We currently have 2 single car garage doors for our garage. How hard and expensive would it be to tear down the brick column in the middle and create a single opening? The doors will need to be replaced soon so we want to explore this option before we replace them.


https://photos.app.goo.gl/Qyvt3H5jofvzJsVM9

I'm watching. I had this thought a few months ago.

Do the ceiling joist currently run left to right on the garage ?

Or do they run front to back ?


It's doable but you will more than likely need a ~ 17' door or so which as posted above is special order and more expensive.

Measure your existing doors from over to over inside and see what the total span is. You will also need a new laminated beam garage header installed spanning the entire width.

I actually have someone coming to quote the same conversion on my house this afternoon. Will be a little easier for mine, no brick work involved. Since it's just siding, I'm planning to frame the opening down to use a standard 16' door.

Process described here is what I'm expecting - gluelam header, frame opening to size, install door.

If you have to go custom on the door size, be aware there could be a lead time of 10+ weeks on the door, at least that's what a coworker is getting quoted for custom size near Austin.

Southpaw 07 said:

---

I actually have someone coming to quote the same conversion on my house this afternoon. Will be a little easier for mine, no brick work involved. Since it's just siding, I'm planning to frame the opening down to use a standard 16' door.

Process described here is what I'm expecting - gluelam header, frame opening to size, install door.

If you have to go custom on the door size, be aware there could be a lead time of 10+ weeks on the door, at least that's what a coworker is getting quoted for custom size near Austin.

---

Location in Austin as well or Houston?

Keep us updated on the quote. It's something I'd like to do to our garage when we get our mid life crisis car.

I'm in Houston. Coworker commutes in from his ranch a few days a week.

Southpaw 07 said:

---

I'm in Houston. Coworker commutes in from his ranch a few days a week.

---

Me too. If you go through with this and they did a good job, let us know. PM me if you want.

just so you are aware of timelines and can plan properly: We ordered new garage doors a month ago. They are currently slated to be here in feb, and i'm not holding my breath that they get here "on time."

I'd love to do the same thing. Also considered adjusting to use an 18ft door instead of an odd size. I definitely wouldn't start do it without having the door on hand.

Anything special about the order? Custom color or size?

Told the wife I would get a quote for this exact thing. We are in Fort Worth. Recommendations??

I would be interested to hear what they say of you don't mind sharing. This would be a project in the next few years (unless something major breaks before that) so supply issues would not be a concern at this point.

Here's what I understand after getting a quote from a garage door company.

First, I think a contractor is going to be required unless you're prepared to DIY center column removal the day of install. The company I had quoted stated over the phone they could do the whole job, including new header, but that wasn't accurate. Several other companies told me on the phone that all they did was door install and I would have to prep the opening myself. Cost quoted was just for a new door (17x7) and jack shaft opener - just over $3k.

I thought I had 2 headers for the individual doors, but I actually have a continuous double 2x12 header. I'm working on figuring out if that is sufficient for me to remove the column. Initial internet sleuthing says probably not. If someone has definitive advice I'd appreciate it.

Unless you're getting a contractor/engineer (I know those are separate things) involved, be prepared to think critically about what you're being told. The guy who gave me the door replacement quote assured me the wall wasn't load bearing while standing in my unfinished garage and looking at the rafters that all land on that wall. (Hip roof, main load runs to front and back walls.)

Southpaw 07 said:

---

Anything special about the order? Custom color or size?

---

nope. everything was in the "standard" options. just like everything else these days, supply chain blows.

not saying you can't find a company out there that has stock available, but you might have to do a lot more digging than we did. We weren't in any big hurry, so we just got what we wanted.

Fwiw garage doors vendors are having serious issues right now with supply. Know a lady needing one due to an accident and everyone is saying 16-22 weeks out on getting it.

iisaanaggie, i could be crazy but I'm about 99% sure the picture of the house you posted is across the street from my grandmother's house. Would be in Bryan on a culdesac on by the left hand side. If not then it looks nearly identical to her neighbor across the street.

I'm trying to understand why you would want to do this. We hate our double door garage. Can't get 2 cars into it. I'd kill to have single doors where I could actually pull 2 cars in.

We normally only park 1 vehicle in our garage. We have recently started looking for a newer vehicle. Many of the models we are looking at are much wider than our current vehicles. If we open it up some, we could park a little further over so that we can park in the garage and still be able to get in and out if the side closer to the garage wall.

JP76, I think you are correct. We live on a street like you described.

albatross said:

---

You serious, Clark? We are talking about knocking down the middle post between two single doors. Same amount of garage space, less side-mirror crushing brick columns.

---

The only way that works is if you go with a wider than standard double door. Custom door, opener, new beam, etc.

My house has a standard double door from 1976. I can't physically get to cars into the opening. So I'd have to widen the opening and put a new beam to make that work.

Yes, you're correct. This results in a custom-made door, since the width of the post was not originally accounted for. So instead of two singles I'm hoping to end up with a slightly oversized double.

I have a plan to avoid at least the custom door sizing. Pretty much every standard panel garage door sits on the interior of the framed opening, not within the framed opening. Currently my 8' garage doors overlap just under one inch on the sides and about 2 inches on the top.

I'm thinking of removing a 10" column, and shoring up the outside jack studs. Net opening will be approximately 16' 6". I'm going to see if I can get a standard* 17' door installed with a 3" interior overlap on each side. That approach is the most painless route I can see.

The only way I would want to keep separate doors on the individual garage bays is if the individual doors were sized to be 9' or greater. The 8' doors require you to thread the needle with 2-3" to spare on each side of the vehicle to avoid removing a side mirror.

*I know true "standard" sizing is 8' and 16', I've been told by an installer that 17' is a size that is commonly stocked and easy to get.

Because 2 single doors are usually 8 ft wide
Taking it out gives you an extra foot of width

The projects I've looked at that wanted this done were usually because one of the drivers had already broken the passenger side mirror off or caught the right front bumper/fender when pulling in. Majority have been 60+ years in age.

This is normally saw cut and then ground out on the conversion


While on the face it looks like a simple project, the cost quickly escalates because of the multiple trades involved.

Framing
Drywall
Trim
Painter
Door installer
Concrete/mason

JP76 said:

---

This is normally saw cut and then ground out on the conversion


While on the face it looks like a simple project, the cost quickly escalates because of the multiple trades involved.

Framing
Drywall
Trim
Painter
Door installer
Concrete/mason

---

Depends on the garage. An unfinished detached garage is a lot simpler project that can be done at a low(er) cost. If/when I do mine:

Framing - I'll add 2 jack studs per side to the outside edges of the existing continuous beam. 4x 2x4s and a box of 16d nails

Drywall - N/A

Trim - I'll purchase/paint trim & install. Pretty straightforward.

Paint - Only applicable to trim

Door installer - 100% hiring this done

Concrete - Is there something I'm missing here? I think my center column is sitting directly on the garage slab and can be removed seamlessly. If not, it would seem this patch is a perfect use case for a bag of cement from HD.

Are you in the city limits of Houston ?

A double 2x12 for a garage header 16' span or greater has not been allowed code wise in Bryan or College Station since at least before 2004. I can't speak for Houston codes but from people I talk to permitting is an absolute nightmare unless you out of the city limits then technically you can do what you want. Depending on the load above I've had to replace a lot of doubled 2x12 garage headers that had excessive sagging. The worst are usually with brick gables above or on 2 stories. This is why double 2x12 headers became obsolete and brought laminated beams into the picture. There reality is there are too many variables for a one size fits all solution. I have seen older garages framed where there is a double or even triple 2x12 beam that spans front to back and rest over that center divider with 10-12 ft joists running left to right which opens up another can of worms when trying to remove it.

I'm in Houston, house was built in the 50s. I have the knowledge/skill to swap in a glue lam beam, but I'm not convinced it's really needed. Detached garage, only load is a composite shingled hip roof. Main direction of truss alignment is front to back, garage door located on the "front."

As far as code, based on what I see around the neighborhood, if I pulled permits & inspections I would be the first & only. Including for whole home renovations on several nearby properties.

I did this in the Waco area 4 years ago.

New composite header, replaced trim, drywall, and a custom door was a little over $5000.

They even ground down the concrete footing the column attached to.

Agineer said:

---

This won't be a popular response but here goes...

A new header would be needed for gravity loads. The less apparent impact is to a potential lateral load resisting system. Garage headers are often used as part of portal frames to resist wind loads.

For example see these details from the IRC:



Hire a structural engineer to look at it.

---

Why would steel be prohibited for the header?

A steel beam wouldn't be compatible with the rest of what is provided in those details. Those are tested assemblies with limits to their applicability. That's not to say that a steel header cannot be used; just not with those details.