Minimum Roof Pitch For Dormers

Dormers are wonderful spots for a reading nook kids play area dressing area and other uses where extra light is a bonus.

Minimum roof pitch for dormers.

A shallow pitch cannot sustain a dormer window simply because the interior space makes a dormer window impossible. These are the windows that seem to stick out from the face of a roof. If the dormer is built above living space rather than over an attic or if you re converting attic space to living space then it provides much needed natural light. A shed dormer on the other hand is usually had on homes with a roof pitch of at least 8 in 12 or steeper.

Roof dormers add light. Minimum roof pitch the minimum pitch for a roof is 1 4 12 which translates to 1 4 inch rise to 12 inches of run. You should have at least an 8 12 pitch for it to look as if it belongs. You need to have a roof pitch that gives you at least the height of a window and then some.

Pitched roofs can also be used to incorporate roof lights angled in a specific direction or dormer windows. This type of dormer needs a roof pitch shallower than that of the original. That pitch is too shallow to hold the shape of the dormer. The loft space would be much larger with a roof pitch of 45 degrees.

Having a steeper pitched roof allows for more space in a shed loft.