On February 1, 2005, stuff became real!
There is something disconcerting about seeing a hole cut in the roof. The contractor kept the hole as small as possible until he was able to complete much of the exterior. After he had a weather-tight structure tied into the existing roof he cut back the old rafters and roofing material. The exterior of the dormer is sheathed with plywood and was later clad with vinyl siding.
The front wall had to be set back in order to accommodate the air conditioning duct. The duct work had to be re-conjiggered with a couple of bends to snake around the dormer, but there was no noticeable loss of air flow and cooling power.
The 2×6 walls are supported by the floor joists. The roof and ceiling heights were kept high so the dormer ceiling is level with the bedroom ceiling. Thus the floor space gained is much more versatile and the result is a much greater increase in the volume of the room.
The window is a double casement, which has a higher R-value than sliders. Plus casement windows do an amazing job of catching the breeze when they are open.
The space created by the dormer is wide enough to allow either the length of any bed, or the width of a queen size bed plus night stand, depending on how we orient the furniture. Actually, the options the dormer opens up to us are practically limitless. This can also serve well as a study area. The window also provides a nice view of the property across the street which is much larger than ours with a lot of mature trees.
The dormer was built and insulated in February 2005. Electrical for the attic was roughed over the next few months.
The Attic Renovation
- Attic Tour
- Installing collar ties
- Removing the chimney
- Adding the dormer
- Insulation
- Wiring for the future
- Diary of the Attic Renovation Phase 1
- Lighting and heating
- The finished product