Second floor extension plans: Second Floor Addition: Plans & Building Costs
Second Floor Addition: Plans & Building Costs
Written by Voitek Klimczyk
A common renovation for people looking to add major living space onto their home is building a second story addition. These large add a level renovations transform single level ranch and cape homes into spacious two story colonials.
I have designed several 2 story addition plans to help you get a good idea of how much an elaborate home renovation like this can cost you. In general adding pure living spaces, such as bedrooms and family rooms, is cheaper to construct than adding rooms with plumbing, like bathrooms. So if you add a second floor with only bedrooms, it will be much cheaper than doing the same add a level renovation with bedrooms and a single bathroom.
What Do My Second Story Plans Include?
All of my addition designs include a 3D Interior Room Design and Floor plan. I make them to help people visualize what’s possible and to help people understand the scope of the project.
‘give you a good idea of what can be done within the new spaces.
Need The Names of Good Addition Builders?
Skip to the form at the bottom of the page.
Second Story Addition Plans
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- 960 sq/ft Second Story Addition Plans and Costs
- Cape to a 2 Story Colonial with Garage Addition
- Ranch to a 2 Story Colonial Conversion
- Modular Add A Level Addition
- The Grand Second Story Addition Design
- View Two Story Extensions instead
Have You Hit The Remodeling Jackpot?
This website was developed as a tool to help homeowners plan, budget, and build a home addition with the same ease a general contractor would have.
What are the benefits of using the tools & remodeling advice on SimplyAdditions.com?
1.
Getting Real World Building Costs – There are over 40 pages of home addition estimates for today’s most common house extension projects. Explore design ideas and real world cost estimates to get familiar with where your project cost should be. Doing this will help you eliminate the contractors who are trying to score your job and reap excessive profits. As a seasoned GC (general contractor), I have to admit that sometimes even good contractors overprice projects during times when they already have a full construction calendar. They do this because they don’t need your business, but getting your business would be like winning a bonus for the year.
Did you know about this closely kept trade secret? Be this first to tell your friends.
2. See What Others Have Gone Through – Building a home addition is not something every homeowner tackles and with that being said Jim’s advice on his window replacement project will not prepare you for what’s coming ahead for you.
An addition build requires a lot of effort, time, patience, and money. Explore some of our favorite project stories to examine before and after photos and uncover little known details to help yourself better prepare for the road ahead. The end result will be fantastic and well worth it, if you follow our seasoned advice.
3. Learn Trade Secrets Only Retired Contractors Would Share – Some of the advice on our site is not exactly public domain.
It’s no secret that a general contractor would save a lot of cash and aggravation when building his own additions, so why not take advantage, millions of people already have!
Get a List of Good Contractors Right Here
All you have to do is fill out the form below and you will receive an email with contractors that I personally would call if I were building an addition myself. General Contractors are simply educated homeowners with really good interview questions and the know how to keep contractors in check.
Fill out the form below, then read my award winning articles about contractor hiring. You’ll be 10 steps ahead of every homeowner who doesn’t. (NO SIGN-UP, NO FEE, NO HASSLE)
From 2004 to 2010 I worked as a general contractor focusing my expertise on home addition building.
By the way, you should read my Headache Free Plan to Building Additions to prepare yourself prior to interviewing contractors.
Two Story Addition Plans and Costs Calculator
Written by Simply Additions
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Two Story Extension |
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In this picture you’re looking at a hefty 768 square foot house extension that gave this home an additional family room on the first floor and a master suite on the second floor. |
Two Story Extension Plans and Estimated Building Costs
These two story home addition plans are perfect for homes that are already two stories, but need a 2 story extension of the existing house to make room for additional rooms and amenities.
The most common 2 story addition transforms the existing house into an L or T shape as show in the picture on the right.
A common two story addition or multi-level addition will be the adding a family room to the first floor and adding a bedroom to the second floor.
Two Story Addition
Sometimes people confuse 2 story addition plans with adding another level to their house. When you want to add another floor, we call that the add a level house extension or second story addition. Check out both sets of plans to see the difference.
Quick Tip:You can also build a full basement underneath these 2 story extensions and remodel it in the future for even more living space.
Two Story Home Extension Plans
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- Two Story Home Extension 360 sq/ft
- Two Story Home Extension 512 sq/ft
- Two Story Home Extension 768 sq/ft
- View Second Story Addition Plans instead
Calculate Your Average Cost for Two Story Additions by Area
| Area | Cost |
| New England | $173,745 |
| Hartford, CT | $177,281 |
| Pacific | $183,801 |
| San Jose, CA | $197,264 |
| West South Central | $147,590 |
| Houston, TX | $149,064 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $188,747 |
| Mid Atlantic | $169,889 |
| Miami, FL | $159,938 |
| Boston, MA | $195,591 |
| New York, NY | $207,959 |
| Charlotte, NC | $149,136 |
| South Atlantic | $151,057 |
| Detriot, MI | $175,551 |
| East North Central | $163,914 |
National Avg. |
$161,925 |
2015 National Remodeling Averages Cost vs. Value Report from Remodeling Magazine. These building costs were factored for a 24′ x 16′ two story addition built over a crawl space. The first floor being a family room, with the second floor being a bedroom with a full bathroom. (See Master Suite Addition Plans).
Two Story Addition Projects Are Trending Again
Here’s some trending data I pulled from Google showing once again how the economy began improving starting in 2010.
Prior to October of 2010, there wasn’t even a blip on the search radar for home improvement projects that cost upwards of 100 grand.
Let’s look at the future forecast
The future for our economy looks positive according to Google.
Now is the perfect time to build your two-story addition!
Add-on houses. Add-on of the second floor
Add-on houses
When building a new house, in the project of which the second floor is already laid, you can not worry about the foundation and load-bearing walls – they are already designed for the expected loads. If you want to increase the living space of a habitable house, then it is better not to save and order an examination. Based on its results, you can find out the following:
- what is the technical condition of the foundation, walls and roof system of the house;
- what measures are best taken to strengthen the load-bearing structures;
- what type of superstructure is acceptable for a particular building;
- what is the approximate cost of the superstructure.
If it turns out that the intended load cannot be placed on the foundation and walls, the building will have to be reconstructed to strengthen the weak parts of the structure.
If you do not conduct a survey of the condition of the building, then it is best to further strengthen the second floor with load-bearing supports placed on their own foundation. This will help to avoid various unforeseen, emergency situations associated with a weak foundation of the house, deterioration of various structural elements, etc.
Which type of superstructure to choose
There are several ways to increase the useful area with the help of a superstructure:
- build a full-fledged additional floor;
- build an attic floor “from scratch”;
- convert the attic into an attic.
To make the right decision, first of all, you should decide for what purpose the superstructure is being built.
- To create an additional bedroom, a guest room or a place to relax, it is enough to build an insulated attic floor.
- If the goal is to acquire a creative workshop or build a wonderful greenhouse, you can limit yourself to converting the attic into an attic.
- The construction of an additional floor is recommended if several rooms are planned to be built on the attached area.
Bricks, blocks or concrete are heavy materials, and therefore put an increased load on the foundation, truss system and walls of the structure. Wooden and frame superstructures are much lighter and do not weigh the building much, which makes them the most preferable for increasing the number of storeys of the house.
Second floor extension
Ita frame house project can be used as a base and further completed according to the Fita project.
Professional builders most often use frame technology to build an additional floor. It is based on the construction of an internal frame, which is mounted along the contour of the building and subsequently performs a load-bearing function.
Construction frame technology is also chosen for the following reasons:
- light construction;
- minimum terms for assembly and installation of a structure;
- high heat saving performance;
- the ability to carry out construction work at any time of the year.
In addition, a skeleton superstructure is a smart choice when resources are limited. Compared to brickwork or the erection of a reinforced concrete structure, the financial costs of installing a wooden frame will be almost half as much.
Stages of construction
Erection of a frame superstructure on a log house, brick house or any other material involves the following works:
- dismantling of the roof;
- frame mounting;
- exterior wall cladding;
- insulation insert;
- installation of rafters;
- roofing work;
- interior trim.
Attic, second and subsequent floors can be initially included in the project during the construction of a new house or erected on an already finished, habitable structure. Frame technology is recognized as the fastest and most convenient way that is used for such cases.
Addition of the second floor of the house in the company Novosel
Addition of the second floor is the easiest, fastest and cheapest way to expand the area of a private house.
This need arises for a variety of reasons. For example, you bought a ready-made house or cottage in a good place, but there is not enough space for your family. Also, the addition of the second floor above part of the house allows you to significantly improve the layout, get additional rooms, including for children who have appeared in the family.
The company “Novosel” carries out the superstructure of the second floor in private houses in Tver, Tver, Moscow and adjacent regions. Get advice or you can call: 8(4822)75-14-90
Addition of the second floor. Work examples. Before and after
Price list
Walls
| No. | Name of work | Unit | Cost of works |
| 1 | Arrangement of a frame for lining or imitation of timber / logs | sq.m. | from 180 |
| 2 | Insulation of structures (per 1 layer 50 mm) | sq. m. |
50 |
| 3 | Lining of walls with clapboard, imitation of timber, logs | sq.m. | from 250 |
| 4 | Sanding profiled timber walls, logs | sq.m. | from 250 |
| 5 | Painting or impregnation of walls in 1 coat (inside) | sq.m. | from 60 |
| 6 | Painting or impregnating walls in 1 coat (outside) | sq.m. | from 60 |
| 7 | Sawing openings, trimming openings | m. | from 80 |
| 8 | Manufacture and installation of casing blocks | m. | 450 |
| 9 | Door installation without architraves | pcs. | from 2000 |
| 10 | Trim installation | m. | from 150 |
Floors
No. |
Name of work | Unit | Cost of works |
| 1 | Coating of floor beams with spray gun | sq.m. | 40 |
| 2 | Floor joist device | sq.m. | from 200 |
| 3 | Leveling and reinforcing the floor beams under the level (if already installed) | sq.m. | 80 |
| 4 | Installation of rough floors from edged boards | sq.m. | 100 |
| 5 | Floor insulation (per 1 layer 50 mm) | sq.m. | 50 |
| 6 | Installation of vapor barrier | sq.m. | 50 |
| 7 | Floor plank flooring | sq.m. | from 300 |
| 8 | Floor plank sanding | sq.m. |
from 250 |
| 9 | Plywood flooring 6-22 mm thick | sq.m. | 200 |
| 10 | Parquet flooring | sq.m. | from 280 |
| 11 | Laminate flooring | sq.m. | from 180 |
| 12 | Linoleum flooring | sq.m. | from 120 |
| 13 | Installation of floor plinth, layouts, corners | m. | 80 |
| 14 | Floor painting 1 coat | sq.m. | from 60 |
Ceilings
| No. | Name of work | Unit | Cost of works |
| 1 | Treatment of structures with a protective composition from an airbrush | sq.m. | 40 |
| 2 | Alignment of rafters under level | sq. m. |
from 60 |
| 3 | Insulation of structures (per 1 layer 50 mm) | sq.m. | 50 |
| 4 | Installation of vapor barrier | sq.m. | 50 |
| 5 | Arrangement of a frame for lining or imitation of timber | sq.m. | from 180 |
| 6 | Lining of ceilings with wooden clapboard | sq.m. | from 300 |
| 7 | Installation of wooden plinth, layouts | m.p. | 80 |
| 8 | Ceiling painting (price per coat) | sq.m. | 80 |
Tiles
| No. | Name of work | Unit | Cost of works |
| 1 | Arrangement of a floating frame on the walls | sq. m. |
from 200 |
| 2 | Sheathing of the frame for tiling (GVL, GKLV, etc.) | sq.m. | 200 |
| 3 | Sawing 45* tile corners | m. | from 450 |
| 4 | Laying standard floor tiles | sq.m. | from 500 |
| 5 | Laying standard wall tiles | sq.m. | from 500 |
| 6 | Porcelain stoneware installation (simple installation) | sq.m. | 600 |
| 7 | Porcelain stoneware installation (diagonal installation) | sq.m. | 700 |
| 8 | Laying a tiled border on walls | m. | 150 |
| 9 | Installation of tile layouts, corners | m. | 100 |
Plumbing
No. |
Name of work | Unit | Cost of works |
| 1 | Bath installation | pcs. | from 1500 |
| 2 | Jacuzzi installation | pcs. | 10-15% cost. |
| 3 | Shower cabin installation | pcs. | 10-15% cost. |
| 4 | Washbasin installation with vanity unit | pcs. | from 800 |
| 5 | Toilet installation (conventional) | pcs. | 1200 |
| 6 | Towel dryer installation | pcs. | 1800 |
| 7 | Heating radiator installation | pcs. | 1800 |
| 8 | Installation of water heater | pcs. | 800 |
| 9 | Mixer installation | pcs. |
from 500 |
| 10 | Sewer installation | m. | from 350 |
| 11 | Laying hot and cold water pipes | m. | from 350 |
| 12 | Installation of ball valve | pcs. | 190 |
| 13 | Installing pipe connector | pcs. | 190 |
Electrical work
| No. | Name of work | Unit | Cost of works |
| 1 | Sconce installation | pcs. | 350 |
| 2 | Chandelier installation | pcs. | 500 |
| 3 | Installation of spotlights | pcs. | 300 |
| 4 | Mounting cable channel | m. p. |
60 |
| 5 | Installation of a new electrical point | pcs. | 400 |
| 6 | Pulling the wire in the finished channel | m. | 60 |
Windows and doors
| No. | Name of work | Unit | Cost of works |
| 1 | Installation of T-shaped casing blocks | m.p. | 450 |
| 2 | Interior door installation | pcs. | from 2000 |
| 3 | Window installation | pcs. | from 1500 |
| 4 | Installing window sills | m.p. | 150 |
| 5 | Manufacture and installation of architraves and extensions | m. p. |
from 150 |
| 6 | Impregnation of platbands, layouts (for 1 layer) | m.p. | from 40 |
Other works
| No. | Name of work | Unit | Cost of works |
| 1 | Installation of gutter system | m.p. | from 290 |
| 2 | Front board installation | m.p. | 90 |
Roofing
| No. | Name of work | Unit | Cost of works |
| 1 | Installation of truss system | sq.m. | from 250 |
| 2 | Installation of vapor barrier | sq.m. | 50 |
| 3 | Lathing installation | sq. m. |
150 |
| 4 | Installation of counter battens | sq.m. | 100 |
| 5 | Installation of plywood or OSB | sq.m. | 200 |
| 6 | Installation of valley, end, eaves and ridge | m.p. | 150 |
| 7 | Installation of shingles | sq.m. | 350 |
| 8 | Installation of metal tiles | sq.m. | 250 |
| 9 | Installation of profiled sheet | sq.m. | 230 |
| 10 | Installation of ondulin | sq.m. | 180 |
| 11 | Treatment of structures with a protective composition from an airbrush | sq.m. | 40 |
| 12 | Roof system insulation (layer 50mm) | sq.m. |
50 |
| 13 | Gutter installation | m.p. | 290 |
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Full second floor or attic?
In practice, there is not always an urgent need to add a full-fledged second floor. In some cases, it is quite enough to reconstruct the roof, turning a non-residential attic into a residential attic. It is faster, cheaper and easier, but this solution also has a number of disadvantages. First of all, this concerns the usable area, which can be extracted by converting the attic into an attic. Due to the slopes of the roof, there will be much less functional space than in the case of the construction of straight walls of a full-fledged second floor. In the case of an attic with a gable roof, it will not be possible to equip even ceilings, which will require special solutions in the development and implementation of interior design. Also, the attic will allow you to place windows only along the gable part.
Total. If you want to extract a maximum of square meters from the superstructure, and also there is no desire to put up with sloping walls and ceilings, then preference should be given in favor of a full-fledged second floor.
Risk assessment
In turn, adding a second floor to an old house requires a preliminary risk assessment. Including, it is necessary to find out the bearing capacity:
- soil under the house;
- foundation;
- first floor walls.
Risk assessment is always carried out by experts. It is impossible to independently determine the possibility of adding a second floor. In some cases, after assessing the risks, the strengthening of the supporting structures – the foundation, walls and floors – is carried out. At the same time, a big advantage of a wooden superstructure (frame, beam or log) is the relatively low weight of the material, which often allows the reconstruction to be carried out without additional costs for strengthening the building.
Stages and technologies for the construction of a superstructure over a house
Implementation of a superstructure on the second floor in a private house includes the following steps:
- Risk assessment.
- Choice of technology and materials – log, beam, frame.
- Choice of roof configuration – gable, hip, shed, broken, and so on.
- Preparation of a reconstruction project and its approval.
- Dismantling of the old roof.
- Reconstruction of the interfloor ceiling – installation of a leveling strapping beam.
- Floor joist installation.
- Installation of walls from logs, beams or frame technology
- Roof construction.
- Finishing work.
A special point in the implementation of the superstructure is the arrangement of the stairs. It is also necessary to choose its configuration, consider its location, taking into account the available space and the required convenience.