You love your neighborhood. You love your street. But your house? It’s running out of room.
Maybe you need a fourth bedroom now that the kids aren’t sharing anymore. Maybe you want a home office that actually has a door. Or maybe you’re just tired of that cramped upstairs hallway with sloped ceilings where nobody can stand up straight.
Dormer installation solves that. It takes the space you already own—your attic, your roofline—and turns it into livable square footage. No addition eating into your backyard. No variance hearings. Just more room where you actually need it.
And it’s not just about comfort. Homes with expanded square footage appraise higher. A properly designed dormer can increase your property value while giving you the layout you’ve been wishing for. That’s the kind of improvement that pays you back whether you stay for twenty years or sell in five.
On Long Island, where lot sizes are tight and zoning gets complicated fast, building up makes a lot more sense than building out. Especially in Jericho, where Cape Cods and Colonials dominate and most homeowners are working with the same constraints you are.
Ray Coleman Home Improvement has been handling large-scale home improvement projects across Nassau County for over 40 years. That’s four decades of dormer installations, kitchen remodels, first-floor renovations, and full extensions—most of them for homeowners who decided staying and expanding made more sense than moving.
We’re not the cheapest option in Jericho. But if you’re looking for a crew that shows up on time, keeps the job site clean, answers the phone when you call, and builds something that’ll still look right in ten years—that’s what we do.
Our work gets referred because we treat your home like it matters. No surprises mid-project. No disappearing for weeks. No subcontractors we’ve never worked with before. Just experienced crews, clear timelines, and the kind of customer service that’s become rare in this industry.
We’ve worked in every corner of Nassau and Suffolk County. We know the permit process. We know the inspectors. And we know what it takes to get a dormer project done right in a town like Jericho, where your neighbors notice everything and the building department doesn’t miss a thing.
First, we walk through your home and talk about what you’re trying to accomplish. More bedroom space? A master bath upstairs? Office with actual headroom? We measure, we look at your roofline, and we figure out what type of dormer makes sense—shed, gable, or something custom.
Then we handle the design and permitting. On Long Island, that means working with Nassau County’s building department and making sure everything’s up to code before we touch a shingle. Permit delays happen here, so we build that into the timeline from the start. No pretending it’ll be faster than it will.
Once permits clear, the real work begins. We open up the roof, frame the dormer structure, tie it into your existing roofline, and weatherproof everything before moving inside. Then comes insulation, drywall, electrical, HVAC if needed, flooring, trim—all matched to your existing finishes so it doesn’t look like an add-on.
Throughout the process, you’ll know what’s happening. We keep you updated at every stage, we clean up at the end of each day, and if something changes, you hear about it before it becomes a problem. Most dormer projects in Jericho take several weeks once we’re on-site, depending on size and complexity.
When it’s done, you’ve got real, finished space. Not an attic with better lighting—an actual room you’d be happy to show someone.
Ready to get started?
A dormer project isn’t just framing and shingles. It’s a full build that touches roofing, structure, interior finishes, electrical, insulation, and sometimes plumbing if you’re adding a bathroom.
We handle all of it. Roof removal and reconstruction. Structural framing that meets code. Windows that actually open and close the way they should. Insulation that keeps your new space comfortable year-round, because Long Island winters are cold and your heating bill doesn’t need any help going up.
Inside, we match your existing floors, paint, trim, and fixtures so the new space feels like it’s always been there. If you’re adding a bathroom, we run the plumbing and set the tile. If it’s a bedroom, we make sure there’s proper lighting, outlets, and closet space. Everything gets inspected and signed off.
In Jericho and across Nassau County, homeowners choose dormers because they’re a smart way to gain space without losing yard or dealing with setback restrictions. Your lot size doesn’t change. Your taxes might, but your usable square footage definitely will. And if you ever sell, that extra bedroom or bathroom makes your home a lot easier to move.
We’ve done enough of these projects to know what works and what doesn’t. Shed dormers give you the most interior space. Gable dormers add curb appeal. Both add value if they’re done right.
Most dormer projects in Nassau County run between $20,000 and $50,000, depending on size, complexity, and what you’re adding inside. A small dormer for a walk-in closet or reading nook costs less than a full shed dormer with a new bathroom and bedroom.
Material and labor costs on Long Island are higher than other parts of the state. That’s just the reality of working in Nassau County. But the tradeoff is you’re getting quality work, licensed contractors, and projects that pass inspection the first time.
If you’re comparing quotes, make sure you’re comparing the same scope. Some contractors price the structure only. Others include finishes, electrical, HVAC, and permits. We give you a full breakdown so you know exactly what you’re paying for and what’s included in the number.
Yes. Any structural work that involves your roofline, framing, or living space requires a permit from Nassau County’s building department. That includes dormers.
The permit process here can take time. Backlogs happen, especially during busy construction seasons. That’s why we factor permit timelines into your project schedule from the beginning. Trying to skip permits isn’t worth the risk—it can kill a future sale, void your insurance, or force you to tear the work out and start over.
We handle the permit applications, the drawings, and the inspections. You don’t need to call the building department or figure out what forms to file. We’ve done this enough times to know what they’re looking for and how to get it approved without unnecessary back-and-forth.
Once we’re on-site and construction starts, most dormer projects take anywhere from four to eight weeks depending on size and scope. A simple shed dormer with minimal interior work goes faster. A full dormer with a new bathroom, bedroom, closets, and custom finishes takes longer.
Permitting adds time on the front end. In Nassau County, you should expect a few weeks minimum for plan review and approval. We start that process early so it doesn’t hold up your construction timeline.
Weather can also affect the schedule, especially if we’re working in winter or during a stretch of heavy rain. We don’t leave your roof open any longer than necessary, but we also don’t rush through framing or weatherproofing just to hit a date. The goal is to do it right, not fast.
In most cases, yes. Adding livable square footage—especially a bedroom or bathroom—makes your home more appealing to buyers and increases its appraised value. Research shows that adding a loft or dormer space can boost property value by as much as 20% in the right market.
On Long Island, where inventory is tight and buyers are looking for homes with space, an extra bedroom or a second upstairs bathroom is a real selling point. It’s not just about the square footage. It’s about functionality. Families want four bedrooms, not three. They want a master bath, not a hallway bathroom shared by everyone.
Even if you’re not planning to sell anytime soon, the value is there. You’re living in a more comfortable home with the layout you actually need. And when the time comes to move, you’re not the house that “would be perfect if it just had one more bedroom.”
A shed dormer has a single sloped roof that extends out from your existing roofline. It’s wider, gives you more interior space, and maximizes headroom across the entire addition. Most homeowners in Jericho choose shed dormers when they want a full bedroom, bathroom, or office upstairs.
A gable dormer has a peaked roof, like a little house sticking out of your main roof. It’s narrower, adds great curb appeal, and works well for smaller projects like window seats, closets, or just bringing more light into an attic space. You can also do multiple gable dormers across one roofline for a classic look.
Both styles work structurally. The choice usually comes down to how much space you need inside and what look you want from the street. Shed dormers are more common on Cape Cods. Gable dormers show up on Colonials and ranches. We’ll walk you through both options and show you what makes sense for your home and your goals.
Absolutely. Adding a bathroom is one of the most common reasons homeowners in Jericho choose to build a dormer. It solves the problem of too many people sharing one upstairs bathroom, and it makes your home a lot more functional if you’ve got kids or guests.
We handle the plumbing, the framing, the tile, the fixtures—everything. The tricky part is running new plumbing lines up to the second floor and tying into your existing system. That’s where experience matters. We’ve done enough of these projects to know how to route pipes without tearing apart your first-floor ceiling or creating drainage issues down the line.
You’ll also need proper ventilation, electrical for lighting and outlets, and waterproofing behind the tile. All of that gets inspected as part of the permit process. When it’s done, you’ve got a real bathroom that works as well as any other room in your house—and adds serious value when it’s time to sell.
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