I just posted the last question (to brick or not to brick) about my 1918, brick bungalow house. <br> <br>On a new subject; In the future, I also want to add a second story to the house, but I don't know where to put the stairway. The house is in a rectangle form, 36 ft wide by 60 ft long, with a load bearing wall exactly down the center. The living room, dining room, butler serving area, and the kitchen are all on one side of the load bearing wall, and the three bedrooms, bathroom and hall that connects them, are on the other. There are two closests, back to back, exactly in the center of the house, along the bathroom side of the load bearing wall and in the center of the house. Together they measure 3 ft wide and 10 ft long. The dining room is on one side of the closets and the hallway on the other, with bedrooms on each end. The ceiling is 9 ft high. Is this enough room to build a stairway? Are there any architects out there to help me? <br>

Hi Mike, I think what you want to do is very feasible and even will work with your closet space. The stair will be steep but workable. You can figure the run yourself. The minimum tread is 7" which can put the rise at 10" this being the max. If you have 10ft.and the hall to reach the stair you are in good shape. Start looking for a builder. That's really the hard part. <br>Good Luck <br>

John, I don't want to carp, but (correct me if I'm wrong) the Uniform Building Code allows for 8" risers and 9.5" treads max. & min. in residential construction only. U.B.C. Sec. 1003.3.3.3. The critical elements here are the difference in height from the existing floor vertically to the top of where the stairs will terminate (the top of the new upstairs floor). Remember to keep a clear space of min. 6'-8" vertically for head clearance. The other critical item is the width and the distance that the 90-deg. turn might use up for rise and run. Lots of things to consider. Remember Mike, getting the stairs in will be the toughest (probably) problem to solve in accessing the attic area. Good Luck. <br>

When I said I wanted to add on a second story; what I meant was to convert the attic space into two more rooms. This would probably entail adding a dormer or two. But the basic question is still, do I have enough "run" (10 ft) to build the stairway using the 2 closests in the center of the house? I would probably have to start about 3 ft (2 or 3 steps)into the dining room and travel up through the closets (a 90 degree turn) and then turn again for the last few steps into the attic. I could leave the stairway enclosed or open the load bearing wall towards the dining room side with full banisters. I would also add ornate support columns to maintain the load of the wall. If I could only find some similar plans of my house style, I would probably also find where the stairway is placed on a 1&1/2 story version. Most plans that I have seen, place the stairway at the back of the house near the sleeping porch, not in the center of the house. My basic house layout is in a rectangle form, 36 ft wide by 60 ft long, with a load bearing wall exactly down the center. The living room, dining room, butler serving area, and the kitchen are all on one side of the load bearing wall, and the three bedrooms, bathroom and hall that connects them, are on the other. The sleeping porch is the last room in the back, on the kitchen side, which adds another 10 ft (70 ft total) to the length on that side. If anyone has seen any plans that fit that description please let me know. <br> <br>

Are you talking about invading undeveloped attic space to turn your 1-story into a 1.5 story, or are you talking about lifting up a full second story? <br> <br>I don't know anything about house construction, but I do know that bungalows that have been lifted up like that just don't look right aesthetically. IMHO, it insults the integrity of the architectural style. Plus, if you do the new construction with the same quality of craftsmanship and materials as in the original parts of the home, it would probably be outrageously expensive. <br> <br>

I don't want to pop your bubble, but if you really want to add a second story, you may be better off tearing down your house and starting over. I've always wanted to do the same thing, but all the architects I've spoken with have told me that it would be less expensive to build a 'new old house', than try to retrofit the original structure. At a minium, you'll have to beef up/replace the foundation. Please keep in mind that live near San Francisco, and the cost of construction is still VERY high. If you live in an area where labor is a lot less expensive, it may make sense. In any case, you'll probably want to get some names of local architects and make a few phone calls. The first visit is usually free, and they'll be able to tell you what your options are. <br> <br>Good luck. <br>

by the sounds of it, you just want to utilize the <br>attic space not raise the roof. In that case I'm <br>currently looking looking at a bungalow in long <br>beach with similar dimensions. I'm trying to <br>figure out how to utilize the attic too. I think <br>with the height in the attic that the most <br>important part is to have the stairs end in the <br>attic toward the middle. Where it starts at the <br>bottom doesn't matter. A possiblity that I'm <br>looking at is to use part of one of the <br>bedrooms for the stairs and using the rest as <br>an entry. This way the main structural wall is <br>not modified. This keeps things simple. <br> <br>Now if you were to raise the roof and add a <br>new floor above it would need a little more <br>consideration. Adding an entire another story <br>over an existing structure is a bit more <br>complicated that other additions. Most <br>bungalows were built with just the required <br>amount of structure, not much more. In our <br>office, we run into this problem quite a bit. In <br>many cases it is easier to build an entirely <br>new house when you thinking of a major <br>remodel or addition. Other times things can <br>work out if you're flexible with what you're <br>willing to do. But if the architect is smart about <br>the design, the remodel can work out okay. <br> <br>As for the stairs themself....8" riser and 10" <br>tread is maximum with up to half an inch of lip <br>to the tread. Its going to be tough to make it to <br>the attic in 10'. I'm sure there is a way to make <br>it work. You might hide the stairs intrusion <br>into other rooms with soom decorative soffit <br>(dropped ceiling) bordering the room. <br> <br>Good luck with the project, I hope this was <br>some help. <br> <br>

What Mike G. wants to do is a very popular <br>thing to do here in the Twin Cities. There are <br>builders that specialize in this type of <br>rennovation and they are very senstive to <br>maintaining architectural integrity. While <br>pricey, it is generally not more expenise than <br>the cost of a new house. <br> <br>