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ramc_gw

Roofline question

RaMc
9 years ago

Hello,
I have a question about roof pitch for all you nice folks. We're not far enough into the process to talk to a builder - just playing with designs. The house is 64'w by 32'd and would be located a little east of Colorado Springs (think snow.) I want to have some usable space upstairs, so am assuming Room-in-Attic trusses. I've done two things with the roof that I think builders hate: I've put in dormers for the view, and changed the pitch from the ridge to the eaves to accommodate a porch (again, think snow. Note that in the picture, I had to make the porch roof completely flat, but I'm assuming it would have at least a 6/12 pitch.) Anyone know if it would it be better to make the "second floor" exterior walls slightly higher (so that the porch roof can begin higher on the house with a better pitch) and/or separate the house roof and the porch roof? I don't want to get too complicated or costly...

Comments (6)

  • shiltsy
    9 years ago

    I'm certainly no designer, but I would tell you two things:

    1. Shed dormers might look cool with that style.
    2. I would make the porch smaller... I'd hate to block out all that wonderful Colorado sunshine. No matter what the roofline, the porch will do that.

  • Oaktown
    9 years ago

    Our house massing is similar to yours, using wider shed dormers. Our main roof pitch is 11:12. Our porch and dormer pitch is 3.5:12. Our main roof terminates into the porch roof. The front balcony was a PITA to detail.

    Good luck!

  • RaMc
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Are shed dormers cheaper, I wonder?
    As for the porch...I'm actually a little worried about *too much* sun coming in those window, since it faces SW. There are no trees on that side.
    The balcony was a request of my husband's...wondering if making it not quite so deep (like only 2 or 3 feet) would help, or if we might just put a railing across the opening - we could sit inside the dormer with the doors open...not sure he'd go for that, but you never know.

  • sombreuil_mongrel
    9 years ago

    That's a stick built roof if ever I saw one. With dormer penetrations, the truss layout is interrupted and you have rafters filling in at the dormers, so why complicate it and limit yourself to the awful and inflexible regime of room trusses?
    If you stick-build, you can raise the front walls another 4 ft and get more room upstairs, and fit the 6/12 porch roof. You could just as easily make a single-pitch large roof supported by the porch columns, and make the upstairs much more roomy. IOW, main roof is brought forward to the porch line, the porch is carved out under it, the dormers are brought forward as well, and the under-roof rooms on the second floor are commensurately larger.
    Casey

  • RaMc
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Yeah....beginning to think along those lines. Raise the walls to get more room, and lose the dormers completely (only had 'em for space and the view out the windows; I like a clean roof.) My parents have a roof that comes out like that, but only 4', and we were thinking much deeper, so not sure how that would look. I need to play with the plan some more.
    But how much more expensive is a stick built roof...?

  • Naf_Naf
    9 years ago

    Maybe you can get some inspiration for the balcony - see link.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Inspiration

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