A roof framing problem

Question:  Hi Jake, This is a bit long, but it\'s a big problem I think! We are having a 1st floor addition built on our 1940\'s Cape. The 2nd floor already has a shed dormer off the back of the house when the walk up attic was converted to 2 bedrooms & a bathroom. These bedrooms each have a window facing the back of house on the shed dormer (the bathroom is between the 2 bedrooms, at the top of the stairs, in the front of the house). The roof line for the addition was supposed to begin just above the bottom of these windows, the builder\'s plan was to match up the roofline of the first floor going across the back of the house starting behind the garage, where our new kitchen will be relocated, going across for our extended family room, a play room, then our master bedroom. He was also trying to go no less than a 4 on 12 pitch. He used trusses for the garage and cathedral trusses kitchen/family room. He tells us he didn\'t anticipate the trusses having an extra 10\" along their base, so now we have the roof line of the addition beginning at about 3/4 of the way up the 2nd floor windows! This leaves us with two \"trenches\" or \"gutters\", 10\' long from the upstairs windows out to the edge of the bottom roof, there is almost zero pitch on these trenches. I think this is unacceptable, for a few reasons. I have asked the builder to stop with roofing and further work on this area until we can come up with some possible solutions. Our concerns: 1. leaking potential: the flat are protruding from the windows I know will be a vulnerable spot for leakage. The builder plans to use an aluminum pan in that area, said that would be more durable than a rubber roof, but said he would do a rubber membrane if that is our preference. 2. aesthetics: it looks terribly awkward from the outside, and it’s not a great view from inside either. 3. loss of light: in one BR, we have already lost the 2nd full-size window over the garage b/c of the miscalculation on the trusses. 4. we have an abundance of oak trees in our yard, and we live in the Northeast, so snow & leaves will accumulate here, making it a tough spot to keep clean, and further making it prone to leaking. At this point, we have talked about pushing out the windows 3 ft, making 2 doghouse dormers, but that leaves us with 7’ of “gutter” still. He tells us if we go out any further we lose ceiling height in the master bedroom and playroom, b/c he would have to go down to floor level of the 2nd floor for the dormers for access and to avoid it looking like a tunnel. Any suggestions on how to possibly make this situation a bit more acceptable would be so appreciated!

Jake's Answer:  Sounds like you have quite a mess on your hands.  Most likely you would not be faced with this problem if you had a good set of plans before you started.  Of course, that is water under the bridge at this point.  The solution your builder has recommended at this time sounds unacceptable to me.  It seems it will leave you with a goofy looking house - something you do not deserve.  It is really too complicated a problem for me to comprehend based upon your description.  I suggest you hire an architect that can assess your problem and come up with an acceptable solution.  This architect should offer an unbiased answer.  Once again this shows the importance of hiring people that are capable and have a track record of performing.  Do not accept a solution that is only saving your builder from purchasing new trusses that may work.