How difficult is it to raise a gable roof?

11 years ago

I have an attic over our 1950's addition on our farmhouse...and I'm wondering how difficult it would be to raise the roof. It's a gable and I'd like to make it a little taller and install a shed dormer on one side, for added light.

Not that I'd do this myself...and I will talk to some professionals, but just so I don't look like a complete idiot, is this possible? Is it really expensive? Chances are the roof will need extensive work anyway, due to water damage. It was not really installed properly and is leaking at the area where it meets the taller roofline (original house).

Here's a picture (it's the gable on the right...sorry I don't have a better view) and thanks for any ideas/suggestions you might have. Again, just looking for input so I don't look like a complete idiot, when I talk to the contractors :)
{{gwi:1464019}}From Farmhouse pictures

Comments (4)

User
11 years ago
There is no "raising" the roof. You remove the roof completely and start over. It's easier than it sounds if you have a crew. However, if you want living space up there, you may want to add a knee wall in addition to raising the pitch of the roof itself. The required insulation levels will take quite a bit of room in your area of the country and that eats into the legal height requirement pretty quickly. You also need to assess the weight bearing capacity of the ceiling joists below which will now become your floor joists. They may need to be reinforced to carry a live load.
Circus Peanut
11 years ago
As a consolation, if the roof is in the same condition as it shows in the photo, you are probably going to have to remove it completely and start over anyways, so raising it/redesigning it might not be as expensive as it that were the only thing you were doing.

Bet that didn't help at all, did it! lol
brickeyee
11 years ago
Remove and replace.

There is no chance that the roof was built as a solid structure that can be "raised."
lavender_lass
Original Author
11 years ago
Brickeyee and Circuspeanut- Actually, that helps a lot! I want to replace the roof and some others (not to be named LOL) think it can be repaired. If it has to go anyway, I'd like it a little taller.

Hollysprings- Good idea about the knee wall...I think that's a lot of the problem.

I don't want 'bedroom space' as such...just a taller attic. It's got a lot of charm, believe it or not, just too short for me at 5'10"...and it needs a bit more light! I think it would make a great sewing room or study...and we need some kind of roof, over the kitchen.

There isn't much of an upstairs. Just this attic area and one big bedroom (windows on each end) over the main part of the house. We'll be replacing the windows with some newer and a bit smaller, but it does allow a nice cross breeze in the evening. It always cools down to 55 degrees, even when it's 100 during the day!

In the summer, the attic/upstairs gets pretty warm during the day...but it keeps the downstairs nice and cool. Rather than try to keep the attic cool all summer, I like the idea of a nieces/nephews bunk room in the big room (with the cross breeze) and a sewing room in the attic. Since I don't sew in the summer (too busy gardening) the heat won't matter...and it's nice and cozy in the winter :)