A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. [1] A dormer window (also called dormer) is a form of roof window.
Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable space in a loft and to create window openings in a roof plane. [2] A dormer is often one of the primary elements of a loft conversion. As a prominent element of many buildings, different types of dormer have evolved to complement different styles of architecture. When the structure appears on the spires of churches and cathedrals, it is usually referred to as a lucarne.
The word dormer is derived from the Middle French dormeor, meaning "sleeping room", [3] as dormer windows often provided light and space to attic-level bedrooms. [2]
One of the earliest uses of dormers was in the form of lucarnes, slender dormers which provided ventilation to the spires of English Gothic churches and cathedrals. An early example are the lucarnes of the spire of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. Dormer windows have been used in domestic architecture in Britain since the 16th century. [4]
Dormer windows were popularised by French architect François Mansart, who used dormers extensively in the mansard roofs he designed for 17th-century Paris[ citation needed ].
Today dormers are a widespread feature of pitched roof buildings.[ citation needed ]
This section needs additional citations for verification .(July 2021) |
Some of the different types of dormer are:
The examples and perspective in this section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject.(October 2013) |
In some localities, permission must be sought for construction of dormers and other features. In England and Wales, the General Permitted Development Order states classes of development for which such planning permission is not required. [12] Such rights are only applicable outside conservation areas, national parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty or The Broads. [12] Dormers may introduce imbalance in the street scene and be seen as inappropriate within the local setting of streets and buildings. [13]
In Vancouver, there are regulations for laneway houses stating the minimum setback of the face of the dormer from the wall below, with exceptions. This is to prevent overshadowing neighbouring yards. [14]
Dormers are popular in Ulster, [15] and commonly used to create extra space when a loft is converted into a habitable room. [16]
A roof is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of temperature, and wind. A roof is part of the building envelope.
A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is single-storey, and may be surrounded by wide verandas.
A mansard or mansard roof is a multi-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper, and often punctured by dormer windows. The steep roofline and windows allow for additional floors of habitable space, and reduce the overall height of the roof for a given number of habitable storeys. The upper slope of the roof may not be visible from street level when viewed from close proximity to the building.
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesthetic concerns. The term gable wall or gable end more commonly refers to the entire wall, including the gable and the wall below it. Some types of roof do not have a gable. One common type of roof with gables, the 'gable roof', is named after its prominent gables.
In general architecture a lucarne is a dormer window. The term is borrowed from French: lucarne, which refers to a dormer window, usually one set into the middle of a roof although it can also apply to a façade lucarne, where the gable of the lucarne is aligned with the face of the wall. This general meaning is also preserved in British use, particularly for small windows into unoccupied attic or spire spaces. Nikolaus Pevsner described it as "a small gabled opening in a roof or a spire".
This page is a glossary of architecture.
A loft conversion or an attic conversion is the process of transforming an empty attic space or loft into a functional room, typically used as a bedroom, office space, a gym, or storage space. Loft conversions are one of the most popular forms of home improvement in the United Kingdom as a result of their numerous perceived benefits.
The George Cobb House is a historic house located at 24 William Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. Built about 1875, it is a well-preserved and little-altered example of late Gothic Revival architecture. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 1980.
The house at 356 Albany Avenue in Kingston, New York, United States is a frame house built near the end of the 19th century. It is in the Queen Anne architectural style.
The Unity Ranger Station is a United States Forest Service compound consisting of five buildings and a lookout tower in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest of northeastern Oregon. It was previously the administrative headquarters for the Unity Ranger District. It is located in the small unincorporated community of Unity, Oregon. The historic structures were built in the rustic style by the Civilian Conservation Corps between 1936 and 1938. Today, the ranger station is only used during the summer months to house Forest Service fire crews. The ranger station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The H.R. Stevens House is located on Congers Road in the New City section of the Town of Clarkstown, New York, United States. It is a stone house dating to the late 18th century. In the early 19th century, it was expanded with some wood frame upper stories added later. The interior was also renovated over the course of the century.
The North Grove Street Historic District is located along the north end of that street in Tarrytown, New York, United States. It consists of five mid-19th century residences, on both sides of the street, and a carriage barn. In 1979 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Dixon–Markle House is located at the corner of East Cooper Avenue and South Aspen Street in Aspen, Colorado, United States. It is a wood frame house erected in the 1880s. In 1987 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places along with other properties in the city.
Jackson Park Town Site Addition Brick Row is a group of three historic houses and two frame garages located on the west side of the 300 block of South Third Street in Lander, Wyoming. Two of the homes were built in 1917, and the third in 1919. The properties were added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 27, 2003.
A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus, a hipped roof has no gables or other vertical sides to the roof.
The George Cheever Farm is a historic farmstead at the corner of Nelson and Tolman Pond Roads in Harrisville, New Hampshire. This 1½-story wood-frame house was built in the early 1860s, and is a well-preserved example of a period farmhouse. It is architecturally distinctive because of a rear saltbox style addition, and its shed-roof dormers. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
The Hills House is a historic house museum at 211 Derry Road in Hudson, New Hampshire. Built in 1890 as a summer country house by a local philanthropist, it is an excellent local example of Shingle style architecture. The house is now used by the local historical society as a museum and meeting space. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Nappanee Eastside Historic District is a national historic district located at Nappanee, Elkhart County, Indiana. The district encompasses 138 contributing buildings in a predominantly residential section of Nappanee. It was developed between about 1880 and 1940, and includes notable examples of Italianate, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and Prairie School style architecture. Located in the district are the separately listed Frank and Katharine Coppes House and Arthur Miller House.
dormer shed flat gable.