Add a Second Story to Your Home
One of the most common types of home additions is adding a second story to your property. This includes the process of nearly doubling the square footage of your home, which is often a complex and tedious process. When done by our team of experts, a second-story addition can have a massive difference on your home’s appearance functionality and even resale value.
You can add a second story to your home, over your garage, or any auxiliary building but prices and processes vary drastically depending on the square footage of your second story add-on. One of the most challenging things about this add-on is that depending on the type you choose, the house will have to be vacant for the duration of the reno. If we are required to take the roof off of your house to complete the second story addition, your family will have to stay with a relative or at a hotel. Although the thought of losing your home for a couple of days may be difficult – the good news is that we’re here to help make the process hassle-free and simple.
Below we will walk you through the process of adding a second story add-on to your home, garage, or auxiliary building.
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Click below to learn more about the second story add on process.
Since not all towns will allow your home to get an additional story, it’s important to figure out the zoning rules for your location. If you live in an area that has a homeowners’ association, we will have to clear it with them first.
It’s important to ensure that your pre-existing foundation is steady enough to build on. Our structural engineer will determine which points in your home will need to be reinforced. Without a qualified structural engineer on your team, you won’t be able to correct your foundation.
Some houses require a soil test, this is helps us to ensure that your first story won’t buckle underneath the new weight. Some homes may also need concrete and solid wood enforcements as well.
A two-story home is going to be heavier than a one-story home. We will need to perform soil tests to make sure that your home won’t sink into the ground.
If your foundation is cracked, our team will need to repair it. This includes walls that have “settled in.”
1. Build From Scratch
This option involves tearing off the roof and building a whole new upper level from scratch. .
3. Modular Designs
A modular addition is designed and built off-site and brought, fully built, to your home. It is often the quickest and most cost-effective way to add a story to your home.
2. Replace Roof
This type severs the existing roof around the edges and lifts it off temporarily, then puts it back in place after the new level has been framed in.
4. Expand
This option expands an upper level out across an existing one-story section, such as a flat-roof garage or porch.