The Carriage House design on our website is a three-car garage with an apartment above it. At times homeowners choose to build a garage with an apartment and live in it while the main house is being built. At other times a garage and apartment are added onto an existing log home via a breezeway to comply with HOA covenants without the garage+apartment counting as a second house on the property. Here we will explore three different variations of the Carriage House.

Carriage House #1 – Gable Dormer Variation

The standard plan for the Carriage House is designed with four gable dormers, two per side. A dormer is located on the top floor of a structure and extends up into the roof line. A gable dormer is triangular in nature. There are two dormers facing the viewer on the garage. Gable dormers borrow a lot from the Cape Cod style homes that are 1.5 stores high. Most log homes with two floors also follow this arrangement, making the Carriage House blend well existing log homes or other log structures on a property.

The perspective view of the Carriage House #1, above, reveals that the two gable dormers on the garage door side are matched with two on the opposite side. The inclusion of the dormers allows much more headroom in the living space above the garage.

Carriage House #2 – Shed Dormer Variation

The next style of dormer is a shed dormer. This is a single slope dormer that extends off of the ridge beam and slopes at a shallow pitch and is framed to meet the log wall below. The shed dormer provides more headroom on the interior space than the gable dormers offer, making them a popular choice. The elevation of the shed dormer also shows a matching one on the opposite side.

Carriage House #3 – Knee Wall Variation

The third variation of the carriage house is shown with the log walls being stacked higher to form a “knee wall”. Instead of dormers, several extra rows are added above the first floor of logs (at about 9 feet in height) to make a knee wall. The more rows of logs that are added the higher the headroom will be in the interior space of the second floor. This is a popular option especially when the job site is located in a high snow load area.

Dormer Choices and Snow Load

In cold climate areas, snow load is a concern. For areas that are about 60 pounds snow load or less, either of the dormer options or the knee wall works typically work well. But when snow loads jump up to 100 pounds or more, dormers must be carefully evaluated.

Gable Dormers and Snow Damage

A gable dormer with its pointed peak looks very attractive, but when the snow falls on the dormer it slides down and then turns and continues down the roof.

The snow and ice get stuck in the valley between the dormer wall and the main roof causing an ice dam to form. As the chunks of ice side down and turn the roofing underneath can become damaged.

This roof is covered with Tuff-Rib metal roofing with a standing seam. The snowload at this location is about 130 pounds. This roof was about four years old when this photo was taken. Horizontal snow break bars on a roof can help to decrease the amount of damage a roof experiences but a shed dormer or a knee wall would have probably experienced less snow damage overall.

Snow Damage and Shed Dormers

The main consideration with heavy snow loads and shed dormers in the lower slope to the roof discourages the snow from sliding freely off of the roof and onto the ground. This may translate into heavier log beams being needed and more framing. This photo illustrates the lower slope of the dormer roof as compared to the main house roof.

Knee Walls and Snow Damage

The knee wall enables the entire roof to have a continuous slope down each side. The roof pitch can be kept very steep, like a 12/12 or 14/12 and the snow simply slides down. A drawback to the knee wall is less windows can be included in the upstairs living area since the roofline is uninterrupted by dormers.

The Aspen plan is one that utilizes a knee wall and a 3/4 loft to make the upstairs more livable without the use of dormers. Notice how the extra rows of logs extend out defining the edge of the upper balcony.

This is our Lincon Plan and also a knee wall configuration but in a three bedroom, two bath size. The Lincoln could also have an upper balcony added if desired. The extention of the lot wall upwards removes the need for dormers while still offering higher headroom in the upstairs as compared to a standard log home roof.

The choice of dormer style or knee wall is dependent on several considerations. From a design standpoint, the snow load is a major influencer on the final choice. Another consideration is if you prefer a certain style. And, the last consideration is if you are trying to match an existing style.

Cowboy Log Homes