I’m planning a second floor addition to the house..currently a ranch..need a master bedroom suite upstairs (get away from the in-laws when they come to visit!!)
Are there any modular builders who do additions??? The house is in Westchester County, New York…
Unfortunately, we must remain in the house during the reno…so time is of the essence…
Thanks..
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Replies
MJ,
I am in Putnam, there is another guy here in Yonkers. (Jaybird)
This can be done, but I would NOT count on not having to move out. It is more complicated than plopping a box on top of your walls once your roof has been removed.
Try Westchester Modular, up in Dover/Wingdale. They have crews and/or can recommend builders who specialize in what you need.
If you need any more questions answered, I will be glad to try and help you out.
This response should also bump the post up for others to see.
Eric
[email protected]
I Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
Eric,
Thanks for the reply...I kind of figured that we would have to leave for a while...I was hoping we could minimize the time out.....I realize that the process is involved...
I was planning on calling West. Mod. today...
Let me ask you this...the house is currently a ranch with a flat pitched roof (3/12)...so the intent was to tear off the roof....run new joists of the existing 2x6 ceiling joists...plywood it...and then either stick build the second floor...or plop a modular up there...I'm leaning toward roof trusses....I was hoping to have the tear off and reframe done in about 10 days...Do you think that's too aggressive or is it doable????
Mike
My thinking is this; to tear off the roof and frame up and close in in 10 days is probably doable with the right crew. Thats with out knowing your dimensions.
Sistering floor joists along your existing ceiling beams is problematic due to wiring and possibly other mechanicals running through the ceiling.
Putting a modular on top of the new floor joists and subfloor is redundant, as the modular units are built from the floor up.
Perhaps you are refferring to a panelized system, where you can spec your walls prebuilt, then crane them up on top of your new floor system.
Based on my experience, most ranches are smallish, and to perform the first option with a good crew would not be difficult. What are the dimensions of the structure??
I'm curious what town you live in now, might give me a better picture of the house.
I can recommend a PE if you need.
What type of engineer are you?
EricI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
Eric..
We're in South Salem..the house is 44 feet wide by 24 feet deep...My thinking was to not sister the 2x6 ceiling joists but rather nail a 2x6 across the tops of them around the perimeter and over the bearing wall and install 2x10 on top of those plates...minimizing disruption to the ceiling below...
Fortunately, all electrical and plumbing running within the bays so that's not really a consideration...I would, of course, have to open ceilings where the mechanical risers would be installed/tied into existing...
So if I nail down plates on the existing 2x6s...modular can easily be set in place...
I am a PE in architecture...It's a relatively new discipline in engineering...this year was the second year the test was offered...basically it cover a little structure, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, estimating, contracts and project management...
I've been building spec houses with my family for about 20 years...but not as a full-time profession...
I can e-mail pics when I get home...working in the city now....
Sounds like you have your bases covered.
Lots of good thinkers here. I am now reminded of a friend who did something similiar.
He took out his ceiling beams, ran lvl's around the primeter, and put on some rather large floor trusses that gave him clear span over 24ft (maybe) and cantilevers off the front and the back to increase his second floor sq. ft.
Good luck,
EricI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
Let me ask you this...the house is currently a ranch with a flat pitched roof (3/12)...so the intent was to tear off the roof....run new joists of the existing 2x6 ceiling joists...plywood it...and then either stick build the second floor...or plop a modular up there...I'm leaning toward roof trusses....I was hoping to have the tear off and reframe done in about 10 days...Do you think that's too aggressive or is it doable????
I know you weren't asking me but this can be done in 10 days with no problem or it can be done in 4 days with no problem but it all depends on how many men you have on your crew and how many men who know what they're doing. If you go with stick framing it yourself you'd better be prepared and have enough expierienced guys because doing an Add-A-Level is no joke you have to make sure you keep this house water tight no matter what the forcast is you tarp it every day I don't care what anyone says.
The Modular can also be done because a builder I know did one on his sons house but what he did was he took the roof off down to the ceiling joists and filled the perimeter of the walls with 2x6's flush to the top of the existing 2x6 ceiling joists because the joists will have a slash cut with the pitch of the roof on it and then on top of that he glued and nailed down 1-3/4" x 9-1/2" microlams flat around the perimeter and the inside center main bearing partition stringing lines front to back and shimming level.
He also took the sheetrock ceilings down so that once the modular came they can tie everything in. He cordinated it with the modular company so that he had it ready the day before they came so that the house wasn't exposed to long and once it came it was up and done in no time.
If you do stick frame this yourself you should try to precut as much stuff as you can before you rip the roof off like headers, window sills, window jacks, even the rafters. This way once you get the roof off and the deck on you can fly because a lot of stuff is precut that your not doing while the house is exposed to the weather and wasting time. If you do stick frame it you should put a plat on top of the existing ceiling joists and put your bems on the plate thgis will eliminate sistering and dealing with all the wires, plumbing, etc..... I'm going to start one and that's what I'mm doing.
How many guys do you have?
Joe Carola
Edited 1/24/2005 10:21 am ET by Framer
That's what I was thinking of doing....nailing plates to the 2x6 and building up from them...I could have all that ready so that the day the addition arrives, up it goes...
I have a framing sub I would probably use that could do the job in a short time...I was just investigating my options. And if I could save some days and money by going modular...then it would be worth looking into...
Try to look for posts by me in the Photo Gallery. I tore my roof off a ranch and stick framed a full second floor. It took two weeks (10 working days). I ripped out the ceiling and all electrical and put some steel in, then used floor trusses. It took a lot of work before the day we tore the roof off.
I spent another week or so getting all my lights working again and doing other assorted stuff to get us living in the house again. I was out of the house one month, but my wife and kids were gone for a couple of months before the tear off. That allowed my to do some serious interior demo and set some steel columns, etc.
We moved back in late summer. The house was not insulated and had all sorts of air leaks. After messing around with some of the mechanicals, I was finally able to insulate around Dec 1 (this is me doing most of the work). Then life was very nice.
However, I still live in a largely unfinished house. No sheetrock on the ceiling, so all rooms are essentially open to each other - including bathrooms. But in the wake of destruction I've left this big rough framed house and I just need to piddle around and get it all finished out.
In NY, you may have problems with the inspectors office letting you back in the house. I live in NC so they are certainly less uptight than most of the NE.
MERC.