Dormer Problems

[bkearney14]

I am trying to place the center of a dormer at the location where the porch roof joins the main roof. Every time I try I get the same error. Any suggestions? See Picture.



Would like the end result to be similar to this, where the dormers sits half between the main roof and front porch roof.



Dormers are tricky

HD PRO 14'

[Miranda]

I'm new here, so I will defer to others who know better, but...The tricky part is the roof. Once that is right the dormer will go in easily. Is the dormer too big for the roof height? Sometimes it helps to set your dormer defaults very small (height and Width) so it fits almost anywhere, then you can at least get it on the roof to troubleshoot. I see too other potential problems:

1) In the green roof model, the front of the dormer appears to sit in FRONT of the supporting wall below it, is that an optical illusion? If it IS that way I think you will need to draw a bumpout on the second floor to accomodate it.

2) In your plan, it appears that the porch roof plane sits on top of and overlaps the main roof plane, rather than meeting and intersecting with it. I could see that causing problems. CA is trying to place the dormer entirely within the selected roof plane (the porch) which will not accomodate it.

You should probably redraw the roof planes so they intersect properly without the overlap, but I still don't know if an auto dormer can cut through two different roof planes. The other thing I'd try is making it a gullwing roof in the front before inserting the dormer.

[Miranda]

I played around with dormers in a gullwing roof, that didn't help. It is still technically two separate roof planes and the auto dormer can only go into one of them. The lower plane is too small to accomodate a dormer and the upper plane will keep the dormer above the bend in the roof. Hopefully someone else knows how to do this.....

[bkearney14]

I also tried to build the dormer manually, it works fine until I join the main roof planes. At that time it cuts the exterior walls off where the main roof planes intersect instead of continuing it on to the lower porch roof. Perhaps the program won't let you put a dormer in two roof planes? See Pic.

[David J. Potter]

Try moving the main roof plane where you want to place dormers "UP" a level to the "Attic" in terms of plan view, then try placing your dormers. This is a good idea in terms of an absence of possible interfering walls on the first floor.
The first consideration is how your "Dormer Defaults" are set up, in that if the default geometry is "wrong" for where you are trying to place a dormer they they do not "place" at all (make sure the defaults are set so the dormer will fit into the intended space).

DJP