# garage door opening question



## Pennyroyal's (Sep 24, 2005)

Good afternoon, 
My trade is carpentry and remodeling so concrete rough openings are not my baliwick...maybe one of you can advise me on this....
I am building a garage with an 18' door. I understand the finished opening for the door itself is 18' but what is the masonry opening for framing in the opening.
This is a concrete footer/foundation. I am planning to have the foundation wall stop 3" from the fin. size opening, so my rough concrete opening would work out to be 18'6"?
This allows me double the room needed for framing the sides. Am I oversizing the concrete opening at the door?
thanks for the info....Joe.


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## Pennyroyal's (Sep 24, 2005)

OR... should I just make it an 18' opening?


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## shanekw1 (Mar 20, 2008)

Maybe a bit, but I don't think it really matters. 

You will just have to frame back in to the required opening for the door.

Someone with more experience may think differently tho.


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## naptown CR (Feb 20, 2009)

I would make my opening 18'3" to allow one jack to run down beside the concrete and allow me to attach my exterior trim.


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## mickey69125 (Dec 8, 2007)

I've put in a lot of garage doors and it always seems to work better to have two studs beside the concrete. Gives more room to attach track brackets and electric eye brackets. It's not absolutely necessary to do it this way but personally I like two studs better than one.


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## naptown CR (Feb 20, 2009)

mickey69125 said:


> personally I like two studs better than one.


Never mind I thought better of my smart a** remark


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

Actual door width is masonry opening. 2x6 bucks on the backside of the wall for mounting hardware and door stop/trim to seal it inside the opening.


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

Not sure where witness protection
is keeping Pennyroyal's, but here
in frost country, we run the footing
all the way across the opening.
Either rest the slab on the block
or turn the slab down to the footer.
Keeps the slab from heaving up
in the center of the opening.


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## jomama (Oct 25, 2008)

I've done them anywhere from 18'1" to 18' 4 1/2" (for your application.) In my experience, it really depends on the framer's preference, & I make sure to ask them on every job, unless stated on the print. I've found every framer seems to have a different way they want the opening.


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## Pennyroyal's (Sep 24, 2005)

Thanks all, I went with 18'6"
Neolithic, there *is* a continuous footer on the perimeter. 
Joe


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## ScipioAfricanus (Sep 13, 2008)

What do your plans say? O.K. obviously you are in one of those places that does not require plans for building, but really, without knowing how the opening is designed and the surrounding footings, walls, grade beams(?) are any we can say here is just a lot of palaver and not necessarily what is right for your situation.

I knkow this is not a help but it does increase my post count. (why that is important I don't really know)

Andy.


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