.

 

[Jinks]

The general answer is "yes, you need a lintel", but it could depend on how the garage is framed. What is the stud spacing, 16" OC or 24" OC? How many studs will you have to remove for the door? What kind of top plate is existing? There's no down side to building too strong.

 

[Pack Rat]

What will be above the door and window? Lintels are used to support the masonry above an opening.

 

[kbs2244]

I am assuming the garage is structural brick?
Maybe 3 courses thick?
Not brick veneer over a frame construction as is so common over here.

If so, no you do not need a stone "lintel"
But you do need something to support the brick above the opening.
Over here, with the veneer construction, typically a length of 4x4x1/4 angle iron set into 2 courses above the opening will work.
But, depending on your wall construction, it may be different.

Get a local mason involved.
This type of thing has been done for centuries.
He can hold your hand throughout the process.

 

[The Cobbler]

you will need a lintel to support any masonry, a header to support any wood .

as far as cutting the brick for window & door, I use a pc of wood as a straight edge , attached to the brick , set where you want to cut & use a masonry saw to cut the bricks. go to a horizontal mortar joint .( don't use the vertical joints as a guide as they are not necessarily plumb. start knocking out the bricks. ( after you support the brick above that is staying)

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... It appears that there'll be nothin' but the wooden roof structure over the door, so a wood header will be all ya need, to carry the load of the roof,....

Dependin' on where ya put the window, you'll probably need a lentil, which could be as simple as a big ole angle iron,....
Something has got to carry the load of the bricks above/ across the window,...

 

[Model A Fan]

Can't you get your nephew, Harry Potter, to put one in for you?