I have been working on a small house frame-- 16'6" X 32' which is 1 1/2 stories--12'4" to top of the plate. There are six sets of rafters @ 6" x 8" with 4"x6" purlins and a 12/12 pitch. It is a 3 bay design--12', 8', 12'. My orginal design did not call for dormers but my wife (new--the design predates the marriage) would like to add some. I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about framing this vis-a-vis panels. Thanks.

The panel dormers are a good way to cut down on significant labor for a small area, and the volume of the dormer is greater sans framing. A nice compromise is to simply frame the dormer gable and fill in with panels. Good plan by the way, design first, marry after, you may have saved the marriage!

Paul, Thank you for the response. I am going to frame the dormers and fill in around them. You are probably right about the design, vis-a-vis the marriage.

Hey guys,

Could you offer more detail on how you plan to frame your dormers with just panels? I'm in the design phase of my 3 gable dormers and am using panels for the main roof. From what I gather, it sounds like you are saying to frame the gable with wood and then use ONLY panels to build back to the main roof. Perhaps a ridge board to attache the dormers roof panels?

I'm doing a timber rafter system: common tapered rafters (6x6 at eve to 4x6 at peak) @ 32" oc with open pegged M&T at ridge.

To save labor time (winter is coming...) i had planned to build the dormers as stick frame structures.

Thanks,
Shaun

if your dormer is flush to the eave wall panels, then they simply extend the wall panels up into the gable of your dormer. Then the dormer cheeks and roof panels extend back and over the roof panels. Alternatively for "dog house" dormers that sit on a pair of rafters I have heard they can be preassembled, and flown over and down over the precut hole in the panel roof. Seems to me an enterprising panel manufacturer could market premade dog house dormers out of panel scraps if they put their minds to it!