What is a dormer anyway? According to wikipedia, a dormer is “a structural element of a building that protrudes from the plane of a sloping roof surface”. Perfectly clear now, right? Not so much? Picture a doghouse sitting on top of your roof – now you’ve got it! We love dormers because they pull double-duty by enhancing both the interior and exterior of your home.

From the outside, dormers can really boost curb appeal. Inside, they provide a source of light and ventilation while often increasing the amount of headroom.

Shed dormers in particular are great additions for increasing the amount of headroom inside an attic since they extend and flatten out the roof-line. As we can see, the dormer has provided plenty of room to maneuver inside this sunny attic bath.

The architect plays a key role in carefully considering the scale and proportion of any dormer addition so that it blends in perfectly with your home’s exterior. The addition of this shed dormer created usable space for the bath pictured above.

This family room addition demonstrates how the dormer has the ability to create a more interesting roof-line. Inside, the dormer beams sunlight directly into the kitchen/family room hub to create a bright and inviting living space.