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WHAT IS A DORMER ROOF?
A dormer is a window that is typically set vertically on a sloping roof. The dormer has its own roof, which may be flat, arched, hipped, pointed, or ornamented. Dormer windows may be built into the roof or a wall and they come in many shapes and sizes. Dormers were first used in French and British architecture in the 1600s as a way to add light to a home.
The kind of roof on the dormer may complement the larger roof or other architectural details of the house. Dormers can add beauty and curb appeal to your home but you should carefully consider when and where to add them so they do not look out of place on your house.
When your home needs protection from rain and snow, your roof is its first line of defense. Homeowners who also want to maximize light and space may choose to add a dormer roof. What is a dormer roof? A dormer is like a small room with a window that projects out vertically from the rest of a sloped roof. When you convert attic space into living space, a dormer allows cross ventilation, brings in natural light, and adds architectural style.
Here’s what you need to know about the different types of this style of roof as well as how a dormer roof can improve your house’s function and style.
What Is a Dormer Roof?
A dormer is built and set into a slanted roof. Notably, it always features at least one window. Dormers have roofs and come in a variety of sizes and shapes. The right choice of dormer will depend upon the style of your home. Dormers are great compliments to a home’s existing architecture that add visual flair and curb appeal.
Dormers can give your roof a sense of added height to a horizontal-shaped dwelling. It creates usable space, headroom, and natural light, allowing it to offer a range of unique design opportunities.
What Are the Benefits of a Dormer Roof?
Apart from adding style, symmetry, and an attractive focal point to your home’s exterior, dormers allow ventilation and light into dark spaces. They also provide more room, sometimes making it possible to tuck a bathroom or bedroom into a top floor area. Dormers also break up the long expanse of your roof, creating a new architectural detail.
What Are the Different Types of Dormer Roofs?
Dormer roofs come in many forms. The gable dormer, which features two walls and a triangular face, is the most common kind found on Craftsman, Tudor, and other modern homes. Gabled dormers, which feature a peak at the top and are connected to the roof by two valleys, gained popularity in mid-century Cape Cod–style homes. With a flared gable, the dormer roof flares out to help shade windows, and the overhang can be supported by corbels.
Instead of a gabled roof’s single ridge, hipped dormers are designed with the roof sloping back as it rises and the hips jutting out from a peak. This type of dormer usually mirrors the hipped roof of the house, which will have four slanting sides coming together in a peak.
Other styles of dormer roofs include a barrel dormer, which has a rounded top, and an eyebrow dormer, named for its curved shape and lack of walls. The shed dormer, another popular style since the 1960s, features a single roof plane that joins the roof at the very top or farther down the roof. Shed dormers can accommodate different-sized windows, making them more common among bungalows and Craftsman-style homes. Extended shed dormers span almost the full width of a house.
Rather than sitting directly on top, most dormer types can be inset into the roof. Recessing the dormer allows for deeper windows.
Pros of dormers
Curb appeal – Extending areas of your home, like skylights and dormers, can increase your home’s value up to 20%.
Adds more light – Dormers help lighten up the darkest parts of any attic or loft space. With increased light and visibility, you’ll be able to repurpose certain areas of the room as a reading area or sleeping room.
Adds more space – Perhaps the main benefit to installing dormers is the space it can add. Because dormers extend a wall or extend away from the building, they can add up to 250 square feet of space to a room.
Ventilation – With dormer windows, you’ll also be able to help bring in cool air or let out hot air accumulating in higher levels of the home.
Cons of dormers
Difficult installation – Like with any construction, installing any dormer style will require an experienced professional. Not all roofers are experienced with installing dormers.
Expensive – With materials and labor, depending on the style and type of roof, could cost up to $12,000 or more. It’s also important to remember to check with your local building department for any necessary permits to build dormers.
High maintenance – Depending on if you have a sloped roof or something flatter like a shed roof, these dormers may be more prone to water leakage. While dormers are usually installed with flashings, they can still be susceptible to moisture.
