I have an attic area over my garage that I'd like to convert to a usable playroom. There are a couple small dormers which are causing me some challenges. As a note, the dormers are installed on top of the roof sheathing. First, on one side of each dormer, there are cross braces between the rafters which prevents me from installing baffles. Can/should these braces be removed? Second, what do I do between the rafter above/below the dormer area - just install insulation since there's no air pathway? Third, can I remove the braces supporting the base wall where the rafters connect? I wasn't sure if this was for initial construction or not. If not, could I remove them and install 90-degree braces instead to decrease the amount of sq-footage lost since they extend so far out? And finally, considering the dormers are on top of the sheathing, is there anything I can do to remove the rafters that are going through the center of the dormer itself?