How Important Is It To Have The Right Window And Door Sizes?

Framing layout is one of the most important parts in new home construction. Not only will the doors and windows affect the positioning of stud placement, but plumbing and electrical fixtures will also play a big part in where those studs will be placed.

Let's start with the most important part of any house framing project, the doors and windows. The biggest thing to remember and this one is very important and every carpenter and homebuilder who has any experience repairing improperly located openings, sizes or individual studs, can vouch for what I'm about to say.

Make sure, and when I say to make sure, I mean to make 100% without a doubt sure that you have the exact rough window and door openings sizes. This will require, someone to contact the manufacturers of these products to get the right sizes for the finished doors and windows and the required rough opening sizes to make everything come together effortlessly.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about. The plans tell you that the window is going to be 4 foot tall and 6 feet wide. You being an intelligent person, understands that this window will be 48 inches tall by 72 inches wide and that's how big you should make the opening.

Wrong, and when I say wrong, I'm talking about changing every opening that you framed incorrectly and never forgetting this lesson. Let's say that you framed the rough opening at 48" x 72" and the finished window size is 47" x 70.5".

Now you're going to need to add materials to the bottom or top of the rough framing or you won't be able to nail the window properly to the home. Believe it or not, what I'm talking about isn't uncommon in new construction.

Now don't forget, if you're building a new home, you will now have to do this to every window in the house. This is exactly what I'm talking about. Make sure that you take the time to get the right window and door openings sizes. This can save you a lot of time and money later down the road.