How to Frame a Shower Niche in a Load-bearing Wall

Jan 27th, 2022: 98% like/dislike
In this video I explain and demonstrate how to frame in a shower niche on a load bearing wall. If you do this on a non load bearing wall the process is even easier as you would just use a normal top plate instead of a full header.
Edit: I got my Schluter insert in and realized the measurements were for the insert opening, not the rough opening. It was a simple fix by moving the jack/king studs each 1/2 inch out, and the sill plate down and inch, and remaking the header 1 inch longer. Pretty annoying but a relatively easy fix.
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[@nandisaand5287]

Thanks for this. I watch a video a few weeks ago by a tile guy (Starr Tile, I think), who built a niche. He basically said "Just cut the studs and frame a box", and proceeded to do just that. I told him in comments that thats all fine if the wall isnt load-bearing (with a double top plate). I then described building a header (exactly as shown) if the wall is load-bearing. His response? "Yeah. Everybody knows that". Well not DIYers who are learning stuff on KZbin videos. Needless to say I blocked that clown, wont watch any more of his content.

[@Adam-im4hm]

Many other videos from the pros putting on niches and they don't put in a proper header, you did good work.

[@lakeratatouille]

Great video. I'm a remodeled that avoids cutting into any load bearing wall. I have seen a plumber cut a bunch of studs out of an outside wall without any temporary support, when he cut them out they made a an audible pop! Doing it this way just like a window ensures that the wall keeps its strength.

[@jessicamorrell6250]

This is such an excellent video. The pacing and level of detail is superb. I want to add a recessed medicine cabinet into a load-bearing wall which requires me to cut one stud. Your video makes it seem like a doable task. Thank you!

[@AtHomeDIY]

I appreciate the positive feedback! You are correct, this would be the exact same process for a medicine cabinet. Best of luck with your project!

[@4willie2c]

Great video, I felt much better watching your video and making a niche in my shower.

[@paulp5769]

Super helpful as I am about to do exactly that project. I was looking for a video like this one. Thanks so much!

[@kennybeaty1222]

This video is very informative! Thank you Would love to see your finished work

[@marysmith6950]

What a thorough job you are doing for this project! I was thinking how to support the wood that were cut out! Thank you so much for the great job!

[@AtHomeDIY]

Thanks!

[@mrxclusive]

thank you for posting this very helpful video! i was always afraid of modifying load-bearing walls and know the cost to hire someone would be expensive. My scenario, my parents bathroom has a adjoining wall with the townhouse next to us. it was built in the 1970s in NYC. it isnt down to the studs but do you have any experience is your steps are exactly whats required?

[@ellenwilkosz9352]

Love this. Exactly what I needed to know :-)

[@ds61821]

This answered my questions. Thanks.

[@JhnnyBoy]

Awesome vid. So well explained. Subscribed!

[@OneDrone]

Thank you, great video

[@scottfromcleveland9718]

Great video! Thanks for the informative content

[@AtHomeDIY]

Thanks!

[@OG_SQUID_MTB]

So you need a header for every niche on an exterior wall?

[@susanbs725]

I don’t see any insulation in that exterior wall? If this is a heated space with insulated walls, I’d recommend leaving the exterior bearing wall intact and furring out the wall for the niche.

[@Mogman150]

So, is there no insulation in the area behind the niche (outside wall)?

[@emmanuelespinoza8950]

Does the whole wall need to be demo to do the niche framing on exterior wall?

[@JessLeora]

Hi there! I have a contractor telling me this is extremely expensive to do. I wanted a shower niche to be approx 24-28” high and about 16-20” wide. I purchased one of the inserts but of course my wall is load-bearing. How much roughly would something like this cost? I am going to show this video to my contractor!! Please let me know ASAP and thank you for possibly saving my Dream!!!

[@AtHomeDIY]

Hi Jessica, it is difficult to tell you an exact number as it would be highly dependent on many variables. If you are already down to studs this project is extremely easy. If I wasn't filming I could have knocked it out in an hour no problem. A seasoned contractor even less. (I have no idea what contractors charge per hour, but I would assume labor would be well under $100/hr, you can do the math from there understanding that you are also paying for their knowledge and expertise, not just labor). If you're trying to add a niche to an already finished bathroom then the price would go WAY up. I hope that helps.

[@ds61821]

I guess I have this question. If I'm not exactly sure how high I want the niche to start given what the tile will be and where it will start on the tub I'll later install), can I put the header up higher than I know I will need it and then locate a cross piece (below the header) and then insert a bottom cross piece once I know exactly where to install the niche? Did my question make sense?

[@AtHomeDIY]

Hi David, I believe I understand your questions. Props to you for thinking ahead about the finishing design before putting the bones in place. Now I'm not an engineer, but I would say yes, that would be just fine since the header would still be holding all the load from above and transferring down to the jack studs. I have an exterior door in my house (from the 1950's) where the header is framed as high up as possible (top plate literally sits on top of the header), and the door is framed in to fit below the header. One last thing to consider, is just making sure you have cripples in place (in your case BELOW the header), not so much for structure, but to have adequate nailing for your cement board when you put that up. Best of luck!

[@ds61821]

@@AtHomeDIY I framed this out on the master bath several years ago. I needed to have the tiling done by a pro who chided me for not locating the niche in a way that made the tiling work out. But it's hard to do that accurately when I need to do the pre-work on dens shield, waterproofing etc. This time I want to do a better job. Thanks.

[@boyceharris2180]

How would you frame if you have a window right above it

[@nandisaand5287]

If you already have a window there should already be a header to carry the load. As long as you just cut into the cripples below the window (and NOT the jack studs supporting the existing header), you can just frame a box without worrying about a header.

[@traceyraimo8301]

I want my shower niche to span the entire width of my shower, which is 4'. What size beam to I need and how many jack studs do I need? I planned for a 2" x 8" header with one king stud and one jack stud on each side. Is that correct?

[@AtHomeDIY]

Probably not the answer you want, but... it depends on several factors. Is this wall load bearing? Are there floors above it? Does your region have snow load? etc etc. Without knowing these answers, in a basic scenario, I would say 2x8 header over a 4 foot span would suffice, and 1 jack stud is probably enough (although you can easily google the code for that relative to your city/county/region). I always go overkill if I can't find any certain data on a project I'm doing.

[@fransmith2415]

Can this method be done with a load bearing exterior wall? Any reinforcement need to be added?

[@AtHomeDIY]

That is the exact scenario I'm showing in the video. 2x6 exterior load bearing wall. The header is the important piece, as well as supporting the load while reconfiguring the wall to add the niche.

[@fransmith2415]

Thank you for your assistance. I was able to complete my own project following your instructions.

[@AtHomeDIY]

@@fransmith2415 Glad it was helpful and you were successful!