Challenges of Adding a Second Story Addition above a …

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Bob Benedict | January 8, 2016

A second story room addition above an existing garage can make a substantial change to your current homes curb appeal and of course create an increase to your living space. However, like all remodeling projects, adding a second story addition has a broad range of complexity and challenges.

Despite the overall complexity, one of the simplest second story additions is to add new living space above an existing garage. Most 2-car garages in our area are roughly 440 to 500 square feet. Adding this much space is enough for a really nice master suite, or a couple of kids bedrooms plus full bathroom or a bedroom, bathroom and nice laundry room or some combination of these rooms.

Before 2nd Story above garage

Here are some of the challenges to adding a second story addition above the garage:

1) One of the more obvious challenges is aligning the new floor above the garage with the existing second floor of the house.

This can be very challenging and typically involves shortening or increasing the height of the existing garage walls and changes to the existing door and window headers so that the new and old floors align correctly.

2) Blending the new exterior to the existing so that the addition cannot be detected can be challenging from a fit and finish perspective, and from an aesthetic perspective.

2nd Story Addition Above Garage

Many times the exterior finish of the garage and main house may be more than 20+ years old. The difficulty is finding siding, shingles, brick or stone to match the existing house so the addition can be clad with an exterior that matches or complements the existing house. A garage is a large structure, so the architect/designer needs to be careful to not draw attention away from the main house when adding the additional mass of a second story on top of a garage.

3) Building a stiff floor with the long spans of the garage below.

Garages are typically 20 to 24 from front to back and side to side. These long open spans can make it difficult to build a stiff floor. Designing a floor system to support the people and rooms above and not interfere with car parking below can be difficult. The floor needs stiff enough so it complies with the code, does not bounce, and tiles dont crack. The thicker the floor system the less bounce and the fewer posts needed in the garage. The challenge is to keep the new floor from interfering with the garage door as it opens, and to align with the existing second floor.

4) Creating a balanced heating and cooling of the new space.

Balanced heating and cooling of the new space is critical, and can be challenging. Comfort of the occupants, energy efficiency, and protecting pipes from freezing is the heating and cooling systems job. Most HVAC systems in our area are in the center of basements which renders them ineffective and inefficient in providing adequate heating and cooling above a garage. Some sort of additional system design is almost always required. The good news here is that there are many very good options available to accomplish this task. Tip: The cost of spray foam insulation has come down quite a bit over the past couple years. At a minimum, consider spending a few extra dollars to have the floor above the garage spray foam insulated. This will help reduce the HVAC load and increase comfort.

2nd Story Addition Above Garage Completed

Before addition above garage

5) Creating a smooth flowing transition from the existing interior living space to the new space above the garage.

Transitioning from the existing living space to the new space above the garage can be very challenging. Sometimes space in an existing bedroom or even a bathroom has to be sacrificed to create access into the new addition above the garage. Contrary to that scenario there are some homes that only require a minor change to the interior such as removing a closet at the end of a hall to access the new space.

6) Extending plumbing pipes and drains to a new bathroom or laundry room above a garage can be very challenging and can have a significant impact on other areas of the existing house.

The location of the existing house waste water drain can substantially increase complexity. If the existing drain connection is in the middle of the house, you may incur significant drywall damage, framing reconfiguration, cabinet removal or even duct relocation to extend the new drain to the existing.

The challenges of adding a second story addition above a garage can be substantial, but if you have the right house, in the right neighborhood, and need more space; this is one way to gain the space.

What does it cost to add a room above the garage? As with all remodeling projects, when it comes to cost, the key phrase is It Depends. It depends on the number of challenges, the difficulty of the challenges, the level of fit and finish, and how much the space the project impacts other parts of your home.

So- very roughly- an easy to execute, simple fit and finish, basic addition above a garage could be as low as $275 per square foot. This assumes that all the stars align. If you are thinking about this type project I would start at $300+ per square foot because star alignment is a rare occurrence.

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