Cat Slide Dormers in Bristol
We are a dormer specialist, not a general builder who occasionally does roofs — and across Bristol that focus shows up in the detailing.
Cat Slide Dormers — indicative geometry
Cat Slide Dormers for Bristol homes
Because Bristol is largely Victorian and Edwardian terraces, interwar semi-detached houses and post-war bungalows, the roof pitches and span widths we meet are fairly predictable, and that makes feasibility a quick conversation rather than a guess.
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 Bristol
Getting the consent route right at the start saves months. We establish whether it is permitted development, a lawful development certificate or a full application on the first visit.
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 Bristol use us
The completion certificate is part of the deliverable, not an afterthought. It is the document that makes the space count when you come to sell.
If you want to know what your roof will actually take, the survey is free and there is no obligation attached to it.
Other dormer work in Bristol
FAQs
Cat Slide Dormers in Bristol — FAQs
Will a dormer add value to my house?
A properly built and signed-off dormer conversion adding a bedroom and bathroom typically returns a meaningful share of its cost in value, and more in areas where floor space is scarce. The building control completion certificate is what makes the space count as habitable floor area on a valuation — without it, surveyors will not include it.
Is scaffolding included in the price?
Yes. Every quotation we issue includes scaffold design, erection, weekly inspection, hire for the programme and dismantling. Scaffold appearing as an extra afterwards is one of the more common complaints about dormer work, so we price it in from the start.
How wide can a dormer be?
Structurally, as wide as the roof — full-width rear dormers regularly run six to eight metres, carried on a steel ridge beam. The limits are usually planning volume allowances and the setbacks needed at eaves and ridge, rather than what can be built.
What guarantees do you provide?
Structural work carries a ten-year guarantee, GRP and EPDM flat roofing twenty years, windows ten years on frames and sealed units, and lead and zinc work is covered for workmanship for ten years. You also receive the building control completion certificate, which is the document that actually matters when you sell.
Can you build a dormer in winter?
Yes, with adjustments. Temporary weather protection over the scaffold lets structural work continue in most conditions. GRP roofing needs dry conditions above about 5°C to cure properly, so in a cold spell we either sequence it differently or specify EPDM, which is unaffected.
Find out what your roof will take
A free measured survey in Bristol tells you what is achievable, what it needs, and what it costs — before you commit to anything.