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Sep 2, 2022 · This video will discuss drawing two different types of dormers manually. We will cover: - Floating dormers- Structural dormers-Adjusting dormer walls and win...
- 13 min
- 2.8K
- Chief Architect
Jan 22, 2022 · In this video about Dormer construction basics I build the simple dormer wall frames that will support the roof rafters and ceiling joists Part of The Big Build Series For my 76mm and...
- 6 min
- 121.6K
- Robin Clevett
Sep 28, 2012 · Creator of 1960s surf art and “Hot Curl” cartoon series. Mike Dormer's surf art came from an era that essentially saw the establishment of the genre. Along with contemporaries like Rick Griffin, Dormer helped to depict the emerging counter culture scene in California during the 1960s.
Here the author describes how he frames an A-dormer on a house that has three of them. A lot of houses built on New England’s coast use dormers to tuck light, airy living spaces under their roofs. Steep-roofed A-dormers are an attractive approach to this style.
- Check The Existing Pitch on Site
- Roof Pitch and Window Height Determine The wing-wall Dimensions
- Dormer Roof Is Based on The Available Space
- It’S Like Building A Small House with Angled Walls
- Size and Placement Are Important
- Measure The Biggest Triangle to Find The Precise Pitch
- Decide on Window Size, Then Calculate wing-wall Details
- Install Trimmers and Headers, and Then Cut The Hole
- The Payoff: Parts Go Together Quickly
- Measuring, Cutting and Installing The California Valley
I always start a dormer project by verifying the pitch of the existing roof. I don’t want to assume that I know the pitch, then cut and build all the dormer components only to discover that the dormer doesn’t fit correctly. Trusting the plans is tempting, but you might end up missing an abnormality like the 7 1/8-in-12-pitch roof on this project. T...
Once I know the pitch of the existing roof, I need to calculate one of the two sides that make up the dormer’s triangular wing wall. I begin with the height of the front wall, which often is driven by the window height. On this project, the homeowner wanted the dormer window to be about 3 ft. 6 in. tall. That would require a rough opening of 3 ft. ...
To figure the size of the dormer roof, I have to determine how much room I have between the top of the dormer walls and the top of the existing roof ridge. A dormer-roof ridge that comes too close to the existing main-roof ridge not only will look out of proportion but also will be much harder to flash and shingle properly. For this project, the ce...
Dormers look difficult to frame because of the angled sidewalls and all the beveled cuts they require. But you’re actually dealing with a series of triangles, so most of the calculations can be made by getting measurements for two sides of a triangle and solving for the third (the Pythagorean theorem: a² + b² = c² ). A construction calculator helps...
A doghouse dormer is a great way to open up an attic and add light to a relatively dark area, but don’t get carried away with size. If the dormer is too big, it will look out of scale with the rest of the house. The front wall of the dormer should be just large enough to fit the window (ideally, smaller than the windows on the lower levels of the h...
I can use a Speed Square or framing square to find the roof pitch, but measurements from such a small area can be misleading. To get the most accurate pitch, I measure the largest possible rise and run. On this project, I measured from the top of the roof ridge to the attic subfloor, and from the outside edge of the rafter plate to a plumb line dow...
On this project, the homeowner wanted the dormer window to be about 3 ft. 6 in. tall. That would require a rough opening of 3 ft. 71⁄2 in. to allow for window installation. I always keep the window opening at least 6 in. up from the roof to leave room for flashing, and in this case, about 6 in. down from the top plate of the front wall so that the ...
I can perform all the work up to this point, including cutting all the components for the dormer and assembling the walls, without opening the existing roof. This way, unless I have to strip off the entire roof to be reshingled, the rest of the procedure, including dry-in, takes only about four hours from start to finish. This procedure minimizes r...
If the calculations were accurate, the front wall and the two wing walls should fit each other and the existing roof without any major hitches. The dormer rafters and ridge should be carried up in pieces and assembled in place. Wing walls go up first. It takes two workers to lift the assembled walls into place. Make sure to keep the inside face of ...
A California valley is calculated and cut to sit on top of the sheathing of a roof rather than connecting directly to the underlying framing. The length of the California valley is the hypotenuse (A) of an imaginary triangle that lies flat on the existing roof (shown in blue). Just like in the previous parts of the dormer, my goal is to find this m...
Designing and Building Dormers. Whether it's a small bump-out or a full-length addition, dormers are often the easiest way to add living space to a house. When it comes to ways to expand your home without having to start from the foundation, these add-ons are an excellent option.
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Plan Details. Dormers and a covered front porch welcome all into this splendid single story house plan. The garage enjoys easy access to the pantry and laundry room. The kitchen, dining room and great room combine creating a comfortable gathering space.
