Adding a second floor to a 1 family
Had few conversations with some GC and two architects so far, but they’re saying conflicting things: some would say that it’s possible to add a second floor to a 1 floor house as it is located in zone R5 and it would cost around 100,000\. some say it would cost 250K to 300K, one said you have to rip apart the whole house and redo it as a whole with reinforcing the beams, redo the electric , the plumbing, every thing to be able to add a second floor!!it’s like i’ve bought a land not a house The thing is the house has been redone completely a year ago electric, plumbing, reinforced steal beams and finished basement … can’t they just remove the roof and add a floor and extend the existing electric and plumbing system? that’s how I tought they would do? any opinions from architects,GC or people who have done this are welcome.
minoush
in Brownstoner Renovation 11 years and 10 months ago
13
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13 replies
renovator07 | 11 years and 9 months ago
Get an architect with some experience, and then listen to what she/he says. I assume your $100k number came from a contractor, because they like to pretend that no permits or professionals are needed for anything short of a new bridge to Jersey. At the end of the day, you want to house to be legal (so your homeowners insurance isn’t voided and you can sell the house later) and that it won’t fall down (or if it does it will be the Architect’s fault and not yours.)
dazednconfused2 | 11 years and 10 months ago
You may not needed to add sprinklers. If you’re keeping it a one family, or potentially even two,and the structure stays below 35′ tall, you may not need them.
brucef | 11 years and 10 months ago
Brian What, no coffee this morning? I read surgery for dummies from cover to cover before my first… exorcism.
minoush | 11 years and 10 months ago
I see that it’s not going to be a piece of cake. Plus,do we really need to put a sprinkler system all over the house too? Resident 2,the thing is we would love to move to a bigger house, but in our neighborhood there are no houses for sale, like there is only three for sale, no much listings come on the market, Astoria is the new Manhattan, when a good house is listed it’s sold in a heart beat and sometimes cash!!! needless to say we can’t compete with all cash people. It’s been 2 years looking,.
briank | 11 years and 10 months ago
I wonder where people like brucef learn language like “punt the liability” and “professional nonsense”. I assume that when needed, he self-administers his anesthesia and then quickly removes the ill parts from his body! Never succumb to the “professional nonsense” of doctors and hospitals :))))
resident2 | 11 years and 10 months ago
Without the benefit of knowing what kind of structure, foundations etc. that you currently have it is impossible to guestimate. But another thing to think about is: just because the zoning allows you to build bigger does not make it a good idea. Once you have built it, the Real Estate tax assessment will go up based on your “improvement”. After all the time, trouble and money to do it the kick of the increased Real Estate taxes, will certainly make you wonder why you did not just move to a bigger house. Why do you think developers all want and nead Real Estate Tax abatements to build anything?
arch007 | 11 years and 10 months ago
we have a lot of experience adding second stories to homes.
minoush | 11 years and 10 months ago
Thank you so much for your insights.
dazednconfused2 | 11 years and 10 months ago
I agree with the statements above, with the possible exception to bruce’s statement about the ability of the existing structure to support a second floor. Unless there’s something drastically wrong with the existing structure, a one-story structure will (almost) always support a second story. I would also expect the construction alone to cost at least $300,000\. Keep in mind that some of the existing structure will need to be modified to provide access to the new floor (where to put stairs, etc).
joearchitect | 11 years and 10 months ago
Even if it cost you $400,000, that would be a bargain. A whole floor is typically 800-1,000 sf – equivalent to a two bedroom apartment. Where in brownstone Brooklyn could you buy a new two bedroom apartment for $400,000?
curated | 11 years and 10 months ago
Definitely not getting done for anywhere close to 100k. When all is said and done assume at least between 300-400/sf for construction and soft costs. http://brownstoner.staging.wpengine.com/curated
brucef | 11 years and 10 months ago
At the time of construction, there woud have been no reason to specify materials and methods to provide structural support for an additional floor. A new DOB application would force the submitting architect to address the obvious question (see above). 9 times out of 10, a NYC archit will punt that liability to another professional – structural engineer. As I have amply expressed in previous rants, structural engineers are not wild and crazy guys. They get no respect, so have adopted uber-cautious solutions that basically worship at the temple of their arcane cult. Once they have spoken, it is impossible to get Pandora’s box closed. So in summary, 300K seems a minimum, with 50K frittered away in professional nonsense. Depending on your site, an extension is much easier to get approved, and often provides more bang for the buck. Exensions seem to add useable space right away, without the parasitic losses due to double stairwells.
Augustiner | 11 years and 10 months ago
It’s definitely not going down under 300k, and whoever gave you the 100k number is not professional to say the least. Yes there is a lot of filing to be made. Structural, electrical, plumbing. All systems need to be extended or looked at (eg you might need a bigger boiler, new electrical service and so on). If you have only one story underneath, it might be maybe worth it to tear the whole thing down because yes, it is easier to build from scratch.