Up vs. Out: Should You Add a: Second Story or Build a Ground-Floor Extension

Love where you live in the Greater Seattle area, but need more room to grow? You’re not the only one. Homeowners throughout Bellevue, Kirkland, and the rest of the Eastside are living in spaces that feel cramped with each passing year.

When it’s time for you to expand, there is no escaping the fact that you are left with two options: grow outward, or grow upward.

Choosing between a second story addition or a ground floor extension is one of the biggest decisions you will make for your home. Both come with unique structural demands, design possibilities, and financial realities. As an experienced second story addition contractor, the team at J Hanby LLC is here to help you weigh the pros and cons so you can choose the best path forward for your family and your budget.

Building Out: The Ground Floor Addition

Ground floor additions (or single-story additions) extend your living space in a horizontal fashion. These are traditional house extensions that entail extending your kitchen area, building a main-level master bedroom suite, or constructing a sunroom onto your backyard.

Benefits:

Little Disturbance to Your Daily Life: In contrast to the second-story extensions, a ground floor extension is less likely to cause major disruptions to your daily life as it entails building while you continue to live at home. We enclose the construction site from the rest of your home, minimizing your disturbance.
Accessible: You can add to your living space without having to move any space from its current position to make way for the staircase.

Drawbacks:

Reducing Backyard Space: Increasing your square footage means giving up some backyard space. For a smaller lot in an urban area such as Edmonds or Kirkland, this could mean a huge reduction in your backyard space.
Lot Coverage and Setbacks: Lot coverage regulations by the local municipality do not permit any construction beyond a certain amount of space. If the lot is fully covered according to zoning laws, you cannot build out.

Adding a Second Story to Increase Living Space

When asked “Is it cheaper to build up or out?” by homeowners, we have seen them shocked when we give an answe.

In theory, building out would mean digging out some land, laying down a whole new foundation, and placing a whole new roof on top of it. But building up means that you make use of your current foundation and don’t need any new pieces of land.

But second-story construction does come with a few structural expenses that need to be considered. Before any drywall is put up, your contractor will have to reinforce your current foundation, strengthen your first-story load-bearing walls, and frame for the massive weight of the second story. Not to mention the square footage lost on your first floor for the safe construction of the staircase.

The Verdict: In most cases, the ground floor addition will be less expensive and easier from an engineering perspective than adding another story. But if you have a foundation that needs little work done or you live somewhere where land is extremely expensive, then building up would give you the biggest bang for your buck.

Which Option is Better for Your Home?

The summarize the above building process, here are three important questions you can ask:

What is the size of your lot? A spacious yard and the ability to give up some lawn space make a one-story addition very feasible. In case you have a small lot, build vertically.
Is the zoning code of your area? There are very different zoning codes for different cities
Are you ready to leave your home during the construction? If not, choose a ground-floor addition.

Choose a Trusted Home Additions Specialist

Be it an addition to your ground floor or a stunning second story addition – the construction will require proper structural design, working with local building authorities and top-notch workmanship.

At J Hanby LLC, we offer quality second story additions and ground floor extensions tailored specifically for Pacific Northwest homes. We take pride in our transparent communication, professional budget management and execution of the projects. Ready for change? Contact us today and see what we can do together.