How to Frame a Doorway Under a Stairway

If you're finishing a basement or another unfinished portion of your home with a stairway that leads down to it, you have the opportunity to add storage space underneath the stairway. A door makes it easy to get into this under-stairway space; so when you're framing in the area, it only makes sense to frame an opening for a door. Once you've decided where the door will go, the process follows conventional framing procedures.

Tape measure
Circular saw
2-by-4 lumber
Level
16d nails
Hammer

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the height and width of the door to be installed from the outer edges of the door frame.
- 2
  Cut out the bottom plate of the frame wall to match the width of the door frame with a circular saw.
- 3
  Measure the distance between the top of the bottom plate and the bottom of the top plate. Cut two 2-by-4 king studs to fit the space. Place the king studs 1-1/2 inches to either side of the opening in the bottom plate. Check plumb with a level and nail the king studs into the top and bottom plates at an angle.
- 4
  Cut two jack studs to match the height of the door frame, less 1-1/2 inches. Place the jack studs even with the edges of the opening in the bottom plate, directly against the king studs. Nail the jack studs to the king studs with two 16d nails every 16 inches.
- 5
  Measure the distance between the inside edges of the king studs directly above the jack studs. Cut two 2-by-4s to match. Nail these together, with the broad sides together, with two 16d nails every 12 inches. Place this header on top of the jack studs and nail it into the jack and king studs at an angle.
- 6
  Measure the distance from the top of the header to the bottom of the top plate. Cut 2-by-4 cripple studs to fit in between. Place these every 16 inches across the top of the header and nail them in place at an angle.

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