Adding a second story to your home is a clever home renovation project that can double your square footage and make your home twice as functional and beautiful. Still, it is a huge undertaking that you don’t want to step into lightly. To ensure your home can support this project, and that it makes sense for you and your family, you should ask yourself (and your home builder), these questions.
1. Can My House Support a Second Story?
Before you start planning out the project, you should find out whether or not it is feasible. Some homes cannot be made to support a second story, because of their design, the soil they sit on, or other factors. Most can be made to support a second story, but some structural work may be involved, which may be costly.
2. Will My Building Codes Allow a Second Story?
It’s also important to check with your local building codes to see if your home has the correct zoning to have a second story added. A good builder will do the research for you, and handle the whole permit process so that you don’t have to worry about it.
3. What Should I Expect This to Cost?
Breakdown of the costs involved in making your home’s current skeleton strong enough to support the weight of the second story. Work with a company that can give you an honest quote. Also, be sure to ask what kind of problems might change the cost, and by how much. It’s important not to max out your budget with the initial estimate so that you have the room to finish the project if something unexpected happens. A builder should help you gauge how much you can afford and whether your project is likely to incur unexpected costs.
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4. What About a Partial Second Story?
Some people choose partial second stories, that add an office or an extra bedroom, and perhaps a bathroom because they assume the partial will be half the cost and half the hassle. This may not be true.
Most of the cost of the project is getting an architect’s drawings, adding the support for the second story, changing the layout of the plumbing and electrical, adding a new roof and a few more items. These costs don’t vary much if you’re doing a partial build. Sure, partial builds cost less than full builds, but the additional square footage of a full second story may actually not cost that much more. Sometimes it’s wiser to add a whole second story to maximize the value of the project.
5. Where Will I Live During Construction?
While you can sometimes keep living in your home through partial second-story additions, most people choose to live elsewhere while the work is done. This is both for your safety and for the efficiency of the project. It’s best if your home renovators can arrive at any time, have deliveries shipped into your driveway without worrying about blocking you in, and use loud equipment at any time during the day. This will ensure that the project stays on schedule, which ultimately means less hassle for you.
Some people will live with family while they get their home renovated. Others will get a temporary rental for a few months or stay in a hotel if the project isn’t going to take as long to complete. It’s wise to have your plan and its cost, figured out before you get too deep into the planning process. Remember that, depending on your plan, you may also have to store your furniture, which is an additional cost.
6. Which Features Will Maximize My Home Value?
You should consider both the value that this project will add to your life and the value it will add to your home. You may need another bedroom and bathroom, and not have many ideas about what the rest of the second floor should be. In this case, it may be wise to talk with a real estate agent about what kind of spaces are most desired by the home buyers who will be most interested in your home in the future. If a second-floor laundry room, a media room, or another space would significantly increase the attractiveness of your home to home buyers, then it’s a wise idea to add it now.
As for what features and rooms you want for yourself, a wise home builder will help you discover them in the planning process. You could start by looking at other homes for inspiration and thinking about what kind of spaces would make your daily life more convenient and comfortable.
7. Will I Need a Roof Replacement?
When you’re adding a second story to your home, you will need to remove the roof. However, you may not necessarily have to replace it. Depending on your specific home, and the design of your second floor, your builder may be able to remove the roof, suspend it on a crane, and add it back onto the framing of the second floor, once it has been constructed. This is a very useful strategy if you have a relatively new roof or one made of high-end materials that are expensive to replace.
8. What Kind of Company am I Working with?
By far, the most important decision in this process is your choice of home renovator to work with. Adding a second story is a large project that must be done with skill and precision. A company that has experience taking on projects of this magnitude will serve you better than an inexperienced one, of course. You should also consider the company’s reviews. Do their customers say that they stick to a schedule, produce quality results, and create unique, custom designs that truly solve their home’s problems?
You can also gauge a company’s quality by how they respond to all of these questions. A company that doesn’t seem to take your concerns seriously certainly should not be allowed to handle your new home construction.