First off, you will need to make sure the existing house foundation will support the additional weight.

Where plumbing and ductwork will go. Where the stairs will be. Consistent scale and style. Views. Your relationship with your neighbors, now and after. The cooperative and creative relationship between you and your architect.

Possible house height limitations set by your municipality, set backs required on your lot, and any limits about how much square footage can be built on the lot and any restrictions on the number of people who can live in the residence.

Your first trip should be to the governmental office that grants permits for construction. They should be able to advise you or direct you to an online source that calls out construction requirement. Do that at the same time you consult a structural engineer to find out if your foundation or slab/footings can support a second story.

It's really expensive to do this, and it is really hard to make the end result actually look nice.

Certainly with enough money and a talented architect anything is possible - but there is a strong chance it will cost you more to do this than it would to buy a different house with more space.

Check Zillow for house prices. An estimate for a house like yours and a two-story in your neighborhood similar to what you'll end up with. The difference can be the amount you'll need to beat to get your project done. And you should beat that figure by a decent amount to make it worthwhile because you'll be experiencing major inconveniences.

Some of the info shared here doesn’t match what we were told by our builder when considering doing this. At the time we were looking at bungalows in established neighbourhoods in Vancouver. Many of the streets had people who had added second floors. For many reasons this made more sense than building new and was more cost effective. The footprint was grandfathered in where it was, was a major one for many. We ended up buying a house to tear down because we wanted a bigger footprint but the two homes we offered on before that would have been ones we added floors to.

Is this for the house you recently built?

A few weeks without any precipitation would main thing I'd be looking for.

Hi Mark! No, that house is perfect as is. I am thinking to escape hot summer here near a beach. There's a small cottage house, probably not even 900 sq-ft. It would work if I could add a second floor. The foundation is in the sand supported by what looks to be sturdy beams. But it sounds expensive. Not sure if I can swing it.

Along those same lines, a crystal ball and a magic wand.

Leave the cottage as is. Add a bunk house or addition but not a second floor.

@Mark Bischak, Architect Ha Ha!

@WestCoast Hopeful The thing is it will commend an incredible view from the second floor. Since the foundation beams are exposed, I am hoping it may be easier to strengthen them if needed for a second floor? Cross bracing may do it?

Be mindful of your home’s foundation strength and local building permits. Make sure the structure can support a second story and check all approvals before starting.

Contact a local architect.

It is kind of a chicken and an egg thing, you want to know if something can be done but you do not know exactly what something is. Depending on what you want to add will determine what to watch for. A generic question of "Can I add a second floor to a house?" gets a maybe response. A local architect can help you sort out what you want and what it will take to get there.

Keep in mind simple additions cost a lot of money. Complicated additions are more expensive. And impossible additions are very expensive.

Affordability might depend on how much can be saved by relying on free web advice apposed to hiring engineer,architect and consultants. Additional savings can be had by acting as GC and hiring hard working,middle class visitors from other countries.

@Mark Bischak, Architect When is an appropriate time to involve an architect? Is it ok to contact an architect before I own? Or should I wait until I own the property? If they are charging for the project, I won't have a project until at least I sign the contract.

We did this exact project 20 years ago. What we did was brought our contractor (a close family friend) through the house before we decided to buy. An architect was involved after the purchase. We added a front porch and 2 bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs.

Here ’s our new front.

Talk to local architect(s) now. When you start paying them is between the one you select to work with and you. Preliminary talking is still cheap.

I would get a builder involved before an architect. Same order Cathi said.

The thing is it will commend an incredible view from the second floor.

Is it beach front? If not, could someone else also decide to command an incredible view from a second floor, pop their top, and block your view too?

Are many homes in this area building up and blocking each other's views? If not, there might be a regulation against doing so.

Most "view" homes have strict regulations about interfering with other people's view by building improbable towers to the sky. They want to keep the character of the area as is. Not change it with a bunch of stilts and stairs. That's the first place you start: the town building office. THe second place is 1 1K check to a builder for a consultation if the town says "maybe".

@clt3 Looks beautiful!!

This is the only one story structure in the immediate neighborhood. Everyone else has built up to max height allowed. I think I am ok with regulations. I know I need an architect. Good design will be critically important.

Depending on the roof pitch, you may be able to add a shed dormer and convert the attic space to living area without increasing the overall height of the structure (i.e., convert it to a 1 1/2 story.)

An experienced remodeling contractor will be able to help you assess the existing conditions vis a vis what you'll need to do in order to make the conversion code compliant.

"Everyone else has built up to max height allowed."

Ask your neighbors to see what they did or should have looked out for.

Adding a second story has been a common solution in the older parts of Denver but in recent years wealthy buyers are tearing those houses down and building mansions. For me, the difficult design issue has been how to raise the ceiling of the first floor since the code doesn't allow discontinuous bearing studs.

It's not difficult to determine the capacty of an existing foundation but it's wise to involve a soils engineer.

Sticky door, sloping floor, are thses telltale sign of something big or minor maintenance overlook?

" Sticky door, sloping floor, are thses telltale sign of something big or minor maintenance overlook? "

Yes, no, maybe. Unfortunately no way anyone can answer that without a ton more info or really truthfully having been on site.

@millworkman If on site, what would you look for to determine, yes or no? Many of the support beams were spliced up. No idea why. Does it mean anything?

"What would you look for to determine yes or no?" Look for the reason(s) for each issue would make sense don; you think?

Sounds like there are already foundation issues. And you are doing a teardown or move.

If the ground floor wasn't tired and sinking there would be no need for a second floor.

@Monique

Doesn't it? Tearing down wasn't a plan.

My cousin purchased a 1930's house with a unfinished walk up attic, the kind that are typically finished off with a large bedroom or two smaller ones with a small window at either end, no dormers. His plan was to add a few dormers and a bathroom and make this the master suite. However, it would not meet building code to add dormers, something to do with the roof itself not able to be modified to add dormers. He had to have the whole roof, rafters and all replaced to meet code. He got it done, by professionals, way over budget than his original plan. He saved a bit of money finishing it off himself over time after the roof replaced.

With foundational movement already existing, the best thing you can do is to have a paid inspection from a structural engineer to evaluate what would be needed to stabilize the foundation and put it under the additional stress of the weight of another floor. Expect to spend 5k+ on that up front feasibility study investment, just to know the drop-dead deal with the house. That stabilization might not be possible to do economically, even for a single floor.

Just as adding a second floor usually is not the economical route that people think it is. People always think about the "added value" of more space. What people don't think about is how many hundreds of thousands out of pocket that it will costs them to get a 600K house to be a 900K house. Spoiler: it's not 300K. Remodels cost more money than they return in added home value. Additions add less value than they cost. What they cost is cash, because you won't have enough equity in a new to you home to make anything like a HELOC happen.

Buying dilapidated houses and fixing them sure is harder than they make it sound on fixer-up tv shows. What say yall about a show telling it like it really is? We could call it Bowzer And The Houzzers. Catchy episodes like "A River Ran Though It" to attract viewers and sponsors.

"I know I need an architect."

Not before an experienced GC who can get you the most accurate price. You don't want to pay for plans that you can't afford to build.

"Many of the support beams were spliced up. No idea why. Does it mean anything?"

Maybe, maybe not, but leads me to believe there was some sort of issue. As Joseph states get an experienced trustworthy GC in their with you. Pay him for a consult if necessary but again definitely get it looked at before an offer or purchase.