Construction costs are crazy expensive on west coast compared to tx so I would n't know if it's ok. You can build about twice the floorspace if you can use a new footprint to add a two story addition.

I'll second what Ichabod said.

But honestly, you can't create a budget just by guessing. I'd suggest you get a couple of design-build firms in to consult and ask them for a ballpark number. Then add about 25-50% on top of that, and you'll have a much better budget.

Not even close to enough budget. The foundation will need to be reinforced, as well as the first floor framing. If will approach the costs for an all new build. Without giving you an all new house.

I'd start thinking about a tear down.

I find it unlikely that the foundation or frame would need reinforcing except possibly for additional tie downs and lateral bracing unless the original construction was substandard. The footing will need to be exposed to be sure it is adequate and underpinned if it isn't. That cost shouldn't be a deal breaker but poor bearing soil would be.

It can get very expensive in California because of additional and stricter seismic and other code requirements. Of the folks I've known who looked into this, only one did the second-story addition -- the others tore down and started over, or just moved.

Good luck!

My friend was quoted 400K-or so I remember-for a very similar job..she's in SF area. They decided not to do it. They've rented their place, and moved into a (much) bigger house..

If I recall, someone in the kitchen forum had a thread about this and they were quoted $645,000 to add a second floor. I don't recall the size.

I simply do not understand where a person gets the money to pay for something like that... unless they are up to their eyeballs in debt or something... 645K???

I question the legitimacy of that $650,000 bid. People renovate all the time and would not be able to afford that kind of proposed pricing, nor would it be worth it. This is not California but is probably one of the more expensive areas in the country.

Re the $645K quote mentioned by cpartist above. I would not necessarily use it for comparison as real estate in that particular city is extremely expensive. Median home is over $2.5 million, and we are not talking about mansions on large parcels.

While what Oaktown said about real estate prices is true (2M$ for a bare lot, thanks in part to people that click on Google and Facebook ads) that has limited impact on construction prices. I don't think construction prices are going to be that much different in the next town north, south, or even east. Not for the same (quality) result. Maybe 10% for the city's extra rules, etc.?

But what is true here (since I live in the same town) is that adding a second story to a house of that era is going to be expensive. Two huge changes: code for earthquake and the fact that stuff built in the post-war boom tended towards the minimum they could get by with ... or a little less.

I have a support post sitting on top of a random chunk of concrete in my cottage.

There was a time when people did second story add ons in this area. But I think they're pretty few and far between now. The land value is just too high. It's not "that much more" to tear down. And, if it matters, for purposes of resale, there's a good chance that a house of that era is remodeled but not well is still going to be viewed as a tear down by a number of potential buyers,

I don't think some of that's as true of some of the nice stuff built before the war.

The city also isn't crazy about 2nd story add ons; it requires architectural review with all sorts of review of façade, character, etc.. We even have special zoning that forbids 2nd story, additions or builds, in certain (often Eichler-rich) areas.

I thought about doing a second story at one point but my cottage came to my rescue: my lot is R-1 but I have a grandfathered cottage. But any change to floor area starts by requiring I come up to current zoning, i.e., tear down the cottage. That's not going to happen.

" (2M$ for a bare lot, thanks in part to people that click on Google and Facebook ads) "

What does this mean?

As far as construction costs not varying by very much or much town to town, I would have to disagree. The zip code tax can be quite steep around here. One contractor confessed he charges twice as much depending on the neighborhood. Being near a large city also has a big effect on construction costs.

Sorry. Didn't mean to be obscure. Google and Facebook are headquartered close by and that's commonly considered a significant source of pressure, on both rental and purchase price.

I didn't mean that construction pricing doesn't vary, just that it doesn't vary that much in this particular area. It's already high and not discounted much by location ... though some areas tend to see higher end choices than others with the result that projects have higher values.

I was referring to cost of labor regarding construction costs, not material selection, although they will charge more to cover the risk involved in working with more expensive materials.

There are a number of reasons for different rates. Some make sense, others are unethical, but it is not a popular concept for those who have to pay the higher prices.

Making money is now "unethical"?

There's been a whole thread on my city's Nextdoor about why people should be "forced"/"encouraged" to sell their houses below market. It's a very dramatic thread.

As to labor costs, in my area, i haven't experienced a higher cost because of my zip. My experience is that there's too much competition for that. Not that any of the contractors actually live in my zip ... well one, a spec builder, does ...

My experience is that bids/costs reflect not where I live but where the contractor lives. The further away, the cheaper (except for specialty stuff like plaster). That correlates with their cost of living.

But demand is really high right now and costs reflect that (which basic economics expects.) My GC who only does one big project at a time( and mine is his current project) told me he had a couple of people ask for bids on small jobs while we were waiting on permits. He highballed the bids because he really didn't really want them and still won the jobs.

Supply and demand.

Making money is now "unethical"?

Of course there are plenty of ways to make money that are unethical. ?

Charging someone more than others simply because you see they have a lot of money is one of them. That is the equivalent of stealing. So is falsifying hours by working slowly - milking a job. Or Zip Code = 34102 = raise rate 50%.

So, is giving someone a discount because you want to help them out also unethical? Hey, let's charge the poor old guy on food stamps the same rate as we do the millionaire across town!

All contract work has variable rates depending on any number of variable circumstances. Including the ability of the person to pay the bill. There is nothing unethical about having a higher margin on a job for any reason whatsoever. Higher expectations from a customer certainly means a higher price even on "the same" job. No two jobs are the same, to get the same pricing.