I’ve been reading and browsing a lot of posts on this forum and feel it’s time for me to get my feet wet. All of the responses have been very straight forward and to the point which is very appeciated.
Question: As a general rule, is it less expensive to build up than it is to build out for an addition? I know there needs to be more detail given. Let’s say 300 sqft. I do know there is more info needed. The questions thrown back at me will give the things I should be thinking about.
Replies
Usually the foundation can support an upward addition, and building up thus saves foundation costs, plus the more compact form factor saves on heating/cooling costs. But you lose footage due to stairways.
Thanks DanH for the responce. There will need to be some basement wall work and an update to the septic system before I do anything. Alas, I need more room than I have resources for.
Is there any way to bring the stairs up over the the same plain as the existing basement stairs?
Yes, if there are existing basement stairs you can use some of the space above. But note that you need a landing at the bottom that will still eat into existing space on the main floor.
bring the stairs up over the basement stairs?
Well, what's the rise/run of those basement stairs? If too steep, then no-not in the same plane, but you can keep it in the same area-just need to run the bottom out a bit more.
If you have the land or lot size, out.
A lot of the 'up' additions I see look like cr@p,
Up, mostly if you want to get a view or, in perverse neighborhood retribution, block somebody else's view , e.g.
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One potential expense to consider is temporary housing. I've
never been involved in adding a second floor (as opposed to just finishing attic space), but I'd think that approach would be more disruptive than expanding the foot print of the house. Just a thought.
Go to the local library and check out some books. There are scores of books that deal with remodeling homes. Some basic research will give you answers to your basic questions or, at least, allow you to ask those questions.
Here is what was done on my house:
It started out as a 4br 2 bath ranch with an attached garage, the garage making the leg of an L shape.
Instead of builing out, they built over and out:
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This is the 16'x33' addition. It is supported on the right side by the top of the existing extrerior wall of the 1st floor. The opposite and is supported by a beam that has two steel columns in footers, with a patio slab poured around it. A new bathroom was added and piped into the existing bathroom pipes. This solution preserve our outdoor space in the yard AND gave us a covered patio we are on generally 3.5 seasons.
The stairway come upthrough one of the old bedrooms downstairs, this gives us a 5br 3 bath house,and the upstairs bedrooms are larger than the downstairs ones.
Paul
How is that bastardized roof/wall intersection working there?
I've been around quite a few transitions like that, some built from day one defying that very little flashing that they installed.
Most, if not all, have had problems when re-roofed.
I'm supposing there's a cricket of some kind up there and also, there's no snow in your neighborhood.
Well, that is the downside if this addition - one I'm in the process of changing at the moment. When adding the new 2nd story, the new 2nd story peak should be the new roofline that covers the lower story next to it, eliminating the dead valley and simplifying the roof constuction. I'll be getting a nice attic when I'm done fixing it!
You should check your existing steel beam size, span, and posts in the basement to make sure they are sized adequately to carry the load of a 2nd floor. Typically, I have found that existing basement beams are adequate, but once in while you come across ones that are undersized and you wind up having to put in some additional columns and concrete pads.