"Ja, oder Nein - Dormer Windows for German Buildings?" Topic

I've been working on expanding the numbers and types of 1/100th and 1/144th scale, Cardstock buildings for WWII and Cold War Germany.

This question has come up: "Ja, oder nein (yes, or no), for adding dormer windows to your single-family homes, and/or town and village buildings?

Currently, I've listed some small German houses for sale in both scales, but I've also created some larger, 2-Story buildings, suitable for creating small towns or villages. These have a variety of wall detailing, to match historical and current building practices, e.g.: plain, like is frequently seen with today's more modern finishes, which presumably were also in use back in the mid-late Cold War period too; plain walls with shutters for the lower windows (frequently, many don't have those for the second stories – working on adding some to the second stories too, just because); half-timbered detailing for the second story only; and, finally, half-timbered detailing for both floors.

I've created some little dormer windows for some structures, since many German buildings have them, but admit to not having taken the time to add any to the ones I've built thus far.

Before proceeding much further along these lines, for those of you who might use, and/or consider using cardstock buildings, do you want to, or actually add dormer windows to your models, or go without?

I see a lot of examples of buildings in various towns, villages, and/or cities, with, and without them.

Also, while I'm asking, some people mentioned a concern about cardstock buildings looking a bit two-dimensional, so, for those of you with that concern, would you be interested in separate cardstock windows/shutters, and/or doors and doorframes, that you can glue over the others to give a little 3-D depth to the models?

In 1/144th scale, the cardstock is about 1.5" in scale thickness, and in 1/100th scale, it is about 1". If you want the pieces to be thicker, you can glue several pieces together, and then cut them out (or vice versa), before gluing onto the sides of the buildings, over the printed images on the walls, which will greatly help with getting the placement correct.

It is an option, and would make them look better, but I don't know how many people would bother doing that to their wargaming buildings.

Clear plastic sheeting can also be placed between the cardstock walls and the window frames glued on separately, in order to give them that nice, shiny finish too.

The real advantages I see of these over plaster, resin, wood, or metal buildings is obviously, first and foremost, the much lower cost, but also the fact that they come "pre-painted", and can be assembled and put onto the tabletop very quickly. Additionally, they are also very lightweight, which is an important consideration when traveling with them, to club games, or conventions.

Thoughts?

I'm adding them to many of my paper buildings.

If doing specific for today's buildings, please remember that an increasing number of owners are installing skylights in their roofs along with solar panels.

I vote yes to dormer windows. Some (older) have many while others none with a lot in the middle. Dormer windows are everywhere, even in the country. Dormers make the steep roof areas in the attics into a more livable space and allows more natural light in an otherwise dark space.

Thanks for the feedback.

Good point Tom, and those should be a lot easier to glue on than the dormers, which is a plus too.

I have dormer windows on most of my European paper buildings. I feel that this lends a good 3D effect which makes them look less 'flat'.

They certainly do add a bit to the overall visual effect.