Expert: Bruce E. Johnson - 8/16/2009

Question
Bruce,
I have an attached 2+ garage.
The entrance to the garage is from the south, and in remodeling my house, i would like to change the entrance to the north side.
Could i just hire a concrete cutter to cut out the entrance on the north side and then install the door.  Or is there much more to it than that?
Thank you
jeanmarie

Answer
Hi jeanmarie, yes it can be more complicated than that depending on how your garage is built.  If the garage has a continuous weight bearing beam around the top it may be simply a matter of cutting out the opening.  If the garage on the existing door side has a concrete beam different from the other three sides of the room then you will probably have to reinforce the new door opening to carry the roof load.  This isn't too big of an addition to the project but it is something that will have to be addressed.  I recommend to you to have an engineer look at your particular situation and make a determination if the new door wall is capable of supporting the roof weight.  I hope this information helps feel free to write again regarding this or other matters, sincerely bruce e johnson..bejohnsonconsulting.com