Dormer Transformation: From tired and leaking, to new and improved!
- WestJoinery&Building
- Jun 5, 2024
- 2 min read
This problem dormer had become a serious cause for concern for the young Sheffield homeowners, allowing water into their bedroom below. Read the full story below:

Worries, concerns, and water from the ceiling.
This is when our young homeowners decided to call in the team at West Joinery & Building to take a look at the problem.
Upon inspection we discovered that the existing felt roofing was failing, and that a previous repair the first builder had installed wasn’t up to the task.
The couple gave the go ahead so we stripped off the felt roof covering.
Underneath it was easy to see where the elements had been getting in, the existing ply was warped and water damaged, and upon removal of the dirty white cladding we discovered a concerning space at the bottom-right post (See image 1).
Starting with the roof, we constructed new timberwork to alter the fall. Where previously it ran back into the house, which would direct rain towards the roof, meaning a greater chance of water ingress, we instead created a new pitch that ran forwards, directing the flow away from the roof and into the guttering system we would later install.

Now it was time for some insulation, which was seriously lacking previously.
We fitted suitable insulation board to the roof, which would make the bedroom below noticeably warmer, and taped the joints with foil insulation tape. Necessary work on the chilly hills of Sheffield.
We boarded over that with 18mm ply, which alongside adding structural stability, would provide a surface to install the roof covering on top.
Next we tackled the cheeks, first stripping the tiles to the sides of the dormer, then covering the cheeks with a breathable felt membrane, building them out in timberwork to allow for more insulation board, and dealing with the troublesome front post.
The cheeks got the same ply treatment, 12mm this time, then felt once again, in preparation for some modern anthracite grey cladding down the road.
With the help of our Roofer we installed lead soakers to channel runoff down the roof and replaced the tiles to the roof. The cladding was next, matching nicely with the slate roof.
Before we installed the fascia and guttering we had to lay the new roof covering. For this project we used Firestone Rubber cover. A hard wearing alternative roofing system that uses a specialist adhesive to provide a lasting bond for years to come.

After the finishing touches:
Our happy customers were left with a leak-free, warmer, good looking, and all-round better dormer (See below).

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