What framing goes into closing up an old doorway in a Westboro house?

Closing a doorway is framing work, and the steps follow a clear sequence even if the opening is small.

The carpenter removes the door and its frame, then pulls out the existing jack studs, king studs and header that formed the opening. What goes back in depends on whether the wall is load-bearing or a partition. In a load-bearing wall, the header stays or is replaced; in a partition wall there is no load to carry across the gap. Either way, the carpenter fits new king studs and jack studs to match the surrounding framing, then adds a bottom plate across the bottom of the opening and fills in with new studs spaced to match the rest of the wall, so the wall finish has solid backing at every edge.

The framing members need to match what is already there in dimension so the wall reads as one continuous plane. In an older house the existing studs may be rough-cut lumber that does not match modern dimensional sizes, so the carpenter measures the actual depth and width before ordering material. Blocking goes in where the new framing meets the old.

Once the framing is done, the opening gets insulated if the wall is exterior, then closed in; who finishes the wall surface is a line to settle on the quote. Baseboard and any casing that was disturbed gets replaced to match the existing profile as closely as possible.

Ask whether the carpenter will source a matching baseboard profile or whether you need to supply it, and get that answer in writing before work starts.

The request form on this page reaches carpenters listed in the Ottawa Construction Network directory, for jobs anywhere in the City of Ottawa.