Doors in concrete block house
Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 10:58 am
I'm designing a house made of concrete blocks dry-stacked and filled with concrete. The height of a block is 194 mm; the length is 397 mm. (Hard metric blocks, which are 190×190×390 mm, are not available in North Carolina.) As the minimum height of a door is 2032 mm, I have to make the door rough opening 11 courses (2134 mm) high. I was planning to make the walls 13 courses (2522 mm) high and the door openings 10 courses high until I read this. A 11-course opening leaves one course for the lintel and one course of blocks above the opening. Is this enough or do I have to make the walls 14 courses high? The width of the rough opening will be three blocks (1191 mm).
Also, since dry-stacking blocks isn't that common, I think I'll have to get custom lintels. The lintels will be 194×194×1588 and I'll need about ten, if the windows are the same width. Should I make them myself or ask the block company to make them?
Also, since dry-stacking blocks isn't that common, I think I'll have to get custom lintels. The lintels will be 194×194×1588 and I'll need about ten, if the windows are the same width. Should I make them myself or ask the block company to make them?