Contractor/remodeling question

Discussion in 'Horn Depot' started by Jeevsie, May 5, 2008.

  1. Jeevsie

    Jeevsie 100+ Posts

    Here's a picture of a house I'm looking at buying:

    [​IMG]

    The only drawback to the house is it does not have a gameroom. Is it feasible to add to the second floor above this living room? See the balcony there? That is halfway up the stairs to the second floor. I envision go straight and up a couple of steps to the game room or take a left and go up to the bedrooms.

    Here is the backside of that wall:

    [​IMG]

    What price range would work like that be?
     
  2. Ignatius

    Ignatius 1,000+ Posts

    You're going to tear off half the roof (at least the part we can see in this photo) and raise all of the walls, in addition to constructing a new floor. Then, above that you're going to frame out a new room, add electrical, repair all the damage to the room below, insulate/drywall/paint/texture everything in both rooms, and add a new roof. You also probably stand a decent chance of ******* up those nice floors. This is $75K if it's a penny, and likely more than that...

    Do you have room in the backyard behind the wall where the fireplace is to add on a gameroom? It would be much, much less money, plus you don't put the 'TV room' on the same level as the bedrooms, which is a plus if you have kids or will be selling this house at some point to someone who does...
     
  3. NCAAFBALLROX

    NCAAFBALLROX 1,000+ Posts

    I do think it's 'possible' but then you have to make a distinction between the ability to do so, vs. the finished look of both the upstairs & down plus overall useability of either space.

    Structurally (ability to do so) this is an easy build.

    The problem I see is that you are altering the downstairs into a possibly underserved or unuseable space & the new room above won't give you the square footage you would hope for.

    As soon as this stupid new Photobucket uploading tool works, I'll post a an edit to your photo that shows my concerns.

    As for price, I will guess it will come in around $ 15,000.00.

    & Of course you should balance this cost against the overall marketability of the neighborhood & the potential new price point you might ask.

    *Note: My price point has zero to do with the roof & if the Photobucket pic pops, you'll see what I'm talking about. It also doesn't include any changes to the "downstairs" other than having a support beam on the floating corner.

    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
     
  4. NCAAFBALLROX

    NCAAFBALLROX 1,000+ Posts

    [​IMG]

    Does this make sense?

    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
     
  5. Ignatius

    Ignatius 1,000+ Posts

    NCAA, if that wasn't workable and you had to preserve (say) 8 feet of floor-to-ceiling space in the existing room, what would your top-of-the-head guess be?
     
  6. NCAAFBALLROX

    NCAAFBALLROX 1,000+ Posts

    Iggy,

    What would my guess be as to cost or what would my guess be... ?

    The design I'm suggesting does preserve about 8' in the "downstairs" (i.e. splitting the room into a top & bottom half)... the only hesitation in how far towards the windows you get a useable room is in what floor to ceiling height you get on the new space you've just created.

    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
     
  7. TexasEd

    TexasEd 1,000+ Posts

    I think the ceiling of the downstairs room is too low or the ceiling of the upstairs room is too low if you don't raise the roof. Remember that floor/ceiling will probably be at least a foot thick.
     
  8. NCAAFBALLROX

    NCAAFBALLROX 1,000+ Posts

    That's why, without the interior space # 's I wouldn't be able to make a good guess as to what your useable space in the new room might be like.

    As it is, I don't really think you'll get much of a room unless you follow the suggestion on the first price guess.

    [​IMG]

    The beam that is in there (with the fan) is an important component. You've got a long span going on there & it has to have some sort of an engineered beam (probably has an OSB engineered truss of some sort).

    To go with a 3:12 or less on the new slope means your roof covering should be in metal or something like a CertainTeed FlintLastic S/A. Anything under 4:12 should NOT be a 3 Tab or Dimensional shingle, per BOCA / ICBA / NRCA guidelines.

    You're definitely looking @ no attic space of any kind in this room; look @ the back wall - there are two A/C vents & that's because you can't run any ducting where there is no space for the mechanicals.

    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
     
  9. jimmyjazz

    jimmyjazz 2,500+ Posts

    I lifted ~ 980 sf and added a 2nd story for CHEAP. It was $140K, but some of that (maybe $30K) included remodelling downstairs.

    What you want to do is expensive.
     
  10. l00p

    l00p 10,000+ Posts

    JJ, did you add a second floor because of lot restrictions or yard size or you just wanted a second floor? I may one day add to the back bedroom of my house and the thought of a second floor never occurred to me. Then again, I don't want to add all that much square footage, not a second floor worth.
     
  11. NCAAFBALLROX

    NCAAFBALLROX 1,000+ Posts

    Loop, the general rule says "It's always cheaper to go UP than OUT..." concrete is expensive.

    An older home might need some kind of structural modifications to support a 2nd floor, however, so the consultation of an arky-tek or engineer (structural*) might be in order.

    * "Mechanical Engineers: We build weapons. Structural Engineers: They build targets."

    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
     
  12. jimmyjazz

    jimmyjazz 2,500+ Posts


     
  13. Jeevsie

    Jeevsie 100+ Posts

    You guys are great. This is what I needed to know. The house is still an option, but this gives me something to think about.
     
  14. Longhorn_Fan68

    Longhorn_Fan68 1,000+ Posts

    Hornfans just saved you a couple hundred bucks in consulting fees. You owe everyone on this thread a beer. [​IMG]
     
  15. NCAAFBALLROX

    NCAAFBALLROX 1,000+ Posts


     
  16. zzzz

    zzzz 2,500+ Posts

    Today's WSJ ($), "Ceilings Come Down to Earth" :The Link

     
  17. Jeevsie

    Jeevsie 100+ Posts

    Ha! What a timely article!

    This house is not an option anymore anyway. [​IMG]
     

Share This Page