Hope I can get some advice. I have a one story home in Sacramento, CA built in 2000. I am wanting to make an opening of 8' high and 8' wide in the wall between the garage and an adjacent bedroom to enlarge the shop area of my garage. The wall is 20' long and 10' high. The wall separating the garage and the adjoining bedroom/living area is sheathed and obviously a shear wall. the home has a cememt slab foundation. Does making this size of opening jeaporadize the structrual integrity of the house?
If so, being a shear wall are there any special consderations, in this type of situation, I need to address?
Not withstanding my construction and DIYer skills, is this something that should be evaluated by a structural engineer?
You definitely need someone else to look at it. Someone with at least a good strong understanding of construction principles. The wall you are talking about is more than likely a load bearing wall. The opening would have to have a header and adequate support under the ends of the header.
Without seeing it, we really can't be specific about what you need.
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If you are looking for a California engineer, try www.seaint.org and surf from there. I don't know which part of Cali you are in and they are all state specific.
Good luck on your project and keep us in the loop.
opening a shear wall
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