How to Add Curb Appeal to a Small Dormer Over the Door

Use dormers and dormer windows to add curb appeal.

Dormer windows were originally used in the top stories of dormitories, where the attic was turned into a room and a window was required for light. Dormers are often placed in pairs, although a single dormer may protrude from the roof directly above the central door of a home. By themselves, dormers over the door add curb appeal to a home, but they can also be dressed up to make them even more appealing.

Things You'll Need

• Painter's tape
• Paint
• Small paint brush
• Ladder
• Window stain
• Artists' brush
• Etched glass
• Electric candles
• Drapery
• Metal barn star

Instructions

1. Frame the dormer window with an attractive accent color that will draw attention to it. For a white home, you may want to use a darker color for the window frames, while with darker houses you can frame the windows with a bright or off-white paint color. To do this you will need to protect the glass and home's siding by applying painter's tape on the windows and around the outsides of the frame and then painting it on with a small paint brush. You will need a ladder to safely reach the dormer window to paint.

2. Use window stain to create a stained glass dormer window. Paint the stain on with a clean artists' brush to create designs or to paint in an elegant single letter to correspond with your families' surname. You can stain the entire window an accent color and then paint on the letter or just place the letter by itself. To make a many-paned or sectioned window, consider staining each section a different color for more appeal.

3. Consider placing etched glass instead of staining. There are many options to consider for etched glass designs, including letters and other decorative elements across the window or on certain panes.

4. Place a single electric candle at the bottom center of the window to turn on in the late evenings and at night. This candle will serve as a night light if the dormer window leads to a bedroom and will offer curb appeal after dark. This idea works great with stained windows because they will display the window's colors at night.

5. Dress the window up with beautiful drapery that is visible from outside. Use light colored drapery that passers-by will see from outside and from a distance. White blinds underneath a stained window will bring out the colors of the window in daylight, but will dull down a window if used alone to cover the entire window.

6. Add curb appeal to a dormer that does not include a window by adding a steeple to the roof peak over the dormer. You may also consider making the dormer section a different color from the rest of the home or using it to place a metal barn star or other such outdoor house ornament.

Resources

• Windows Live: 20 Ways to Add Curb Appeal