Adding a second floor to your house is one of the best ways to add more livable square footage to your property. This is your best bet if you have a house built on a small plot and want to consider building home addition. Adding a second floor to a garage can also help you add an apartment on top which you can use to live.
However, before adding a second floor to your house, there are various things which you want to consider.
Consider The Cost
Without any question, adding a second floor to your house is one of the costliest upgrades you can make. In fact, even a small apartment made of garbage can cost you thousands of dollars at the very least. The cost of adding a second floor to your house can add up to become around $75,000, or even more depending on the quality of upgrades you are looking to make.
Additionally, adding a second floor to your house requires your first floor to be strong enough to structurally sport the second floor easily. That is why home upgrades like these cost a lot of money.
Additionally, with the addition of a second floor, you will have to extend systems like HVAC, electricity, plumbing and others to the second floor, which adds to the total project cost. You might also have to take another house on rent as you might not be able to live in your house during the time frame of this project.
However, adding a second story to your previously existing house is a great project, especially if you cannot build out because of the smaller plot size.
Consider The Space
During the timeframe of your project, you will have to take another living space on rent as you will not be able to live in your house because of the construction project going on.
Another living space will be needed because you might not be able to use some systems like HVAC, electricity, and plumbing when they are being extended to the second floor.
That is why, when you are planning to start your project, you should also factor in the cost of getting another living space on rent.
How Much Do You Want To Build?
If you think that adding a second floor to your house will be beneficial for you, you should also choose between partial or full second floor construction. That is because, based on your needs, you might not need to match the square footage of your first floor in the second floor.
If you want to add a partial second floor, you should also make sure that it looks aesthetically pleasing. For this, you should hire a good design team. Adding a partial second floor on your house will help you save a lot of money on your second floor addition. Additionally, you will be able to cut the amount of time for which you will have to leave out of your house.
Keep The Timeline In Mind
Another important thing to consider when building up is the timeline of your project. If your area suffers from harsh weather conditions in a specific time of the year, you might want to plan your project in such a way that you won’t have to suffer from the harsh weather conditions during the project. Specially, the rainy season can be very tough on your house once the roof of your house is off and the project has started.
Also, you should keep important events in mind when starting the second floor project. Hire a good design team who will be able to complete your project in the shortest period of time without compromising on the quality, and without disrupting your life a lot. You should communicate well with your design team, and should provide them with your timeline to avoid facing any troubles.
Conclusion
These were some of the most important things you should consider before starting the project to add a second floor to your house. Considering these things will allow you to minimize disruptions during the addition. Also, get a good estimate of the total cost from home addition companies DC to avoid any financial troubles in this costly project.