The Differences Between Second Storey And Ground Floor Home Additions

Posted by Cooper Crossley on June 19th, 2018

When it comes to expanding your home, the choices for extensions that are available to you depends on the size, shape, and other factors of your home. For many homeowners, having a 2nd storey or ground floor extension are both realistic choices. In this post, we will show you the pros and cons for these two choices.

Ground Floor Addition 

If you have enough room on your property for your home to extend outwards, you should consider a ground floor addition. These are great ideas for creating more living spaces and extending existing living spaces to the outdoors. The problem with ground floor additions is that with the more indoor space you obtain, the more outdoor space you will lose. If you have the perfect backyard, you might not be willing to make any sacrifices. You might be more inclined to make this decision if you have not made much use of your outdoor space. 

In some circumstances, it can be more expensive than 2nd storey additions, especially since the extension would be built upon ground that requires additional work in order for the extra living space to exist. 

Granted that you do not plan to extend multiple rooms at once, you should be able to continue living in the home while one addition is being added. That is not to say that it won’t get dirty and/or noisy at times. When all is said and done, construction is going on, and it is something every homeowner should expect, as if a new house was being built. The noise stemming from this construction will only go on in the daytime, so it will not really impact you unless you have a baby, work from home, or work a late shift every day.
Second Storey Addition 

If you need additional room, but can’t or do not want to extend out, you will likely prefer to extend upwards more. 2nd storey additions can be added to most houses and are often less expensive than ground floor additions. 

You might be thinking that you might not be able to live at home as construction is going on upstairs, but while construction can be quite noisy, living in your home is still possible while construction is going on. Ideas for second storey additions include an extra bedroom, so that you can accommodate more people for a family that is quickly growing.

Because the 2nd storey addition is being built on top of your home, they avoid any potential conflicts that ground floor additions might have. You don’t need to pay to have the ground flattened as long as home builders can simply create new floors for you to access.

Additionally, the value in your home will go up dramatically. Homes with second storey additions sell for much more than ground floor additions simply because the home will accommodate more people with additional bed and bathrooms. 

For a second storey addition, a part of or all of your roof will be removed in order to make easy additions to your second storey. Wall frames and a roof structure for the second storey is also included in these plans, followed by roof tiles, windows, and external wall cladding.

The noise, compared to ground floor additions might not be too unbearable, as the majority of the work would be taking place from upstairs, outside of the home. Second story additions also are protected from weather conditions, as the home under construction is protected by a tarp. With this, do not expect your home to get that much dirty and dusty compared to ground floor additions.

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