Framing Basement Window Rough Opening

Take off both interior wall covering and exterior siding to expose the existing rough framing.

Framing basement window rough opening.

The adjacent diagram shows a traditionally framed window opening from a recent project. Doors windows and electrical fixtures will all need to be framed too as well as partition walls and soffits. When framing a new window rough opening the sill can be sloped by cutting the top of the cripple studs at an angle. Remove all trim around the window both inside and outside using a pry bar to pull it loose.

You can pre build these rough openings too while you re waiting for the wall layouts. Framing rough openings for windows and doors standard door and windows openings is really straight forward if you follow some simple dimensional rules. The rough opening determines the space between the jack studs which support the. There are two ways to frame a wall.

When taking this approach remember that even a 5 degree slope will cause a 2 6 sill to protrude past the other framing members which could cause the sheathing to bulge out. In the first basic framing video we covered layout. Understanding the anatomy of a framed window opening will help you properly frame both window and door rough openings. The window sill can either interrupt the jack stud or not.

You can either nail the top and bottom plates then nail the studs in between or build each section on the floor and then raise and nail it into place. For standard wood framed construction the rough openings for doors and windows is typically the actual unit size plus 2 1 2 inches in height and width.