How dormers are mounted on the roof

Dormer windows can harmoniously complement the roof of a house of any configuration. Such structures are equipped on gable, attic, single-pitched, hip, broken roofs. Dormer windows perform several functions in the roof structure.

History of dormer windows

For the first time dormers on the roofs of houses appeared in the early Renaissance. Noble people in those days built houses and castles for themselves, on the roofs of which there were ventilation windows of various exquisite and unusual shapes. These could be structures with gabled high roofs, stucco, small columns, decorated with frescoes and sculptures.

In Russia, dormer windows on the roofs of houses began to be made only after the victory over Napoleon. To meet the returning troops, the emperor ordered the construction of a large building in the capital - the Manege. The construction of the building was completed in the autumn, when it was damp in Moscow. To dry the walls, temporary stoves were placed inside the Manege.

Due to the heat generated by the stoves, the roof truss boards began to warp in the building. The head of one of the Moscow carpentry artels, by the name of Rumors, undertook to rectify the situation. Workers made ventilation windows in the form of pretty houses on the roof of the Manege. And after a while the beams and rafters of the roof straightened out.

Since then, ventilation windows on the roofs of houses in Russia began to be built everywhere. At first they were called slukhovskie. But gradually the name was transformed into a more familiar one - auditory.

Functions: what are they for?

Due to the air rising from the living quarters, a lot of moisture always accumulates in the attic of the house. As a result, the elements of the truss system begin to deform and rot. The arrangement of dormer windows helps to establish natural ventilation in the attic. Also, such structures are performed on the roof:

• aesthetic function - without dormer windows, the roofs look ordinary, and sometimes unfinished;
• function of additional natural lighting.

Many types of dormer windows also allow for a wider view of the street in the attic. That is why such structures are often also called viewing. Dormer windows can also be useful if roof repairs are needed. Through them you can safely get to the roof.

Types of dormer windows

There are many types of dormer windows. But five of them are considered the most popular.

Dormer

Such windows protrude beyond the roof and are the most popular and widespread type of ventilation structures. Most often, dormers are settled on the slope of a gable roof or hip hip. The advantage of such windows is that they, although slightly, increase the attic space.

Lucarna

Lucarna is one of the varieties of dormer. The difference lies in the fact that the front pillars in such structures rest on the wall of the house. The pediment of the window itself is in the same vertical plane with the facade of the building.

Antidormer

Windows of this variety are a "niche" in the roof slope with a vertical wall in the form of a window. Mounting such structures with your own hands is easier than dormers. However, this type of dormers has serious drawbacks that make them less popular than other varieties.

During the arrangement, antidormers must be carefully waterproofed. After all, a lot of water will accumulate in a niche during rain.

The biggest disadvantage of antidormers is that they take up part of the attic space. Acoustic structures of this type are equipped most often only on the lower slopes of gable roofs.

Skylights

Skylights are a modern invention that has earned great popularity among the owners of country houses. Such windows are simply built into the roof slope between the rafters and are arranged obliquely.

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Equip windows of this type most often in houses of modern architectural styles. Also, such structures are mounted in the attic, in the event that a maximum of natural light is required here. The advantages of skylights include ease of installation.

Today you can also buy ready-made roof windows. Such designs are insulated sealed double-glazed windows in a frame. Purchased dormer windows are usually 80 cm in size. That is, the dimensions of the structures are equal to the standard pitch between the rafters, which facilitates their installation on the roof.

Gable windows

This is the simplest type of dormer windows, equipped only on the gables of gable roofs. Such windows can look quite beautiful and perform the function of ventilation well. At the same time, I mount them in the same way as ordinary windows, that is, directly in the pediment in the frame.

Form of dormer windows on the roof: description, photo

The dormers installed on the roofs can also differ in configuration.

Cuckoo

The most popular type of dormer window, as in the days of the construction of the Manege, today are gable "houses", popularly called cuckoo. Such designs look quite aesthetically pleasing and at the same time are not too difficult to install.

triangular

Such windows are a simplified version of the cuckoo. In this case, a structure with slopes, but without side walls, is arranged on the roof.

Shed

These dormer windows have a flat roof.At the same time, it has a slope slightly less than the slope. Racks are installed in the front plane at a height difference. Shed dormer windows are easier to install than cuckoo windows. But at the same time, they look less aesthetically pleasing on the roof.

Hip

Such windows, as the name suggests, have hipped roofs. They settle down on hip roofs.

Arched

This is a beautiful and unusual type of dormer window, in which the roof is arched. Usually only professionals mount such structures and their device is complex.

Bat or bull's eye

The bat is the most spectacular type of dormer with sharp ends and an arched roof. To make such a structure on the roof, you need to be fluent in carpentry. Windows of this type are equipped only in designer buildings.

Frame device: how to make a dormer window on the roof

The project of the dormer window is usually drawn up simultaneously with the project of the truss system of the house. The technology for assembling the frame structure depends on its shape and variety.

The frame of the dormer window on the hip of the hip roof

Such a dormer window can be equipped, for example, like this:

• bars are stuffed on the rafters in one plane - in this way a horizontal support is arranged;
• the triangle of the front plane of the window is knocked down;
• the top of the triangle is cut off;
• the window is installed on the bars under the ridge board protruding forward;
• the ridge is connected to the trimmed top of the truss with nails.

Andrew, carpenter:

“A window on a triangular truss on a roof hip can be considered quite reliable.But in those regions where a lot of snow falls, it is desirable to additionally strengthen the frame with a jib.

The frame of the cuckoo dormer window on the slope of the gable roof

The frame of popular cuckoos is equipped using the following technology:

• on two adjacent rafters at the same level horizontally, two vertical racks of the same length are stuffed;
• racks are connected to each other by a horizontal jumper;
• each rack is connected by a cross member to the rafters at the top;
• a small rafter system of trusses on the window is being equipped.

sheathing

After assembling the frame, a dormer window of any configuration:

• waterproofed;
• insulated;
• sheathed with roofing material.

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The joints between the roofing sheets of the slopes of the roof itself and the walls of the window are closed with abutment strips for sealing. Next, the pediment is sheathed, in which a ventilation opening with a grate is equipped.

Helpful Hints

When drawing up drawings and assembling dormer windows on the roofs of high-rise buildings, it is necessary to comply with certain standards. For private houses, it is not necessary to comply with the requirements of GOST and SNiP for the arrangement of such structures. But it's still worth taking them into account.

GOSTs

It is believed that:

• the dormer window should not be located closer than 1 m to the overhang, the ridge, the last trusses of the truss system - by violating this rule, you can weaken the roof;
• the distance between adjacent dormer windows should be at least 80 cm - a violation will cause snow to accumulate between the houses in winter.

How many windows to make in the attic

According to GOST, the area of ​​​​all dormer windows in the attic roof should be at least 14% of the floor area.Only in this case it is possible to achieve good attic lighting. But at the same time, the area of ​​\u200b\u200bwindows should not be more than half the floor area.

Dormer windows are an important structural element of the roof of a house. It is not worth neglecting their arrangement, although they make the roof more expensive. Without such structures, the life of the roof will be significantly reduced.

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