Architectural Designs

Adding an extra storey to our house?

my dad is planning on adding an extra storey to our house so we will have a two-storey house. But i think he should just knock down the whole house and rebuild it so itll look like those luxury homes(split). Our kitchens really old, our carpet makes noises when we walk on it, our bricks reddish brown, our walls have cracks. Our house is like a classic home from the 80's and we want a modern one with those marble tables and stuff. I have been trying to convince my dad to knockdown and rebuild our house with Clarendon and build those beautiful splits(since we are on a corner and our street has a slope). But he doesnt listen. Hes spending 210,000 on extensions whereas if he would pay 230,980 he would build a beautiful split. How can i convince him to stop with the plan of additions.

Public Comments

1. its money and his to spend that is why hes doing it his way.
2. I doubt you can. sounds like he is a person set in his ways. but keep trying
3. You may not like some of the things I'm going to tell you because they may not necessarily support your cause, but If your open minded I will try to help. First, There are issues here that are not being considered in the numbers. If your father takes down your house to build a new one where are you going to live? The $20,000 difference could be more around $40,000 with rent and all the costs of relocating during the construction. Another thing that is not clear is the square footage you are receiving for each of these investments. The split-levels that you are referring too are usually more spread-out therefore they tend to have higher foundation costs and a longer run for the heating duct work and plumbing systems. Although it is not unheard of, they typically do not stack floors over both sides of the house in a split level design, Therefore the cost per square foot for a split level is usually much more than a convensionally stacked floor plan. Your father is probably able to have a home that is 400 -500 square feet larger than the split level for $20,000 less. up until now I've told you all the things that you probably don't want to hear. Now it your turn. The danger of adding square footage by various additions can cause problems. If your father has not yet talked to an Architect, I strongly suggest he do so. People often make decisions that effect other issues that they would never even think of and they usually have regrets later. I know this because I am an Architect. I have been contacted to fix Awful mistakes that could have been avoided if the call had been made prior to taking the ball in their own hands. The number one mistake homeowners make is that they do not know their own limitations and they make decisions without consulting the Proper professionals. I'm not trying to sell my profession as the only option. There are many exceptional builders that have design professionals on staff. But I would probably not leave the design of the addition up to the contractor. By hiring a design professional along with the contractor you will have 2 people that are not being paid by the same company looking out for your best interest. Together, A good contractor will make suggestions to improve on the design and a good Architect will assure that the design is being properly installed. For the design of an Addition to most Traditional Architectural types to be susseccful you should not be able to distinguish between the original and the addition. Typical problems that are common with additions: -The exterior and interior are often designed without consideration for each other. -You need to account for the stair way area somewhere within the existing floor plan. This can often eat-up valuable floor space and mess with the circulation of the space. - You need to create duct chases through the existing space to heat and cool the second floor. - You need to provide additional heating and cooling. Probably through a second system. Balencing of a second system within a open floor plan can be difficult. There will be cross-over. -You may need to replace the electrical panel depending upon your service. -working on existing buildings there are unforseen conditions buried within the building that will not show themselves until you start the construction. ++++MOST IMPORTANTLY: The structural integrity of the existing house rarly will support an addition of the $ size you are referring to without extensive reinforcing, replacing or renovating. If your house was built in the 80's it likely has roof trusses. a typical roof truss is not structurally sound to support a floor so the roof and the ceiling will need to be removed completely in the area of the addition. Once you do this the outside walls will want to fall down. The bottom of a roof truss laterally braces the outside walls. It takes extensive shoring to keep the structure of your house intact while you do this type of addition. If your house is a single story built in the 80's and is wider than 26' you will likely have to provide a weight bearing wall down the center of the house to support the second floor. If you don't already have this in place it would require that you place foundations in your basement to support a steel beam running down the middle of your basement that would allow you to support the weight bearing wall that would be required on the first floor supporting the second floor. If it 26' and under you can find wood floor trusses that will span from outside wall to outside wall. If you do not have the structural integrity within the existing house to support the addition and you will still have extensive renovation work to modernize the existing home your father may find that the expenses to build new, may be more comparable than the numbers he has received. If he hasn't already, have your Dad talk to an Architect and a Structural Engineer to get a better idea of the extent of the work. Their assessment may support your possition.