Designing and building a second-story addition.

Planning For A Second-Story Addition Remodel

Sometimes, you just max out all of the available space in your home. Whether it's growing your family or bringing aging parents home to live with you, there are plenty of ways to run out of space. Today's buyer's market is competitive. If you love your existing home, but just wish you had more usable living space, there is a solution, consider going up!

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Here at Degnan, we get a lot of inquiries about the best way to add usable living space to a home. And while adding an addition sometimes makes sense, if your home is on a smaller lot, you may not have the clearance to build off of your existing footprint, so adding a second-story addition might be the best choice.

Deciding to add a second-story addition isn't just a simple yes or no answer. There are several critical factors to consider before making a decision. For example, a second-story addition can significantly impact the rest of your home, which can mean structural reinforcement on other levels.

Is building up, adding on, or digging down the best way to maximize your home's potential?

Think About These Things

Expanding up isn't inexpensive. It isn't always straight forward, and it can take a significant amount of time to get a second- story addition right. Before you begin, think about:

Do You Love Your Location?

Having a great location is big in today's tight market! Quite simply, inventory in many areas of the country is tight, and they're just aren't a lot of desirable properties for sale. If you're in a location, you love or one that is desirable for the long-term, it can be tough to recreate your current situation. Remember, the three most important factors with any property are, location, location, location! Getting a piece of property in a prime location that meets your needs is pretty priceless! So if you love where you live, but you just need more space, put a checkmark here, and move on to the next factor to consider!

Understand a Second-Story Addition Will Impact Your Whole House

this second story addition went over the family room and part of the garage to create the perfectly sized master suite, complete with bedroom, bathroom and walk-in closet.

The design and function of adding a second story will have a ripple effect on the rest of your home – everything from finishes and structural work to mechanicals. A good design will integrate the addition so that it looks as if it was always there, so take the time to make sure that the addition adds to your home's functionality and curb appeal.

Structural Issues

A second story with furniture and occupants will weigh significantly more than your old roof system. You will need to hire an engineer to calculate how much weight the walls and foundation will carry and how to hold it up. Second-story additions require structural support, including adding plywood and steel connections to the main-level walls, down to the foundation to meet code requirements.

Adding Access: Stairs

Adding a staircase up to the new living space means taking some floor space from your existing main floor, which can impact the flow and use of the room. Sometimes it's easy, like going over existing stairs down to the basement. Sometimes, however, a little creative thinking and design are necessary. Working with a good design-build- professional can help you to explore all of the available options to help guide you to the right choice.

Mechanical Upgrades

Your home's mechanical systems are all designed to accommodate the square footage of your home. This includes your furnace, water heater, electrical, and HVAC. All work based on the size of your home and the number of fixtures. When you add an addition, you have to revisit all of your home's mechanical systems.

Electrical panels may need to be upgraded, HVAC systems may need to be replaced, or have new zones added depending on if they are forced hot air or radiant systems. You can also consider adding energy-efficient upgrades like ductless heat pumps, geothermal systems, solar-assisted hot water or photovoltaic panels.

Finish Elements: Windows Doors and Siding

The key elements of exterior finishes can be a big question mark when expanding up. Do you match your home's existing elements? Start over? If structural work at the main-level requires removing half of the siding and replacing several windows, do you go ahead and replace the siding on the entire structure? If the main floor windows and doors are tired, inefficient, rotting, or don't meet current energy codes, should they be replaced?

These are the types of decisions that your design-build contractor will work with you to determine early in the process. Going back and ordering a half-house worth of windows when a project is in progress can add time to the schedule and completely blow up your budget.

before: the tiny bathroom was to the right of the triple window and was inadequately sized for the husband and wife to us, and they lacked closet space as well.

This brings us to the biggest question of all...

Is Your Budget Realistic?

Adding a second-story addition is not cheap, and before you start, you're going to want to know what to expect in terms of a budget. The good news is going up with your existing home's footprint means that you won't have to invest in and foundation work – the foundation is already there and intact. The foundation is typically one of the most expensive elements of any remodeling project.

after: this delicate addition over the front porch added the perfect amount of space to createa a spacious master bathroom and walk-in closet.

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That being said, you will need to have your existing foundation evaluated and inspected to make sure it can hold the extra weight. Certain types of soil can only stand up to a specific weight load, so you want to make sure that any addition is done safely. Any contractor will make this the first step in the project.

Your contractor can also look at other ways to save and stretch your budget. For example, depending on the condition of your existing roof, you may be able to lift it off in sections and use a crane to reinstall it on the new addition. Renting a crane isn't cheap, but it's less expensive than paying for an entirely new roof.

The bottom line is that when adding a second-story addition, you should generally be prepared to spend between $125,000 to $225,000 to add a second-story addition to your home in the Madison, Wisconsin area. The final price will, of course, depend on the scope of work, style of home, and level of finishes you choose.

Also, you should remember that you don't have to take on the entire expense at once. You can do the project in phases; for example, your initial investment can be for the basic structure and roof. After that, you can add finishes to each room on the second floor as your budget allows.

There are many benefits to adding a second floor to your home. Beyond adding additional usable space, expanding vertically is a better use of space than increasing your home's footprint outward into your lot – especially if you have a smaller lot. It also allows you to enjoy more usable living space in your home without impacting your outdoor space. You'll have the same space available for gardening and outdoor living and won't impact your neighbors any more than your existing home.

Another consideration is using this construction project to add height to your first floor ceilings, which will add value to your home. You can also look at the layout and decide to open up small rooms or merge rooms. It opens up a world of possibilities. Speak with your design-build professional to talk about the options for adding some additional projects within your budget since you'll already be doing extensive work.

If you're considering adding livable space to your greater Madison, Wisconsin area home, give the award-winning design experts at Degnan Design-Build-Remodel a call at (608) 846-5963 or click here to schedule an in-person or remote consultation. With our expertise and your creative vision, we can work together to help you design the space you've been dreaming about!

This article was updated by Abe Degnan on 8/28/2022.