Need a Home Addition But Your Lot is Too Small? Think Pop-Top!
If your home is on a small lot but you need more living space, don't despair. Just "pop" your home's top with a pop-top home addition. We're not talking about just an attic conversion, but building an additional new level, or two, of prime living space on top of your existing home. And it's easier than you'd think with the use of modular additions. Here at Winn Design+Build, we not only have experience with pop-top additions, we have a whole division, Winn Modular, devoted to building beautifully crafted, high quality, custom modular additions.
Perhaps you just want to add one or two rooms over part of your home to make a private master suite, home office or bedrooms for the kids. Maybe you need lots more space so you want to add a new level over your entire home. You could move all the bedrooms from the first level to the new level, opening up tremendous options for how you can use your main floor. Just think about the possibilities!
Plan a second story home addition carefully
All home addition projects should be planned and engineered carefully, but adding additional levels to an existing home requires special expertise. Generally, the lower levels must be evaluated to make sure they can adequately support the upper levels and how you plan to use the new levels. In some cases, additional structural elements will need to be added to the existing home. If you plan on using the new level in a way that will put unusual loads on the floor, make sure we know this. What might be considered an "unusual" load? A large spa tub, fire safe, heavy pool table, or heavy exercise equipment fall into this category. All of these can be accommodated on upper levels of your home, if the new levels are designed and engineered properly.
Make it beautiful, inside and out
You always want an addition to look good with the exterior of the rest of your home. Second and third story additions are no different. When adding levels to a home, they shouldn't appear just "stuck on" and don't need to be, even with a modular addition. There are many opportunities to make the newly remodeled home look great, sometimes in a style similar to how it was before the addition and sometimes in a way that makes the home look totally different. Imagine transforming a single-level, "plain vanilla" ranch into a two-story Craftsman-style home.
How do I know if I can add more levels to my home?
The major factors that determine if it is possible to add more levels to your home are the design and construction of your existing home and zoning/building regulations. Sometimes environmental regulations will apply as well. Being experts in our area's regulations relating to zoning and building, we can help you determine if your home is a good candidate for adding another level. Just contact us and we can discuss the exciting possibilities.
Maintenance Tip: Check for Moisture Damage from Ice Dams
Ice dams, built-up ice along the roof overhang, cause millions of dollars of damage to homes each year. Warm air leaking from your home into the attic will melt the snow on your roof, and the run-off drains until it reaches the cold overhang where it refreezes. Melted water caught by these dams leaks into homes – damaging walls, peeling paint, and soaking insulation. Do a visual inspection of the edges of your roof to see if there is a build-up of ice. To avoid ice dams and the damage they can cause, make sure your attic is adequately insulated and ventilated.
Thank You for the Referrals and Repeat Business!
We'd like to thank Mrs. Morrison of Arlington for referring Mr. & Mrs. Davis of McLean to us. We'd also like to thank The Brilliant's of Vienna, previous Winn Design+Build clients, who have asked us to work with them on another project.
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Mike Winn |
