What about older homes built with 2x4 walls (16” on center)? I’m guessing theirs some sort of load calculation just not sure where. I referenced your video a few months back. Went to my local city building department, and they directed me to our historical records to try and obtain a copy of my house plans, yet no luck. Now I’m trying to figure out if it’s remotely possible. Of course I will hire a engineer to design everything. But I’m trying to get out of paying a additional $5k for something to tell me what I’m trying to do isn’t possible.. 😅 so first step is identifying if adding a second story to a home made with 2x4 walls vs 2x6 is possible.
The examples you gave (for 1/2/3 story house) is exactly what i'm looking for, but i'm looking for something which is more like globally. Can you recommend a book / site that i can learn what sizes and types of beems / woods should i use and what dimentions?. thank you.
Hi Nir. The biggest, most widely used resource I can think of is the International Residential Code or IRC but this is mostly U.S. based. Because climate, soil and building practices very so much from one country to the next, I’m not sure there is a global resource...good question though.
Hi Derek. It’s not necessarily easier to add a bedroom over the garage. It all depends on the roof framing. You need to have the space and minimum head clearance for the room which in many cases requires substantial rework to the roof framing.
I'm looking to add a second story but here in Texas We don't have a basement... should I just look for a larger home?!?! At anyrate this was a great video thanks for sharing💜
Excellent information. I know the cost will vary by location, but what do you think it would cost to have a builder and structural engineer evaluate my home to determine the amount of work/ viability of adding a second floor? What would you charge for that? My house is raised foundation on a pretty aggressive slope. Front of my house looks like a normal 1 story home, but from the back it looks like a two story home.
Hi Andy. There are a few items that add to the big cost difference. First is the cost of living. I just pulled up the cost of living calculator...I plugged in $100k salary in Cleveland and you have to make $250k in Los Angeles to have the same standard of living. So, when you go to hire a contractor to do work for you, say a rough carpenter, they require a lot more money to do the same job. Obviously L.A. isn't all of California but it is an example of how the cost of living can be so much higher. Also, there are major permit and impact fees in California versus other parts of the country. These can add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost to build. One other major extra cost are building codes. Earthquake and hurricane codes can add a significant amount of money to the cost to build. Hope this answers your questions. Thanks for watching.
Why still people use wood to build a house? Can't they realize that these houses fall like a paper? Use bricks like a real men, not wood like building a kids treehouse
@@roadlesstraveled2249 I was just joking in the post about the 1959 house. there's actually a few things that need to be looked into/resolved before you add a second floor. it's a good idea to hire a structural engineer and and architect to resolve any issues and have a blue print in to the town.. you do have to check things like zoning laws ect too.. and get a building permit. the structural engineer will look at the footers holding your fondation and make sure they are big enough. and say if a few pieces of wood need to be added to the first floor as well as the joists in the attic to support weight of furniture. usually most older houses they used over sized footers and they built them with sufficient wood in the first floor to support a second floor..that's for houses with a low attic that uses truss set up. if its post and beam and high ceilings to the attic you can usually just finish off the attic and add windows to code. hope this helps.
so, if I want to add let's say 400 square foot onto my house on the bottom floor.. I can easily add onto that going up? I just need to beef up footings
Hello and it’s a blessing I found your page. Whew, I need all the help can get because I’m doing it alone and with no real money💔 But I own a house, it’s gutted but that’s it. No electrical, plumbing, well or septic. The bank won’t help until the house is connected to the footings and I don’t know how to do that. Yes the footings are poured, the house is just hovering over them on bricks. Looks like chains or something are supposed to connect the two but🤷🏽♀️ Do you have a Facebook page? By the way I’m in coulksville Arkansas if you know of anyone willing to do free work I’ll be happy with one window. Thank you
Cost depends on what your starting point is...as mentioned in the video, the existing footings need to be reviewed to know if they will support the second floor
Absolutely! Have your architect design the foundation, frame and attic to accommodate future living space. I would increase the pitch on the roof and design the roof trusses with open space for the future living space. Also make sure your electrical service is 200 AMP. Should give you plenty of power for the additional space and a car charger. You’ll also want to discuss the stair access location with your architect. Also make sure the attic windows meet egress requirements for fire escape.
can i additions second floor with same roof . means just lift roof with jack and insert second floor. is it possible ??? if house is single story and foundation is strong.
This sounds like a good idea in theory...but not easy to execute. It’s probably possible with a small roof if you have a level place to set it while the second floor walls are built. You’d need to brace the roof framing to make sure it doesn’t get damaged while lifting. I’m sure it’s been done but I would be skeptical personally.
@@singhA1968 Looks like it's been done. As I've told clients before, anything is possible...just need to do a cost/benefit analysis to see which method makes the most sense financially.
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