Roofs come in all shapes and sizes, but there are some that stand out from the rest. Dormers are an example of a roof type that is unique to most other roofs because they typically protrude from the ridgeline.
There are several different types of dormer roofs, each with its own specific style and purpose.
This blog post will discuss just some of these types so you can make a better decision when it comes time for your next roofing project!
An arched top dormer is the most common type of dormer roof. It’s recognizable because it resembles a gothic arch and features horizontal lines that slope from front to back.
The ridgeline goes directly through the apex in this style, which creates an opening for light or air on both sides of the building. This design is commonly used for residential roofs.
You can also find an arched top dormer in a commercial setting, such as on the Empire State Building or even at Buckingham Palace!
This style of roof is usually constructed with brick masonry and features overlapping courses that are laid in a running bond pattern.
Dormers like this have small windows in a variety of colors or even stained glass.
A brick arch provides both form and support for this type of dormer. The width between the two sides of the arched top is often greater than other styles because there’s no need to keep it balanced with another shape on the other side.
A type of Dormer Roofs often seen in residential architecture is the eyebrow dormer. The term “eyebrow” comes from a way to describe an arch that looks like eyebrows, hence why it’s also sometimes called a curved-back roof or rounded gable top.
It has two slopes with one going up and the other going down and has no visible gables.
A curved-back roof is made of overlapping courses that are laid in a running bond pattern. Dormers like this have small windows in a variety of colors or even stained glass.
A brick arch provides both form and support for this type of dormer; the width between the two sides of the arch is not always equal to the width of the gable.
Eyebrow Dormers are often seen in American colonial and other early houses with steeply pitched roofs, as they need a way for water from rain or melting snow to flow off without causing damage. The gentle slope also makes them energy efficient.
A gable is a triangular section of the wall between two slopes or pitches. The most common type of Dormer Roofs is Gabled Dormers because they provide structural stability and balance for structures with steeply pitched roofs.
The dormer’s shape can be square, rectangular, or even arched depending on its location in relation to other features of the house such as walls and chimneys.
Gable roof’s slope is generally 30 degrees from horizontal, making it very easy to build onto an existing structure without changing too much about it; this makes them perfect for adding rooms to houses that were not originally designed with them in mind. It also provides more headroom than a sloped roof would have offered.
Triangular Dormers are perfect for small spaces that need additional headroom like attics, garages, and porches.
These dormer roofs have triangular shapes with slopes of 60 degrees from horizontal, allowing them to be set at an angle on a sloped roof without compromising their structural integrity or stability.
Flared Gable Dormer roofs have a slope of 40 degrees from horizontal, but they are much wider than the standard Gable Dormer.
Drake’s Weep Dormers are for buildings with high gables and walls that need more protection; these dormers come out at angles on both sides of the roof ridge to provide additional support as well as cover for what could otherwise be an exposed wall side.
A Mansard Dormer is characterized by its sloping style made up of four slopes: two vertical and two inclined with different lengths; it also has a flat portion near the top called the pediment.
These dormers were used extensively in 18th-century French architecture because they allowed homeowners to maximize natural light inside their residences without sacrificing headroom.
Pedimented Dormer design is characterized by sloping styles with a flat portion near the top called the pediment; these dormers were used in 18th-century French architecture because they allowed homeowners to maximize natural light inside their residences without sacrificing headroom.
A Jettied Dormer, also known as Canted or Bracketed Dormers, has two side slopes that support one another and are usually fixed into the brickwork on either side of a building’s window opening so that it projects out beyond the wall line; this style became popular after 1603 when King James I decreed in his book “The Institution of Building” that “the sides shall be carried up higher than before”.
This type of dormer was commonly seen during Tudor and Jacobean times. A Canted Dormer, also known as a Jettied Dormer, has two side slopes that support one another and are usually fixed into the brickwork on either side of a building’s window opening so that it projects out beyond the wall line; this style became popular after 1603 when King James I decreed in his book “The Institution of Building” that “the sides shall be carried up higher than before”.
A Corbelled Dormer is one where each successive course projects further from the ground at an increasing angle until they meet near the top with no pediment or other covering over them to create a sloping roof surface.
These were common during 14th-century Gothic architecture but have since fallen out of favor.
Read Also:
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Shed Dormer is one of the more common roofing types to be found on British buildings and is also known as a Scissor Dormer, Two-hinged Dormer, or Cottage Roof.
It usually consists of an attic with sloping walls that are supported by two vertical side pieces called ‘rakers’.
Steep-Roof Shed Dormer is a type of Dormer Roof that has been developed to provide extra living space.
The steep-roofed dormers are often used as either an extension to the main house or for providing extra accommodation over garages, car parks, and similar outbuildings.
Hipped Dormer roofs are sometimes referred to as Hipped Dormer Roofs, Hip-roofed Shed Dormers, or Gothic Gable Dormers.
The sloping walls of the attic lean against a triangular gabled roof that rises above them at an angle and is topped with a short dormer window
Pyramidal Dormer roofs are also sometimes referred to as Pyramid Dormers, or just Shed Dormer.
The sloping walls of the attic lean against a straight-sided pyramidal roof that rises above them at an angle and is topped with two short dormer windows
The Pyramidal Dormer has historically been used on buildings where storage space is important because its shape provides more room within than other types.
Recessed Dormer roofs are also sometimes referred to as Dormer Windows or just Gable-roofed Shed Dormers.
The sloping walls of the attic lean against a triangular gabled roof that rises above them at an angle and is topped with two long dormer windows
The Recessed Dormer has historically been used on buildings where appearance matters because it creates a symmetrical facade for houses in Colonial Revival styles.
Polygonal Dormer roofs are either rectangular or square in plan with a pyramidal roof attached to one, two, three, or four sides.
The Polygonal Dormer has historically been used on buildings where appearance matters because it creates an asymmetrical facade for houses in Modern and International styles.
Polygonal Roofs may also be called Blade Roofs, Zigzag Dormers, Cantilevered Gable Ridges, or Serrated Eaves.
It is usually found as part of the Hip-roofed Bungalow style that was popular from 1900 through 1925.”
Wall Dormer roofs are attached to an exterior wall and project from the building. Wall Dormers may also be called Wall dormer gable, Curved Dormer or Barndoor Gable, or a Casement Window Garret.
Wall Dormers are usually found in rustic-style buildings like the old farmhouses from the 1800s.
The wall dormer has a steeply pitched gable roof that is set perpendicular to and extends out from an exterior facing, typically only one story high.”
Awnings, bay windows, or other additions can be built on this part of the house for additional living space such as bedrooms or laundry rooms.
The width of a Wall Dormer is measured by its distance from either side of the building’s front (or face) at right angles to it. Its height varies with whether it projects off just one room or multiple floors.”
In order for a wall dormer to work properly, there needs to be a wall on either side of it to help support the roof.
If there is only one wall, then this dormer will need exterior columns or buttresses for additional support and reinforcement.”
Bracketed or Curved Dormers are usually found in buildings that were constructed after 1800. They come with more stylistic detail due to their curved form.
These dormers have a sloping-gable roof set at an angle (typically less than 45 degrees) from the building’s front plane which helps admit light into any room behind them.”
Originally designed as purely decorative embellishments, they now serve many practical purposes such as providing shelter for porches, balconies, and patios; shading windows; increasing insulation by retaining heat in the winter and cold in summer; providing ventilation for attics.”
A Dormer can be defined as a small structure mounted on or projecting from, the upper part of a sloping roof which is designed to provide extra light or space.
It looks like an upside-down “V”. The word dormer comes from Middle English: dorter meaning ‘sleeping chamber’.”
The most common type of Dormers is Sidelight Dormers because they allow more sunlight into your house by using window openings on both sides.
These windows usually come with a transom style top that allows natural lighting to enter without obstruction while also preventing rainwater runoff onto the floor below.
