This eyebrow dormer was inspired by and patterned after historic originals spotted around New England. The most challenging part of this job was the design and layout. I’ve seen eyebrows (usually the type slapped up on McMansions) that can look rather clunky, severe, or overly “pointy” with the scale altogether wrong.

I laid this out full scale on a sheet of plywood. I had a clear idea of the size sash I wanted, give or take a few inches, so a pleasing form was established based on these parameters.
I then had to determine the amount of interior space I had, where I wanted the interior opening to begin and end, and make sure I had a decent pitch to the dormer roof and all would be contained in between the eave and the ridge. Also, the opening had to be precisely located so as to allow a full course of shingles to align with the drip edge, avoiding an unsightly notch in the roofing. This worked out perfectly.

The roofing over the dormer took two full days (in 100 degree temps!) to pull off. The rough and tumble way to do it would be to lay the shingles as if in a regular valley, with the courses running straight. This would have the effect of the first few courses “dying out” or being truncated at the peak. I didn’t want this. So each course bends and turns up the secondary pitch of the dormer, remaining in a plumb line to the adjacent courses on the main roof. Every shingle was custom cut to achieve this, but the results speak for themselves.

Boasting a Mahogany true divided light sash and Copper sillwork, this custom eyebrow dormer hangs in there with the best of the originals and will stand the test of time.