A gable window is a flat window on the flat end of the house. A dormer window is a protruding window coming out of the roof of the house. There aren’t many different types of gable windows, but there are a lot of dormer windows.
What is a gable dormer?
A gable dormer has a pitched triangular roof that extends from the original roof. It also has three walls, the front usually having a window installed in it. This is similar to a doghouse dormer.
What is the difference between a dormer and a triangle roof?
If you were to run an imaginary line between the bottom ends of each roof, it would form a triangle with the roof's peak forming the highest point on the triangle. Dormers are architectural protrusions from the sloping angle of the roof that have a window at the end of the protrusion with its own mini-roof to shed water.
Can you have a dormer in the center of a house?
You can have one in the center or multiple across the top of the house in a mirroring pattern. Note: You don’t need to mirror a dormer with another dormer. Perhaps one side of your house features a dormer, while the other has the chimney or slopes differently.
Why are dormers called Dormers?
Interestingly, the word dormer comes from dormitory. The first dormers were built to add space in the upper floor of a house to make room for live-in servants or more children than could fit in the primary bedrooms.
What Is A Gable On A Window?
A gable window sits at the end of a pitched roof on the side of the house. They have a flat surface and allow natural light to flow through the roo...
What Part Of The House Is The Gable?
A gable is a section of wall located at the end of a pitched roof, between the edges of the intersecting pitches. It is usually triangular and exte...
Whats The Difference Between A Gable And A Dormer?
The main difference between gable and dormer is that the gable is a generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a dual-pitched roof...
Why Are Gable Roofs Used?
While gable roofs need additional support against wind, they provide excellent drainage for rain and snow and are more weather resistant than flat...
Where Is The Gable On A Roof?
Gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed d...
What Is An Eyebrow Window?
Otherwise known as eyebrow dormers, eyebrow windows are most commonly found in roofs. They're small arched windows that project into the roof to al...
What is the difference between a gable and a dormer?
The main difference between Gable and Dormer is that the Gable is a generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a dual-pitched roof and Dormer is a structural element of a building.
What is a gable?
Gable noun. a gable-shaped canopy over a window or door. A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesthetic concerns.
Why do we need dormers?
Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable space in a loft and to create window openings in a roof plane. A dormer is often one of the primary elements of a loft conversion. As a prominent element of many buildings, different types of dormer have evolved to complement different styles of architecture. Wikipedia.
Do roofs have gables?
Some types of roofs do not have a gable (for example hip roofs do not). One common type of roof with gables, the gable roof, is named after its prominent gables. A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof.
What Is A Gable Window?
A gable window is a form of a casement window, which means it has a large swinging door that opens outward from the side.
Types Of Dormer Windows
Although there are many different kinds of dormers, the two most common ones are located at either end or along a sidewall.
Wrapping Up
Dormer windows are often more dramatic-looking than gable windows because they have slanted roofs that protrude from the home. For this reason, dormers offer a better choice for larger openings like doorways and larger windows.
Why are dormers built in attic rooms?
Image Credit: Peerayot/iStock/Getty Images. As architectural elements that extend out from the sloping angle of a roof, dormers are built into the roof in attic rooms; they allow additional space and light into a room that is usually confined by the steep angles of the roof.
What does the width of the house at the gable end of the house mean?
The width of the house at the gable end determines how many windows can be placed in this area, as well as its proportions in relationship to the rest of the house. Advertisement.
Why do modern homes have gable windows?
Modern home with gable windows. Image Credit: bobbidog/iStock/Getty Images. The gable window sits at the end of a pitched roof on the side of the house with a flat surface to allow natural light into the room. It doesn't require a protrusion because it is not placed into the sloping angle of the roof.
What would happen if you ran an imaginary line between the bottom ends of each roof?
If you were to run an imaginary line between the bottom ends of each roof, it would form a triangle with the roof's peak forming the highest point on the triangle. Dormers are architectural protrusions from the sloping angle of the roof that have a window at the end of the protrusion with its own mini-roof to shed water. Advertisement.
Does a dormer have a roof?
But homes with an attic conversion that features an extra bedroom or an office welcome the addition of light and extra headroom that a dormer window brings. The dormer itself has its own roof, which can be a hip, eyebrow, shed, segmental or gable roof, depending on the architectural design. Advertisement.
Is a dormer window on the gable end of a house?
It isn't on the gable end of the house, as it sits on the sloped angle of the roof, just like other dormer windows. When you have several dormer windows on the sloped angle of the roof facing the street, use the same window treatments for a cohesive look, unless they are blind or false dormers.
