Standard door height in a CMU wall

[bigbitez]

I'm a general contractor working on a new two-story building and I have a weird question for the masons here about block walls. The first floor is all split-face CMU, 14 courses tall, and I’ve lined up all the window headers nicely on the 10th course, and the 8 foot garage door works fine on the 12th course. But I need to use a standard 6ft 8in residential entry door and when I set that door on the slab the rough opening is about 4 inches above a block course line, not directly on a break.

I plan to use 16 inch closed-bottom bond beams for all the other headers but this door height throws everything off. How should I handle the header for this one odd-sized rough opening so the mason doesn't have trouble? I will have a custom door buck ready to go but I need a clear way to support the block above it since I won't be there to supervise the new crew.

 

[stev3njr]

I'm a general contractor working on a new two-story building and I have a weird question for the masons here about block walls. The first floor is all split-face CMU, 14 courses tall, and I’ve lined up all the window headers nicely on the 10th course, and the 8 foot garage door works fine on the 12th course. But I need to use a standard 6ft 8in residential entry door and when I set that door on the slab the rough opening is about 4 inches above a block course line, not directly on a break.

I plan to use 16 inch closed-bottom bond beams for all the other headers but this door height throws everything off. How should I handle the header for this one odd-sized rough opening so the mason doesn't have trouble? I will have a custom door buck ready to go but I need a clear way to support the block above it since I won't be there to supervise the new crew.

please don't try to make a specialty bond beam for a single opening. If the door buck is solid, just have the masons bridge the gap above the door using a steel angle (L-bracket) sized to span the opening.
The steel angle carries the block, and the masons can set a soldier course (blocks standing on end) or a thin masonry pad on top of the angle to get back to your regular course line.
this is a common trick for nonstandard heights, but make sure the angle is specified for the load and has enough bearing on the CMU beside the door.

 

[chareeseeee]

When dealing with a non-standard rough opening that falls between CMU courses, the most straightforward solution for the masons is to treat the top of the door buck itself as the immediate header support and ensure that the bond beam is aligned to support the block above the opening. Since you are using 16 inch closed-bottom bond beams for your other headers, the simplest approach here is to have the mason install a standard prefabricated steel lintel directly on top of the door buck's frame at the required height.

 

[bigbitez]

Got it! That makes sense. Is there a preferred finish or treatment for the angle to help with long-term durability, especially in exterior walls?