Framing A Shed Roof Dormer

Shed dormers are an efficient way to gain more space.

Framing a shed roof dormer.

After the walls ridge and common rafters are set i overlay the valley framing on top of the main roof sheathing to save from cutting a true valley. A gabled dormer on the other hand is not flat but gabled which refers to two sides coming together to form a peak. Building a 20 ft wide shed dormer doesn t take much more effort than building a 4 ft wide version. Smaller projects like adding a window dormer cost about 4 000 larger remodels like adding a bathroom dormer run about 24 000.

Framing a shed dormer is a simpler process than building a gable dormer. They also give you more bang for the buck. Shed dormers have a flat pitched roof set at a complementary angle to the existing roofline. The roofing material will need to be stripped back for this step.

There are several options for dormers including shed flat gable and hip. Recently my company was asked to build a shed dormer in the rear part of an attic to create a pair of bedrooms and to make the attic space more usable. Removing the old roof and framing the dormer was doable but as a small company that rarely uses framing subcontractors we had a couple of concerns. Whether you re expanding a cramped attic into a bedroom office or playroom if you have any carpentry experience you can accomplish this home renovation goal yourself.

If you have decided to build a shed dormer on your house to allow for extra light or extra headspace shed dormers are easier to build than gable dormers. It typically costs between 2 500 to 20 000 for professional dormer installation or about 115 per square foot. Because they can be much wider than gable dormers shed dormers can provide more headroom and therefore more usable space. If you re a little unsure of your rough framing or roofing skills hire a carpenter to help with this phase of the roof dormer project.

Building a roof dormer is an ambitious and challenging project.