Hello all! I’m brand new to remodeling / homebuilding, so please bear with me if I sound like a total noob.
My wife and I are going to be purcashing a foreclosure in town shortly (northern Indiana). The house is currently 2,500 square feet – adequate for our current needs, but since we have aging in-laws we are very interested in building additional in-law space(s). The lot is on the small side, so we’re trying to build up rather than out for the space. It appears that the best place to build would be on top of our garage. We would want to keep the garage functional and build a second story on top of it, with a staircase from the top floor down to ground level beside the garage for access.
Couple of questions:
1.) Would we need to tear down the old garage and rebuild the whole structure from scratch since we’re going to be changing the weight/load on the foundation and framing? Or can we test to see if the first floor framing can bear the load? We’re not sure when the garage was built, so no idea how to figure out how sturdy it was built at the time of construction.
2.) If we can use the existing garage frame, would it make sense to remove/trash the old roof frame, tiles, etc, frame the second level, and rebuild a roof, or would it be smarter (cheaper) to somehow lift the roof with a crane, build the second floor underneath it, then lower the roof back onto the new second floor?
Thanks a lot for everyone’s help. I’m really happy to be getting into remodeling – I’ve always watned to be a handier man, but have never had the time up until now. I’d like to do as much of the garage improvement as possible myself, but I’m going to work up to it.
Daniel
Replies
this is going to be more of a bump then anything but yes you can build on top of an existing garage but there are a lot of variables to consider before giving a difinitive "yes". Others will be along to give you better info.
Doug
It's possible you can simply build up, but impossible for anyone here to say for sure without seeing the existing building. Besides the framing, there is the foundation to consider as well. You will likely need to find a local engineer to assess the existing structure before anyone would issue a building permit for such a project but posting a few pictures here might allow others to give you an educated guess.
And yes, I have seen buildings where the roof has been lifted and 2nd story walls were inserted. Can be done, but a cost/benefit review would be worthwhile.
Morgannon,
Welcome to Breaktime. If you take a moment to fill out your profile, it will help people to answer your questions better if they know your geographical region.
I don't want to be pessimistic, but a second story apartment with stairway access doesn't seem to be the best solution for elderly in-laws. I can only assume that by the time they need to live with their children, a full flight of stairs isn't going to be very appealing or practical.
Just food for thought.
You cannot convey tone in an email.
Thats a multi family redevelopment. Is that legal in your area, certainly not where I live, the land of small lots.
It would probably work better, in most respects, for you to remodel your 2500 sqft, giving your in-laws a large bedroom, big closets and private bath. That would require about 300sqft, say 12X24.
A wet-bar with a small fridge and microwave, along with a separate entry door would allow you to maintain some discipline about when you interact with them. Soundproofing is also possible.
Welcome to BT.
As you pointed out yourself and other mentioned, loads are the biggest concern.
Have added space above garage on a couple of places, often the biggest structural upgrade needed was over the garage door - esp. 16 foot doors.
Also need for complete firecode ceiling, stairs, CO detectors, etc.
If you do not know how to calculate loads an do the design yourself, may be cheaper to teardown and rebuild - much depends on N. IN. code jurisdiction, fees, etc.
In PNW the fees and permit costs can be over 50% of total costs either way, but probably varies a lot with local government and am unfamiliar with IN codes/fees. The impact fee, etc. structure may make a big difference in overall end cost - either way.
The studwall framing of your garage is likely 2x4, which is quite adequate to support a second storey. However as junkhound pointed out, the opening for a garage door won't have a lintel sized to support another floor, so that will have to be re-engineered.
If this is a 2-car garage with a 16' door, you might consider splitting that into two single doors with a central supporting wall between them. You should also probably figure on steel I-beam lintels or at the very least a flitch beam over those door openings. But you will need an engineer to design and sign off on it for sure.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
foolish men call Justice....
Thank you all so much for the replies! There are definitely some aspects I didn't consider, most notably the multi-family legal aspect and the accessibility aspect. The in-laws in question are very active and in good health, so they can handle the staircase right now - but in five, ten years who knows? We've thought about adding on additional living space to the main house, but our lot is not that big, so we don't want to lose any more yard/garden space. We've thought about finishing the attic or basement. But the attic isn't high enough to present a feasible space, unless we raise the roof somehow. The basement we are most likely going to finish, but the dampness down there precludes the in-laws from living there (they both have bad arthritis that is aggravated by dampness), so we would use it an office / enertaining space.
Morg
P.S. I'll try to get some plans uploaded soon to show the lot layout, etc
First item: Check with zoning officer, especially if sleeping quarters and cooking are involved.
Second item: Foundation type/age - if a simple turned-down slab to minimal distance below grade it may not be suitable for living space above.
Most of the rest is quite solvable with time and money.
Jeff