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.

Understanding the anatomy of a framed window opening will help you properly frame both window and door rough openings. 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. Avoid this by ripping about 1 8 inch or 3 16 inch off. One of the most basic framing techniques involves framing window and door openings.

Remove all trim around the window both inside and outside using a pry bar to pull it loose. There are two ways to frame a wall. The rough opening determines the space between the jack studs which support the. Marking rough opening centers first all the way down the wall.

The window sill can either interrupt the jack stud or not. In the first basic framing video we covered layout. When framing a new window rough opening the sill can be sloped by cutting the top of the cripple studs at an angle. You can pre build these rough openings too while you re waiting for the wall layouts.

The adjacent diagram shows a traditionally framed window opening from a recent project. 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.