Cost of addition

T

TTTrojan4life_IHB

New member
I own a 1923 home in Fullerton, 1,200 sq. ft. I want to add a master bedroom and a bathroom. I am wondering how much approximately it will run. Is it more expensive/cheaper to add a second upstairs floor? I have looked online for some idea, but cannot find anything. I don't particularly want to contact a contractor just yet either.
 
Depends on a million factors (can the existing house support a second floor, what is the condition of the soils, etc., etc.). I will say, assuming you have enough room to legally add the addition to the first floor (enough setbacks), single floor houses are superior to two story houses, IMHO, for the same square footage, even if you eat up a little of your yard to add on. Not having to climb stairs is a big plus.
 
Yes, there are a lot of factors but I know you want a number. From my experience, something like that right now (depending on type of materials and size) will cost anywhere between 85K-150K. There really are far too many factors to be any more specific, but I would say it will take at least that much. The biggest issues and money/time wasters are all of the permits, it's just a nightmare depending on the city. Good luck.
 
Does anyone know how bad the permit process is in Irvine- TRock? I see many homes that have been updated/additions added. How long is the process for these permits if anyone knows?



thanks
 
When I was a buyer, I couldn't stand houses in older neighborhoods like Fullerton that had second story additions that looked like afterthoughts or which were crappy self-designed disasters. IMO, if you build up, be willing to spend more for a good architect and contractor. I looked at many 1100-1400 sq. ft. homes in Fullerton that can easily accommodate a master suite on the ground floor with a decent sized backyard remaining.
 
Access to second floor required a minimal stairs area of 4'x14' out of your current ground floor.

Tear up old roof and add a new roof on second floor.

Additional loading requires the strengthening of foundation due to heavy bathroom criteria.

Lack of ground floor shear wall for second story addition.

Rip out existing roof rafters and replace with floor joists.

Heavy up existing walls for upstairs weight.

50 other additional items too lengthy to mention.



If you have the land then single story rear addition to the back is the cheapest.
 
[quote author="bkshopr" date=1248172406]Access to second floor required a minimal stairs area of 4'x14' out of your current ground floor.

Tear up old roof and add a new roof on second floor.

Additional loading requires the strengthening of foundation due to heavy bathroom criteria.

Lack of ground floor shear wall for second story addition.

Rip out existing roof rafters and replace with floor joists.

Heavy up existing walls for upstairs weight.

50 other additional items too lengthy to mention.



If you have the land then single story rear addition to the back is the cheapest.</blockquote>


This is also why you see so many fugly 2nd story additions over garages. It is cheapest to tear out an existing garage, and then re-build with a second story properly supported, than to try to add a 2nd story over the existing residential portion of the house.



<strong>god I hate those fugly additions, particularly when they dominate the front of the house.</strong>



<img src="http://media.cdn-redfin.com/photo/46/bigphoto/355/S553355_0.jpg" alt="" />



<blockquote>FIXER! Great buy. This home has tons of potential, fixer, needs work! Formal Living room with fireplace. 4+ bedrooms, 2 story, 2 Car garage and close to campus. Halecrest home. Property is sold 'as is'. Tax assessor shows 1,127 square feet, there is additional space may not be permitted.</blockquote>
 
Thank you for the responses. I am going to pursue adding the room and bathroom on the ground level. I am going to look around- contractors are a desperate lot these days, maybe I can get a good price.
 
[quote author="TTTrojan4life" date=1248175010]Thank you for the responses. I am going to pursue adding the room and bathroom on the ground level. I am going to look around- contractors are a desperate lot these days, maybe I can get a good price.</blockquote>


You also need an architect, the architectural advice of a contractor isn't always the best, especially when dealing with a vintage home. My advice is to search for a good architect first, then find a contractor that he/she recommends. There are some valuable resources on this site which are available if you ask. No one here is trying to advertise, so you really do need to ask.
 
Which neighborhood do you live in? Do you like it? I'd love to hear yours thoughts on Fullerton as we hope to buy something in Golden Hills or Raymond Hills.



Regarding the addition, I've seen a couple tasteful additions in historic Fullerton. I agree with the other poster that there is a big risk that you will compromise the unique historical character. Especially if you go cheap. Buyers of historical homes value quality over quantity. Choose your architect and builder carefully. Only work with people experienced in historical properties. If the addition looks obvious and out of place surely your home will lose value. Plus, you'll have to live in the ticky tacky house that is the black sheep of the neighborhood.



If you live in one of Fullerton's preservation zones they are going to require quality materials and a design representative of the original architecture. People got away with murder in the past but a strong coalition of homeowners were successful in a "stop mcmansionization" campaign a few years ago. Plus the city is really pushing to revitalise the downtown and the historical homes. As a result expect the city to be restrictive.



<a href="http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/birds-eye-view-map/25122109_zpid/#street-view">Here is an example of a tasteful second story addition in Fullerton</a>



Notice how the second story is set to the back of the house. From a distance the second story looks much narrower and shorter than it really is. If the addition was placed on the top and towards the front the result would be a disaster. Also the didn't try too get too creative with the second story. Clean simple lines allow the front original part of the house to be the attention grabber.



Now contrast that to <a href="http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/birds-eye-view-map/25121838_zpid/#street-view">this house with a sub-par additon</a> Note:zillow maps shows the side of the house. click on the left arrow to view the front of house from Richman. Both these houses have the second storyset to the back. But this one is much more obvivous. They got the first part right with setting the additon to the back of the house. But they have a piched roof with two awkward flaps one side and a balcony of the other side. It's got too much going on and it draws your eye directly to the addition.



Interesting enough if you google the first home's address Danco Construction is listed at the address. Maybe the owner did the additon themselves and could do yours as well. If I were you I'd find a home with a tasteful additon in the neighborhood, or any historic neighborhood nearby, knock on their front door and ask them who did it, how much, etc. They would probably even love to show off the insides to you. If your too shy to go to the front door, I believe you can find out the contractors and architects listed on the city permits easily access for free on the web.
 
[quote author="TTTrojan4life" date=1248175010]Thank you for the responses. I am going to pursue adding the room and bathroom on the ground level. I am going to look around- contractors are a desperate lot these days, maybe I can get a good price.</blockquote>


Considering that this will be the home that you live in, perhaps it would be a better policy to focus on finding a <strong>good </strong>contractor rather than a cheap one. You may also find that, all told, it is less expensive at the end of the day.



-IR2
 
I also live in an older neighborhood and the only second story additions that are acceptable to me are in the back of the house and barely noticeable from the street. Please take all of our advice and find a good architect and contractor who is knowledgeable about permits, historic homes and aesthetic value.
 
Bk, you are probably most qualified to answer his original question. But let's assume he takes our advice and gets an architect and uses a contractor that knows how to use quality materials such as plaster. What would be your rough estimate of cost for a 1,000 square foot second story addition with master bedroom and bath?
 
Second story to a 1923 home could be expensive due to a number of factors. Removing and tearing up old homes such as the roof to add a second floor meant opening a can of worm. You just don't know the domino effect. The current home would not be able to support the second floor seismically. Historic renovation and addition could be expensive if done right. Unless the owner really don't care then it would be wrong match for the owner with a vintage home.



Due to retrofitting and strengthing raised foundation work this is no easy task. A good plan and elevation that carefully blend the 2 levels together as the home was originally built like that back in 1923. Style of the home is important. If it is a Craftsman Bungalow then second story will look like an addition. 1923 was a year that Bungalow had already fallen out of fashion.



If it is a Spanish then cost would be cheaper than Craftsman or French Cottage. Due to the steep pitch roof of a cottage it is difficult to pull off a second story gracefully blending into the single story roofscape. Spanish would run at least into $150/sf while both French and Craftsman would even be much higher for replicating some old details.



A single story buried at the back would be the cheapest since it can tolerate modern sloppy craftsmanship and won't deter from the original charm of the home.



Owning a vintage home is a privilege in OC since there are so few of them. The proper stewardship is to improve it along the same line of pedigree. There are too many bad renovation hybrids that just ruin the house and it can ruin the neighborhood as well.
 
[quote author="bkshopr" date=1248180530]If it is a Craftsman Bungalow then second story will look like an addition. </blockquote>


This is so true. It's like everyone that does a second story on a craftsman thinks "well the triangle roof on the first floor looks good so why not just layer on the triangle roofs to the sky like this:

<img src="http://media.cdn-redfin.com/photo/46/bigphoto/677/P680677_2.jpg" alt="" />
 
[quote author="bkshopr" date=1248181685]That is a great Crapsman style.</blockquote>


In this case, it seems that the front of the house looks worse than the second story.
 
[quote author="bkshopr" date=1248181685]That is a great Crapsman style.</blockquote>


So they must have placed the upstairs toilet above the entry in this home too. I feel sorry for the poor sh*thead who buys a home like that.
 
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