Mine needs the same plus a roof. Just afraid to get it done only to have to tear it down and build a new one.
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COVID and the housing market
- Thread starter mimico_polak
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When you say "needs roof" do you mean just shingles or an R&R of rafters, deck etc? If it's the later how much more would it cost if you slipped in a second story while doing the roof framing? Yeah also the floor joists etc but double the floor area.
For the second floor to be comfortable, it's a pretty major job. Unless you are installing separate hvac upstairs, the staircase and duct work cost you about a room of space on the ground floor. On the upside, you could do it properly which no builder even attempts to do.
I know a guy who will be inheriting a property worth just under 2 Million. The house is a dump / liability and he wants to tear it down and put in a modest bungalow. I figure with the tear down and half million bungalow the property value will go up by zero. Loss of a half a million.
That's my current house. They added the second floor w/o disturbing the drywall ceiling on the main. For the second floor they just went with baseboard electric (it was added in the 70's).
We don't use much heat upstairs as the kids are gone and the Squeeze and I share a waterbed. Always toasty warm on the coldest nights.
Have you measured ceiling deflection below the water bed? Damn. It's hard to have a bigger load and you have had it there for a long time resting on joists that are likely not even supposed to be floor joists.
Nope! It's been there almost 30 years. I think it's good for another 30.
I'll have to ask the nieghbour who helped on the project if they sistered the joists.
All that said I'd add a jack post in the middle of my living room before I'd ditch the bed.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
I’ve added a second floor using room in roof trusses. You only get 70% floor space, but it’s quick, east and no support walls.
It was leaking for years so at a minimum plywood can I squeeze in a second floor without a building permit is the other question. Was looking at Cape cod trusses but would need to get done before someone noticed.
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If you want to get fancy and get some more space back, pushing out dormers gets you a lot more floor space (with reasonable ceiling height) and light. I've done that before. One dormer became a full bath, The other was left as part of the room.
I can't see a way you could add a second floor without permits. Everything about that project triggers a permit.
I wo
I would absolutely love to have something like this done about our lower level! 70% of the floor space from the bottom would still allow me a very nice space for a bedroom, and an office...
Ideally I'd like to do it with minimal disruption to the main living area below, but my stupid fireplaces in the middle of the house would either have to be accommodates, or ripped out...which would trigger a major renovation on the main floor.
A breakfast bar with cabinets below would cover the hole in the floor. For the ceiling hole, I'd be inclined to install short uppers suspended from the ceiling. Something like 2' tall to they were out of your line of sight. If you want to be fancy, glass doors and lights in the uppers. Not the ideal place for things you use often though as it's pretty high. Closed cabinets would work well as storage for items not used often.
I sketched out plans for a ~450 square foot master bedroom suite over our living and dining room. The biggest issue was another level in a side split house. Split levels are for mountain goats.
MP drop by when you're in the hood and I'll give you a tour of how I relocated and resized rooms, not that it applies to you.
I also got rid of the fireplaces. Are they considered assets any more or are they just supposed to be there.
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Thanks and will do!
We haven't used either of our fireplaces in over 2 years now. One of my neighbours basically went to his roof, and knocked it down brick by brick. Replaced the hole with a 20 year leaking skylight, and then had his ceiling bow under the weight as all he did was sistered the joists instead of putting up any real support...
Last quote we got for a 600sqft addition above our living room was b/w 400-500k. No thanks.
One renovator I spoke with didn’t take down the original first floor ceiling when possible. Instead he put the new floor joists in between the smaller ceiling ones. The practicality depends on what is run through the original joists.
Unless you’re working in Bumblefuck , everything triggers a permit now , and since most municipalities have found hiring the drone guys for a week is faster than any inspector in car , when they lay last yrs photos over this years , even the shed you snuck in gets noticed . This is very prevalent now in cottage country where they think nobody is looking .
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I have to rebuild the buildings back where they were so I can claim new roof not new building
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Mad Mike
Well-known member
That’s what we did existing ceiling joists are sistered to the new truss, then the upper part of the old truss is removed.
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Checked with Harold my 90 + neighbour who helped put on the second floor. (He still drives!)
The 2x6s were sistered with 2x10s. Could say now I can rest easier but I'm already sleeping on a waterbed.
