Dormer Style Ideas: Shed Dormer Windows

Gable Roof with Shed Dormer

A shed dormer is a popular addition because it extends living space with height and width. A shed dormer's eave line is parallel to the eave line of the roof.

Here, the addition of a shed dormer to an attic space not only floods the once-dark room with light but also provides much-needed headroom. Painted shake cedar shingles found elsewhere on the home's exterior make the dormer addition appear original to the residence.

Shed Dormer Enhances Roofline

Prior to the addition of this shed dormer window, the home's entry blended in with the rest of this ranch home. Now, the roofline has added visual interest and the front has a focal point. The eye is drawn to the front door, and the entry and dining area benefit from additional light that enters the space through the new window, which complements the style of windows below.

Add Balance with a Shed Dormer Window

With a wide gable commanding attention on the left side of the house, a shed dormer visually balances the right side of the house while also creating room for a spacious reading nook in the guest room.

Shed Dormer Adds Visual Height

Even the coziest cottages can feel larger and taller with a shed dormer. This home's upper level once depended completely on windows located on the back of the residence for light, but now the front shines more than before thanks to the dormer addition. Similar window size and style creates a cohesive look, and white siding found on the main level is applied to the dormer for contrast with the dark roofing to draw the eye upward.

A Lesson in Proportion

Two gables on either side of this Tudor home draw notice to its wide size, but that left a boring blank roof between them. A shed dormer, strategically stacked over the dining room windows, draws the eye upward while complementing the gable windows on each side.

Dormer Window Adds Attic Light

When these homeowners decided to convert their unused attic into a guest room, they found inspiration for a shed dormer window on their detached garage. Echoing elements found elsewhere on the home or on the property creates a unified look and makes the addition appear original to the structure.

Accentuate the Roof with a Shed Dormer

A shed dormer's roof rarely extends much over the window itself, but this home exemplifies a well-executed example when heavy overhangs are in style with the rest of the house. Repeating beams found on the overhang's underside make the new window one with the home.

Create Patterns with Dormers

If lots of light is needed, triple shed dormers are a great solution. However, playing with widths and placing a skinny window between two wider windows adds a hint of the unexpected. Mixing sizes also prevents a crowded roofline.

Frame an Entry with Dormer Windows

This home's facelift not only included the addition of a gabled portico over the front door, but two dormer windows for added visual interest on the roof. Along with added charm and warmth from the exterior, these windows lighten the upper level and serve as darling bump-outs and provide extra headroom in spaces where steep rooflines once limited its use and efficiency.

Bungalow Bump-Out

Quaint as this home's size may be, the lack of space and light on the upper level made it feel cramped instead of cozy. A large shed dormer addition gave the homeowners a spacious sleeping nook in their bedroom, and also bumped up curb appeal with more visual interest around the roofline.

Maximize Attic Space

In an effort to make their newly remodeled attic space feel larger, these homeowners added stretched double shed dormers across the roof. Applying the same siding found on the rest of the house to the dormers draws the eye upward, and, in turn, makes the house look larger.

Add Dimension with Triple Dormers

To tie in with the home's Craftsman appeal, three shed dormers built to match windows below grace this once-bare roof. Aside from the added architectural interest, the details are what make these dormers so darling. A close look reveals window grids painted in the same style as those found on windows below; this creates a sharp yet warm contrast against the off-white trimwork.

Restore Balance with a Dormer

Prior to the addition of the shed dormer window, this Tudor cottage was already chock-full of charm, but the gabled roof on the left side left it looking lopsided. The new flat shed dormer adds visual interest to the right side of the roof and also lets the room take advantage of morning light.

Create a Focal Point

Windows stretching across the front of the main level let light flood the space, but the lack of windows above left rooms upstairs in the dark. For increased light in the master suite and for visual interest over the entry, a shed dormer window centered over the porch's support beams adds needed height to the home.

Dressed Up Dormer

Lush landscaping adds cozy character to this cottage's exterior, from the vines crawling over the arched doorway to overflowing window boxes gracing the upper level. Even though this new shed dormer added to the left side of the house is set back on the roofline, adding a window box to match the one found on the front of the home adds continuity and a splash of color, as well.

Dormer Window Bump Out

Although the homeowners loved the dramatic cathedral ceilings in their master suite, the steep gabled roofline minimized usable wall and floor space. To take advantage of light coming in through the existing window, a shed dormer was added nearby to make room for a reading nook.

Two Story Addition with a Shed Dormer

Initially this two-story addition was planned to add extra living space and to expand the master suite. When a sunroom was added to the renovation, the homeowners opted for a shed dormer above it for visual interest and height to break up the bare sloping roof. The dormer shed wall, flush with the exterior wall, makes it look original to the structure, and detailing on the overhang connects with touches found elsewhere on the home.

Break Up a Steep Roofline

Stunning as the roofline on the right of this Tudor-style home may be, the lack of windows and the steep incline dramatically limited usable floor space and light on the upper level. A new shed dormer window was a simple solution: Now, a cozy window seat beckons homeowners to enjoy a book in an inviting space flooded with sunshine.

Shed Dormer Lightens Up a Sunroom

With windows stretching from floor to ceiling, this darling gardenside sunroom soaks up light and lets homeowners enjoy a panoramic view of the surrounding grounds. Added dormers on two sides of the structure draw attention to the interior's tall ceilings, while unpainted cedar shake shingles contrast with the other roofing material and the painted shingles found on the exterior walls.

Draw Attention to Your Entry

From shutter-framed windows graced with window boxes to the copper detailing, a sprawling home such as this one leaves lots for the eye to admire. But the front door tucked beneath the roof's heavy overhang makes it easy to miss. A shed dormer added overhead is a subtle way to guide guests' eyes to the entry as they pull up the driveway.