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Small Cabin Forum / Cabin Construction / Vote On My Cabin!
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rockies
Member
# Posted: 6 Dec 2013 16:49
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Hi, everyone. The floorplan for my cabin is complete, it's now a question of the appearance. The upstairs loft walls are going to be 5 feet high with a 12:12 pitch roof above that, and the lower level roofs are at a 4:12 pitch.
Which dormer should I use, the gable dormer (with a 12:12 pitch roof) or the shed dormer (with a 4:12 pitch roof)?
Vote for your favorite. Thanks
South Gable
South Gable
Section West Gable
Section West Gable
Section South Gable
Section South Gable


rockies
Member
# Posted: 6 Dec 2013 16:50
Reply 


Shed dormer
South Shed
South Shed
Section West Shed
Section West Shed
Section South Shed
Section South Shed


hattie
Member
# Posted: 6 Dec 2013 17:14
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They both look really nice. I think I would choose the gable dormer.

beachman
Member
# Posted: 6 Dec 2013 17:45
Reply 


Holy poop, it's a house! I vote fort the dormer.

PatrickH
Member
# Posted: 6 Dec 2013 20:36
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I like the shed dormer, what about centering it or adding another one? just looks a little unbalanced.

Montanagirl
Member
# Posted: 6 Dec 2013 20:54
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If snow accumulation factors in, I'd go for the gable . . .both look nice!

jaransont3
Member
# Posted: 7 Dec 2013 08:13
Reply 


I like the shed dormer. I would also suggested adding a second one on the same side for balance of design. I realize it is over the open cathedral ceiling part of the cabin, but it will add a great deal of light to that space. We did something similar with our cabin..



The dormer on the left is just over the open living room space.



BTW, we did the gable dormer because the pitch of the main roof was much lower then yours and a shed dormer roof would have been almost flat....not good in Northern MN when you can have snow like this...




Salty Craig
Member
# Posted: 7 Dec 2013 20:17
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shed

ILFE
Member
# Posted: 8 Dec 2013 12:42
Reply 


+1 Shed

rockies
Member
# Posted: 9 Dec 2013 17:25 - Edited by: rockies
Reply 


Thanks for your ideas. Here are what the south elevations would look like with the double dormers. With two dormers they have to be a little smaller so that they don't crowd out the roof, and I also realized that with the stem walls on the second floor raised to 5 feet in height that I had enough space to wrap the screen porch roof around the east side to meet the pantry roof. I don't know why I didn't think of that before. It gives me a larger covered deck, and protection from the rain and snow for the pantry door. DUH!
Don't just visit, keep on voting! Thanks.
South Elev Gable
South Elev Gable
South Elev Shed
South Elev Shed


Sambo
Member
# Posted: 9 Dec 2013 21:15 - Edited by: Sambo
Reply 


Shed if you go with only one window, gable if two. The pitch of the gable isn't symmetrical with any other roof parts, further compounded by the imbalance of only having one. As mentioned with two you have balance. A single shed doesn't look too bad. Maybe try a wider single shed window?

On the far right south shed illustration in your second post, swap that pair of windows directly to the right of the door with the one window to the left of the door. Now make the shed window the same size as the wider window that is now below it.

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 9 Dec 2013 22:01
Reply 


Shed dormer, even with 2 windows. Less likely to leak

rockies
Member
# Posted: 9 Dec 2013 22:02 - Edited by: rockies
Reply 


Hi, I guess I should of added a floorplan. The upstairs only has a loft on the right side of the cabin, so the dormer is centered on the center line of the loft (and luckily with the kitchen window below it). The dormer on the left has open space below it with the living/diningroom. The window of the left dormer is centered on the middle window inside the screen porch. The two windows to the left of the door allow a space inside for the dining table. The shed dormer pitch is the same as the lower roof pitch (4:12) and a full shed dormer across the front isn't needed for height inside.If I make the left dormer window bigger and center it over a bigger main floor window then the dormer isn't centered on the roofline anymore, and will look out of balance.

Sambo
Member
# Posted: 9 Dec 2013 22:24 - Edited by: Sambo
Reply 


Yea, after looking at it for awhile i figured that a single dormer would look less out of place if it were wider, and you could proportion that by making the window below it wider as well. Or just widen the dormer without worrying about the window below it

knock
Member
# Posted: 9 Dec 2013 23:03
Reply 


I vote double shed. I think a wide single shed may look nice also. Just my 2 cents

Sustainusfarm
Member
# Posted: 9 Dec 2013 23:18
Reply 


Shed former...less likely to leak! I love my shed dormer and it was way easier to build!

rockies
Member
# Posted: 10 Dec 2013 18:07
Reply 


Thanks everyone. I'm trying to keep a symmetrical look to the cabin, so the dormers are placed so that they are both the same distance away from the edge of the roof and also centered on the rooms and windows of the floor below. I think one large dormer spanning the entire width of the roof (or close to it) would be over-powering, especially since the ceiling height isn't needed in the middle part of the upstairs loft (the loft only covers half of the floor and the loft railing prevents you from walking from dormer to dormer)
I was amused by the reaction of "beachman" who said it's a house. The basic cabin itself is a 14 x 20 foot rectangle (280 sq'). The livingroom bumpout is 4 x 10 (40 sq') the pantry is 8 x 10 and the screen porch is 8 x 10'6". So the total square footage is only 484 sq'. The basic 14 x 20 shape is still very small for a cabin, but the cabin is designed to be added onto as you need the extra space. It might look large because of the second floor's height.

The most expensive parts to build in a cabin are the foundation and the roof, so why not raise the roof on stem walls and create as much interior height as possible while still retaining the appearance of a cabin? I chose 5 feet because I'm over 6 feet tall and I want as much room as possible without having to stoop.

ILFE
Member
# Posted: 11 Dec 2013 05:00
Reply 


I still say stick with one dormer, shed style.

soundandfurycabin
Member
# Posted: 12 Dec 2013 13:44
Reply 


I'd go with one shed dormer, though for ease of construction and a slightly steeper pitch I'd start the dormer right at the ridge.

Two dormers would be more symmetrical but not necessarily more balanced. The wider extension of the pantry helps balance the facade without being symmetrical.

An symmetrical facade looks more formal while an asymmetrical one looks more informal. For me personally, I'd go with a more informal look for a cabin.

Borrego
Member
# Posted: 13 Dec 2013 22:02
Reply 


doubleshed ... just looks right to me

beachman
Member
# Posted: 15 Dec 2013 11:28
Reply 


We put on a shed dormer off to the back of our place - has about 6+ft of clearance at the peak, and about 5ft at the windows. We chose two adjoining windows, single hung for the dormer. It lets in a lot of light and the ventilation is quite good. You should be great with the two shed dormers to balance things off. Sheds are probably easier - cheaper to build than the peak dormers and IMO look just as good.
Shed roof in progress
Shed roof in progress
Shed dormer in winter
Shed dormer in winter


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