Dormer or Velux windows?

[Basicallytired]

Dormers look okay with terrace house but ugly otherwise in my humble opinion.

We want to convert the loft in our semi but I do not want a big box sticking out and ruining the aesthetics of the roof. Does anyone have Velux windows conversion? Are you happy with the space compared to the space you would get with a dormer?

What are the plus points of having a dormer?

Dormer. More head room and you can open the windows without letting rain or light in.

No point spending money on a loft conversion if you're not going to create a comfortable room just for the sake of what it looks like from the outside.

I know what you mean they aren't always attractive. In our last house we had a large dormer with a 1600 x 1600 picture window and though you could never say it was beautiful to look it wasn't ugly and I spent much more time inside it than looking at it and practically it made much more sense to us.

The plus points were...

1. We could put the stairs over the top of the existing staircase, we wouldn't have been able to otherwise because of building regs.
2. It enabled us to fit an en-suite in with a seperate shower and a bath.
3. We had a large window which meant we had a nice view over the garden and on to some green belt land behind us.
4. The windows at the back helped with ventilation and getting a through draft.
5. The bedroom had really good head height across the whole of it, you didn't have to duck anywhere or risk banging your head when you were getting in and out of bed.

I think a lot would depend on the size of your loft and what you want to do with the new space but it significantly increased the usability of ours.

If you really don't like them could you maybe do something with two smaller dormers even rather than a big box? Something more traditional in style perhaps?

Our loft room extension which was done 25 years ago just had Velux windows and it led to a total compromise of the space, with alternate tread stairs and a bathroom with no room for a shower. I wish they'd have put a dormer in as fixing it so that those things can be done properly would mean doing the whole loft conversion all over again. I know dormers look ugly from the outside but put it at the back and you won't even think about it.

I'm sitting in an attic dormer room now - if it had a velux window instead I would only be able to see the sky by looking up instead of being able to see the garden and trees to the side of my desk.

The two smaller dormers is a good idea. I’ve seen some on Pinterest just now and aesthetically they blend nicely with roof.

I appreciate it is about using the space indoor and maybe few people care about what it looks like. Unfortunately I find most of them unsightly and they seem to ruin the 1930s architecture of the semis. I want value for money so I can see the sense of the dormer.

We have Velux and they dont help with the space issues in a sloping roof. Also they are very prone to bird poo and are noisy when it rains

We have two bathrooms in the house plus a downstairs toilet so don’t need a 3rd (I think). It is a 4 bedroom house at the moment. The conversion would be for more office space and getting away from it all space.

Yes, they're mostly unattractive from the outside and I too would care about that, but I would just choose the least unattractive option and appreciate the internal benefits. Life's a compromise.

What about something like this?

www.roofingsuperstore.co.uk/product/velux-ebw-mk06-2032bk-dormer-solution-78cm-x-118cm.html

Wow @NachoNachoMan that looks fantastic.

[quote NachoNachoMan]What about something like this?

www.roofingsuperstore.co.uk/product/velux-ebw-mk06-2032bk-dormer-solution-78cm-x-118cm.html[/quote]
I'm glad I stumbled upon this thread. That velux dormer looks fab!

Hey! Just wondering if you’ve gone ahead and had the Velux loft conversion instead of the former? We’re in the same Position as you and would love to know how you’ve got on... thank you :)