ACADuser 153 Posted October 23, 2020 The customer for this house is asking for a 28' wide 8' tall sliding glass door on the 3rd floor. The 2nd & 3rd floor are frame construction. While the first floor is breakaway CMU with concrete beams. The foundation is a cc beam system supported by concrete piles. This is because the house is water front property in Florida and in a Floodway Zone. My concern is movement over time & the ability to re-level the door. Does anyone know of a system that will allow frame adjustments years down the road? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robdyck 526 Posted October 23, 2020 I would assume that all of these types of doors allow for a reasonable amount of adjustment over time, especially considering that many openings wouldn't be level, plumb, square or true to begin with. The installation manual for one type is below, check out pages 48 and on to see the adjustment methods. https://panoramicdoors.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Panoramic-Door-Manual-Door-Install-Nov2018.pdf Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alaskan_Son 2608 Posted October 23, 2020 I'm not familiar with sliding glass doors that are that large, but I do have a thought. What about using a steel moment frame type opening for that portion of the structure? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robdyck 526 Posted October 23, 2020 4 minutes ago, Alaskan_Son said: I'm not familiar with sliding glass doors that are that large, but I do have a thought. What about using a steel moment frame type opening for that portion of the structure? I'd certainly want an engineer designed structural frame that would 'house' the opening and would remain square even if it were to shift beyond level or plumb. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACADuser 153 Posted October 24, 2020 I wanted a steel moment frame too but the gc says he can not get a crane large enough down the street to fly it to the back of the house on the third floor. We are in exposure D and 150 mph which is about 170 mph equivalent. Thanks for the replies. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joe_Carrick 2389 Posted October 24, 2020 Typically the doors are supported on the bottom track and the top track is just to contain them horizontally. You will obviously need a fairly good sized header beam and it will need to be sized for deflection so the clearances above the track are maintained. The header will also need to be restrained laterally to withstand the wind loads. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACADuser 153 Posted October 24, 2020 Thank Rob for the link. I suppose the casing can be removed to re-shim if any movement took place. Thanks Joe, we have 6 feet of 6" wall on each end to create sheer panels and the roof trusses run parallel to the wall so they can help with the racking forces. The beam is almost self-weight only. The perpendicular forces (wind) will need to transfer to the roofing diaphragm. But I'll leave that to the engineer to sort out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joe_Carrick 2389 Posted October 25, 2020 19 hours ago, ACADuser said: The perpendicular forces (wind) will need to transfer to the roofing diaphragm. But I'll leave that to the engineer to sort out. I was referring to the header needing to resist deflection caused by wind against the sliding door. Essentially it needs to be designed as a beam working in both directions even though the trusses will support almost all of the vertical load. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACADuser 153 Posted October 25, 2020 Yes, a box beam may do the job with special attention to the 2x6 butt joints. Maybe a double lower plate. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ajrare 2 Posted March 21 Am a Florida PE. Let me know if I be helpful. Aj PE Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
