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Turning a garage into a room is a time-honored way to gain more living space. The first step is to replace the car-entry door with a wall. You can then complete the interior with the techniques that are shown else where in this book. Taking Out the Door: Most garages have spring-powered sectional doors that roll overhead on tracks. You may want to hire a con tractor to remove a door with a wind-up torsion spring, but it's possible to do it yourself. For extension springs, use the method below. If the door has an electronic opener, disconnect the power and detach the mechanism before removing the spring. Letting in Light and Air: Building codes often require window and door space equivalent to a tenth of the floor area, with at least half of that space providing ventilation openings. You can meet such requirements by framing for doors or windows in the new wall. Finishing the Exterior: To complete the wall, either match the existing siding or plan for a contrasting one such as plywood. You may need to break up and remove the driveway apron to align the bottom of the new siding with that beside it Tithe new siding is to lie flush with the old, select sheathing of the same thickness. Use oriented strand board—also called flake- board—under wood shingles or vertical wood siding. Under clapboard, vinyl, aluminum, or plywood siding, install asphalt-impregnated board— pressed paper coated with tar that functions as a vapor barrier. CAUTION. A garage door torsion spring is under considerable tension. If you choose to remove the spring yourself, unwind it slowly, and keep your body to one side of the end of the winding rods. TOOLS:
MATERIALS:
NOTE: 0.25” = ¼” , 0.5” = ½”, 0.75” = ¾” SAFETY FIRST: Protect your eyes with goggles when removing a spring or hammering nails. Put on a dust mask when you cut pressure-treated lumber, and use work gloves to handle it. Wear ear protectors when you operate a powder-actuated hammer. REMOVING A TORSION-SPRING DOOR 112 1. Loosening the setscrews. • To take out a door that has a wind-up spring mechanism, obtain two cold-rolled steel rods at least 18” long and made for the purpose of unwinding such a spring. • Lower the door to get at the spring. Then test-fit the rods in the holes in the spring’s winding cone, making sure they are the right diameter and seat fully in the holes. • Standing to one side of the winding cone, insert a rod in one of the holes. Apply pressure to determine the direction in which the spring will unwind. • Place the other rod within easy reach. • Keeping pressure on the first rod to restrain the spring, loosen the setscrews that secure the cone to the torsion shaft. 113a 2. Unwinding the spring. • Keeping the first rod in place, let the spring turn just enough to provide access to the next hole in the cone. • Insert the second rod in the hole. • Gripping both rods near their free ends, slowly unwind the spring, alternating the rods in the holes as the cone turns. • When the spring is unwound and the wire cable connecting it to the door hangs slack, unfasten the cable from the door. • Unbolt the torsion shaft from the framing above the opening. 113b 3. Dismantling the door. • While a helper supports the top section of the door, remove the hinges and other hardware. • Lift the top section away from the one below, then remove lower sections in the same way. • Starting at the rear of the garage, bolt the horizontal sections of the two guide tracks from their overhead sup ports, then detach the vertical track sections from the door jambs. DEALING WITH EXTENSION SPRINGS 114a Unhooking the springs. If your garage door employs extension springs, detach them as follows: • Relax the spring tension by raising the door, then brace it open with 2-by-4s. • At one side of the door, carefully remove the S hook that anchors the wire cable near the garage entrance. Pass the hook and cable through the pulley at the end of the spring, then detach the other end of the cable from the door. • Remove the cable from the other side of the door in the same way. • With a helper, remove the 2-by-4 supports and lower the door; do not let it drop freely to the ground. • Remove the door (Step 3). STARTING THE WALL 114a 1. Uncovering header and studs. With a framing hammer and pry bar, re move the jamb and trim from around the opening, leaving the existing header 114b 2. Fitting the soleplate. In most garage conversions, the new wall includes such large openings that the unsupported frame would not be rigid enough to be built separately and raised as a unit. Instead, you can construct the wall in place. • Cut a piece of pressure-treated in place across the top; it supports the wall above the opening and distributes the weight to studs at the sides to which the new wall frame will attach. lumber to fit between the soleplates on each side of the opening; the new plate must be the same dimension as the old plate and be aligned with its outside edge. • Mark the plate for 2-by-4 studs, using a 16” spacing. • Test-fit the plate. 115a 3. Attaching the soleplate. • Try to drive a 2.5” cut nail through a scrap 2-by-4 and partway into the slab. • If the nail holds securely and the slab does not crumble, set the new soleplate in place and nail it to the slab at 16” intervals, placing the nails between stud marks. Otherwise, attach the plate with a powder-actuated hammer and special fasteners. • Toenail both ends of the new soleplate to the existing plates with 2.5” common nails. 115b 4. Constructing the wall frame. To frame for a pair of double-hung windows spanning the full width of the opening, proceed as follows: • Cut two 2-by-4s to the width of the opening to serve as a rough sill and top plate. • Nail the top plate to the existing header with 2.5” nails. • Check the window manufacturer’s instructions for the rough-opening height; measure down from the base of the top plate by this amount on each side and mark for the top of the rough sill. • For each stud mark on the soleplate, cut a cripple stud to that height minus 1.5”. • Toenail the cripple studs to the soleplate with 2.5” nails. Then set the rough sill in place. • Plumb each stud and secure it with two 2.5” nails driven through the rough sill. • Cut three 2-by-4 jack studs to fit snugly between the top plate and rough sill. • Nail two jack studs to the studs at either side of the opening using 2.5” nails at 24” intervals, then toenail them to the top plate and sill. • Center and plumb the third jack stud between the top plate and sill, and toe nail it top and bottom. To frame smaller openings, construct a conventional stud wall, rough-framing for windows or doors. 116a 5. Attaching sheathing. • Mark the centerline of each cripple stud on the outside of the slab as a nailing guide. • Measure and cut sheathing to cover the frame so that any joints will be centered on the studs, allowing a gap of 1/16” allow for expansion. In very humid climates, leave a 1/8” gap. • Fasten the sheathing with 2” box nails spaced every 6” on the edges and every 12” on intermediate studs. If you plan to match existing horizontal siding, complete Step 1 below before putting in windows or doors. Otherwise, install them at this point. INSTALLING HORIZONTAL SIDING 116b 1. Clearing the way. • On either side of the new section, remove the existing siding back to the nearest joint of each strip; if the joint is more than a few feet from the opening, remove a short section by cutting through it with a circular saw. • Cut lengths of new siding to fit between the remaining strips of old siding, leaving a 1/16” gap for expansion in the case of wood siding. 117 2. Attaching siding. • If the bottom course of original wood siding is nailed over a starter strip, attach a lath strip at that height. • Starting at the bottom, attach the new siding with galvanized nails 2.5” nails for 0.5”-thick siding, 2.5” nails for 3/4” siding—according to the following patterns. Fasten bevel siding with a nail at each stud, about an inch above the piece underneath; in the case of the lowest piece, place the nail an inch above the bottom edge. Fasten flat shiplap siding to each stud with a nail driven an inch from the top edge and another, an inch from the bottom edge. For vinyl or aluminum siding, attach the appropriate starter strip and put up the siding as shown. APPLYING CONTRASTING SIDING • Apply exterior caulking to the edges, then attach the plywood with 2.5” galvanized nails every 16” along the edges of each panel and at 12” intervals on intermediate studs. 1. Attaching panels. If the existing exterior is difficult to match, you can apply 5/8” exterior-grade ply wood instead. • Measure and cut plywood to fit the opening in such a way that the grain of each panel’s outer layer runs in the same direction and so that the joints between panels will be centered on studs with a 1/16” gap for expansion. 117 2. Trimming the new section. • Apply exterior caulking along the joints between panels and wherever the plywood butts against the old siding. • Cut 1 -by-2 battens to attach to the plywood beside the old siding. • Attach the battens with 2.5” finishing nails, their heads set just below the surface. Fill the nail holes with putty and caulk all joints before priming and painting. |
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