The end of a hip rafter requires a compound miter cut to rest solidly against the hip ridge, which runs at a 45 degree angle to the wall plates. You mark for the plumb cut angle for your roof pitch as on all the other rafters, but set your saw blade for 45 degrees and make your cut. After installing the hip rafters, we then plumb cut the rafter tails to the overhang length we wanted and sheathed the roof. Framing a Gable Dormer Gable dormers are smaller pitched roof and walls units framed on top of the main roof. Shed dormers are built about the same but have a low-pitched roof.
Gables add character and space to the roof level.
A gable dormer is framed by marking existing rafters and cutting out the area the dormer will occupy. The remaining outside rafters are doubled with same size lumber. A doubled rafter header caps the cut rafters at the bottom. The front dormer wall sets on top of this header. The two side walls set on the doubled roof rafters.