I Want To Add A Second Floor To My House

Chances are some of your interior walls will need to carry some of that new second floor.

I want to add a second floor to my house.

Loft designs are ideal for large and small rooms with high ceilings that allow to add the second level to interiors. The foundation needs to be at least 8 inches thick and should be in good condition. Adding a second level to your home seems like a huge project. If you don t have the land to build out it can make sense to go up.

Building a second floor also called a second story can added much needed space but costs at least 20 percent more than building the same square footage at ground level. Plumbing for the second floor should be placed within the area of the plumbing on the first floor if possible. There isn t a way to build a second floor addition without disturbing the first floor you have to remove the roof and all contents in it to an open floor where new floor trusses would be installed after a knee wall is installed which will carry the new floor trusses also new columns and tie downs concrete filled cells this is done by cutting the walls from the exterior side and installing rebar or as indicated on structural plans. Also rafters in a one story house usually aren t strong enough to double as floor joists for a second story.

Rather than using up precious ground area and building a foundation adding a second floor addition to a ranch house is a great and cost effective way to get that extra space. After all you re potentially doubling your square footage and creating a whole floor of new space for your family to live. A good floor plan and sturdy structure for loft designs will help save building time and protect a family budget from unnecessary expenses. Lofts add character to small rooms and create contemporary ambiance.

To add a second floor to your existing home it will need to be inspected for structural integrity. It is much easier to tie into the sanitary lines if the locations are in the approximate same position. The addition of a second floor will in many instances afford the most economical means of increasing your living space. Any load bearing columns and beams in the existing basement or crawlspace should also be structurally capable of handling the new load of a second or third floor.

Some types of house foundations can t support a multilevel structure so you should always check the foundation requirements for adding a second story. A modular addition is a pre fabricated room that can be added onto the exterior of the house to create a second story and they re popular home expansion projects for single story buildings like ranch homes. Because this type of an addition requires a new stair be located in the house it s a great way to fix some of the underlying deficiencies of ranches such as the dreaded going through a room to get to a room syndrome. Existing basements create problems because you have to add columns and beams to support the wall line above.