Cat Slide Dormers in Ayrshire
From the first measured survey to the completion certificate, we run cat slide dormers projects in Ayrshire as a single, managed piece of work.
Cat Slide Dormers — indicative geometry
Cat Slide Dormers for Ayrshire homes
Most of the dormer work we take on around Ayrshire is on Victorian and Edwardian terraces, interwar semi-detached houses and post-war bungalows, where the ridge height and the position of the existing purlins set the limits.
A cat slide (or 'sweeping') dormer lets the main roof plane run on below the dormer sill, so the dormer appears to emerge from the roof rather than to be planted on it. It is a rural and cottage idiom, and it works beautifully on long, low roofs where a box dormer would look brutal. Detailing at the sill and the sweeping valley is the whole job.
Key specification
| Typical width | 1.2m – 3.0m |
|---|---|
| Sweep | Main roof continues below sill line |
| Roof finish | Plain tile, slate or pantile |
| Critical detail | Swept valley and sill flashing |
Planning and building control in Ayrshire
Rear dormers on houses often sit inside permitted development, but the volume allowance is consumed by any previous loft or rear extension — so we check the planning history for the address before we say yes.
Building regulations approval is separate and always required. We submit the application, book the inspections around the programme and hand you the completion certificate at the end — the document a buyer's surveyor will ask to see.
Why homeowners in Ayrshire use us
We would rather tell you at survey that your ridge height will not take what you want than take a deposit and find out in week three.
Book the survey, get the fixed written price, and decide in your own time. Nothing about that process commits you to anything.
Other dormer work in Ayrshire
FAQs
Cat Slide Dormers in Ayrshire — FAQs
Can you build a dormer on a bungalow?
Usually yes, and bungalows often give the best results because the spans are wide and there are no party walls. The deciding factor is ridge height: you generally want at least 2.6m from the top of the ceiling joists to the underside of the ridge. We measure this at survey before committing to anything.
Can I put a dormer on the front of my house?
Front-facing dormers are not covered by permitted development and always need a full planning application. Approval depends heavily on the street scene — planners look at whether other dormers already exist on the road, and at proportion, position and materials. Hipped and pitched forms are approved far more often than flat boxes on a front elevation.
Do you handle the planning application?
Yes. We prepare measured drawings, elevations and sections, submit the application or the lawful development certificate, and deal with the case officer's queries. On conservation and listed work we also put together the heritage justification the application needs.
What is the difference between a dormer and a Velux?
A rooflight sits flush in the roof slope and gives you light without any extra height — you still have a sloping ceiling. A dormer projects out from the roof and creates vertical walls with a level ceiling behind them, so you gain genuinely usable standing space and floor area, not just daylight.
Do you work on listed buildings and in conservation areas?
Yes. That work is detail-led: matching sightlines, glazing bar widths, cill projections and cheek finishes to what survives, and specifying timber, lead and natural slate rather than modern equivalents. We prepare the drawings and heritage statement for listed building consent alongside the planning application.
Find out what your roof will take
A free measured survey in Ayrshire tells you what is achievable, what it needs, and what it costs — before you commit to anything.