Roofs aren’t a one-size-fits-all home component – they vary in functionality and design, and all roof types offer advantages and uses. Some roofs have dormers, a structure that has several benefits. Have you ever seen a roof with a dormer, or do you have one yourself? If you do have dormers on your roof, do they have gutters?
If you’re unfamiliar with dormers or you have dormers and are unsure if they need gutters, keep reading. We’ll explain what dormers are and whether they need gutters.
What are Dormers?
Dormers are structures built on a sloped roof, often containing a window and sometimes a smaller room, like a bedroom, office, or reading nook. Driving through a neighborhood with mid-size homes, you’ll likely notice many dormers on roofs, especially on homes with sloped roofs or multiple stories.
Several dormer styles exist: gable, hipped, shed, eyebrow, or segmental. Gable dormers are the most common. They’re sloped with a triangular peak, often with multiple gable dormers grouped on a roof. Hip dormers have a smooth, rounded appearance with four sides. Shed dormers are found on cape-style homes and offer homeowners more space than other dormers. Eyebrow dormers are less common and are for the sole purpose of adding architectural appeal, not to add more space. Segmental dormers have a curve and a semicircular appearance.
Like any other home component, dormers offer many pros and cons, often carefully considered by home builders and buyers. Next, we’ll explain some pros and cons of having dormers on a roof.
Dormer Pros
Dormers offer many benefits that aid in their popularity:
Add Natural Light
Adding dormers to a home with multiple stories can drastically improve natural lighting. Because they have large windows, they let in natural light in any hallway, bedroom, or attic. This reduces the need for artificial light, creating an appealing and brighter ambiance.
Additional Storage
While some dormers are non-functional, those that are functional and added to homes with attic space or a room in the house offer additional storage. Some upper floors contain bedrooms, offices, and attic spaces that can feel cramped, especially if they contain furniture or storage bins. However, adding dormers to homes with small or cramped upper levels adds additional storage and even transforms an unusable room into extra space.
Enhanced Curb Appeal
Many potential homebuyers think dormers are visually appealing, adding instant charm to a home that has them versus one without. They can break up the look of a plain roof, often making a house look even larger, giving the appearance of additional bedrooms. Their large windows are also appealing for the extra sunlight, a desirable home trait.
Improved Roof Drainage
Roofs block precipitation and outdoor elements from entering the inside of our homes. We get a lot of rain and heavy snow here in Central Ohio, and our roofs are responsible for helping rainwater and snowmelt runoff toward gutters to be carried away and dispersed away from the home’s foundation. Dormers offer better roof drainage because they prevent water or snow from collecting in certain areas, ultimately putting less stress on the roof.
Dormer Cons
Though they offer many benefits, dormers come with their own set of cons:
Some Aren’t Functional
A disadvantage to dormers is when they’re fake or nonfunctional. Some homes have fake dormers that give the appearance of extra space and sunlight, while they don’t offer additional square footage, and the windows are fake. Some homebuyers are deterred by nonfunctional dormers, often getting bummed when they realize they’re fake.
Can Be Expensive
If your home doesn’t already have dormers, they can be costly to add. They come with the price tag of hiring a professional company to install, including the cost of labor and materials. Your roof might also require additional reinforcement to support the weight of the dormer.
Increased Risk of Water Damage
Sometimes, there are mistakes during installation that put your roof at risk of leaks and water damage. You’ll need frequent inspections of your dormers to ensure no leaking or water damage.
Do Dormers Need Gutters?
A frequent question at K-Guard® Central Ohio is, “Do dormers need gutters”? They need gutters if they add extra living space and are considered another part of the home, like a shed or dormer. Because shed dormers are raised structures on a roof that add living space and have slopes and roofing material, they collect and point water downward to flow from the dormer, just like the rest of the roof. The water needs to flow into gutters; without gutters, the water that flows down from the gutters would spill over the edges of the dormer, causing damage to the roof, siding, and landscaping. However, eyebrow dormers don’t add space and don’t require gutters.
Adding gutters to shed dormers does more than prevent water damage. Your roof will stay drier and better protected, your siding will stay drier, your landscaping will be better protected from overflowing water, and they help maintain the structural integrity of the dormers. Though shed dormers should have gutters installed, the type of gutter you install matters, and you should choose a quality gutter system like K-Guard® Gutters to maximize protection from water damage.
Protect Your Dormers by Installing K-Guard®
If you have shed dormers, consider gutter installation with K-Guard® Gutters. It’s a complete system with multiple components working together to collect and drain water away from the home and dormer. The system includes a curved hood and gutter covers that keep debris out of the gutters and downspouts. That means no more seasonal gutter maintenance, giving you precious time back you’d be spending cleaning traditional half-round gutters.
K-Guard® Gutters are best for Ohio homes for many reasons: they last much longer than other gutter systems (for the life of the home), are so durable that they withstand all severe weather, including snowstorms and ice storms, add curb appeal with their beautiful and seamless appearance, and come with multiple transferable life warranties.
Unlike other gutter systems, K-Guard® Gutter Guards are made from heavy-duty aluminum that will never dent, chip, sag, or tear away from the home, regardless of the severity of the weather. Our gutters are seamless, with no bolts and screws tying each piece together, eliminating leaky gutters. Our gutter product is a complete system with multiple components that work together to prevent clogs and keep water moving freely through the system quickly. Plus, our downspouts are oversized to ensure they drain large amounts of water from a roof.
Another great advantage to installing K-Guard® is that it lasts a lifetime, with a transferable lifetime warranty that protects your investment. We promise our gutter covers and guards will never fade, chip, clog, or require gutter repair or cleaning, and our installation will never void your roof’s warranty. We’ll ensure the pitch and downspout placements are correct with our gutter installation and that there are enough downspouts, avoiding common gutter installation mistakes.
Contact our team today if you’re unsure whether your dormers need gutters. We’re happy to schedule a free estimate, provide a detailed analysis of your current gutter system, and offer a quote for installing our K-Guard® Gutters!