Dormer on side of this bungalow?
camandann
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Hi, we have put an offer in for this house. We would probably add a bathroom to the attic, and I think the best thing to do would be to add a dormer off to the right side of the house (as you face it). If we did a dormer two-thirds the way back, would that be ok? What type of dormer (shed or gable) would be consistent with the house's style? Thanks!
(I can't get my camera to transmit the photo but here's a photo of the house from streetview)
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8 years agoklem1
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Ideas for improving my bungalow's front/side yard? (pics!)
Comments (14)KarinL, you've given me tons to think about. Here are some thoughts in response to parts of it: Your questions about how I want to move through and be in the space are well taken. I'd add another consideration, though, which is how the house speaks to the street. I'd like it to say: "this bit is my yard, but please do come in! Because of the walk, the porch steps, and the deep front porch, the way in for visitors - and the way I'll walk in and where I'll put down groceries - are very well defined. Here are a couple of pics that show more of the front yard: Because of the way the holly tree (which I love) sits on the west side of the front yard, there's a real imbalance between very strong and rectilinear visuals on the west side and open and scraggly boundaries on the east, the more so with with fence coming down on the east side. I'm cool with the openness on the east and the more closed, divided feeling on the west, because I love my east-side neighbors and not so much the west-side one! That said, I do feel like there's a need for some visual interest and definition at the property line on the east side - something just a little sheltering to reach out from the side of the house towards the sidewalk and embrace visitors without overwhelming them. Which leads to your next point about... Planting along boundaries: The caveat against the beginner's mistake makes sense to me, because of course in interiors the comparable mistake is to line up everything absolutely straight against the walls. In this case, though, having lived in the house only a short time, I can clearly see the need for some definition along the property line but don't yet fully know how I'll want to move in the space. Since whatever goes along the side and back of the yard will be visible over whatever eventually goes in the middle, is there any harm in planting shrubs near the outside edges of the space and making decisions about the middle in a future season? On the hedgy stuff in front of the porch, I do have some useful info, and I think you're right that most of it has to go. There are several different things going on there. The low thing out in front that's trimmed like a hedge is a group of azaleas! Now, I like azaleas, but these flower in the worst possible shade of magenta for all the other color that's going on here. The largest thing is a red-tip photinia and most unfortunately it's falling victim to that leaf spot disease. Poking up between the azaleas and the photinia are a couple of very happy rhododendrons, which could stay and become part of a new grouping. I'd love to look out over something pretty when I sit on the front porch, but I don't need something that screens the porch as much as the current ailing photinia does....See MoreBathroom addition and layout for 1924 bungalow
Comments (12)Desertsteph, that's an interesting idea about a second door directly from the master bedroom. One hangup might be the fact that our upstairs only has a seven foot ceiling height throughout (very standard for our vintage bungalow). Right where the back wall of the unfinished bedroom is it starts sloping down into the attic space. I don't think we would have the headspace for a door on the east side of the new gable, and we would have to widen the gable quite a bit to put a door where the attic door is planned and have it enter the bathroom. But I'll look at a carefully and make sure there isn't a way to squeeze it in. The changing tables say they are 37" tall, but I think that's to the top of the (removeable) rails, so the actual top may be 34" or 35". KMCG, I hadn't thought of kitchen cabinets as vanities. They are certainly easier to find used or discounted than bath vanities. Great price on the pieces you found! I'll keep my eyes out if we decide on a large single vanity or the changing tables don't work out. Hollysprings, I respect your ability to think outside the box. However, we really like our house as it is, other than the bathroom situation. It will only take a few LVL beams to support the gable on the loadbearing walls below; cantilevering adds nothing but a little length to those beams. I can't see how a much larger shed roof dormer would cost less or be simpler. Maybe I'm not understanding the situation, but it seems as though reframing the entire back side of the house, reroofing, exterior sheathing and siding, subfloor and flooring, all would be significantly more in quantity than what we are currently planning....See Morekneewall/dormer insulation retrofit: need expert advice
Comments (9)You are on the right track in determining where to locate your thermal barrier. if you didn't want to use these spaces you would insulate and seal the knee walls and floor (sorry..a & c )and make that the thermal barrier. Since you want to use the floor space then you have to move the thermal barrier to the roofline. I can see that you would need to insulate c..and think that this has to do with some of the comfort issues. that you can not access c makes it more of an issue. Even if you used spray foam insulation @ R-7 per inch you would still need 7" to achieve R-49. Do you have framing that will allow that? The benefit to spray foam is that there will be no air movement, and less will perform better than the full amount of fiber glass batts..follow me? So possibly you could get away with less than 7". I would take up sections of the floor and see what you have to work with. You could cut out sections and replace it with same size plywood. Then you would know how to proceed from there. Have you thought about products for diy like tiger foam? I've seen 2 part mixes for sale online. for approx 150 sq ft one set should do you. The benefit to foams is that they eliminate air movement. Most insulation does not preform due to air movement through the insulation. There are climate specific issues with vapor barriers for cold climates that I am not well versed in, it would be for others with that background to help out with. I'm curious about the fiberglass batts on the roofline. We don't do that here.. And the 5" gap..can you see the underside of the roof decking? Is the insulation dirty on either side of this gap? And one last thing..you could make an attic hatch to take a peek at the attic space above the rooms. Start with the cutting of the floor in those attic spaces and graduate up! Best of luck. You seem determined to get this right, and there are some very knowledgeable people here....See MoreWhere to put the dormer(s)? Anyone with PhotoShop skills?
Comments (15)I agree and so does DH, the shed looks best. Thanks to robo for the mock up! Eld6161, my boys' room has one small porthole-style octogon window. I think it's because my second floor probably originally had only two very large bedrooms upstairs. At some point, a previous owner added a wall between one if the rooms to make a third bedroom upstairs. As a result my DD's room on the back dormer has two big windows and no windows in the front room which is the boys....See Morecamandann
8 years agoklem1
8 years agoUser
8 years agoIf the interior ridge height is only 7 ft high, a shed dormer roof starting at the ridge would need to slope up rather than down which might require a structural ridge beam and might not look right on this style house.
rwiegand
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoI think I'd want help from an architect on this one. You have a great looking house currently and it would be pretty easy to badly mess it up. You might be looking at something like doing a cross gable that is considerably higher than the existing ridge. That could completely change the character of the house. You may want to look for pictures of both original and remodeled bungalows where a second floor expansion was done successfully.
Adding what I think of as a "pop-up" can be done successfully, but it takes real skill to pull off. Here is an OK example:
geoffrey_b
8 years agoUser
8 years agogeoffrey_b
8 years agoklem1
8 years agorwiegand
8 years ago
PROSombreuil
8 years agoklem1
8 years ago
aptosca
8 years agopowermuffin
8 years ago
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