Another Story to Cape Cod style house

[PaddyO]

any information available on framing methods for adding another story onto an existing Cape Cod house

[TSJHD1]

There sure is. Who's asking?

Tom

[PaddyO]

tom,thanks for your respose i'm looking for the best method of for adding a story to a cape cod 24'*30' i'm a carpenter orig.from ireland and this type of
work is new to me if you could give me some guidance i would really appreciate it
Paddy

[Sweep8]

First thing to do is make sure the foundation will support the additinal load, then check the strength of the frame, then measue and draw the existing house in plan and elevation in detail, then hire an architect (just kidding). It really is impossible to help with the design without knowing where it is, what it is now, and how you want to use it and what you can afford. A one story Cape Cod house is not much of an architectural description except perhaps to a realtor. Traditonally, capes were often converted into a Saltbox style by raising the front half of the roof and allowing the back half to continue at its original slope. This style can also be achieved by raising the entire roof and allowing the back side of the roof to continue down over an addition perhaps at a lower slope. Unfortunately, just adding a second story to a cape can relult in the "contemporary cracker box" style so popular with developers today.

[PaddyO]

thank you for the response there is an AIA on the job.It's the methodology of the process that interests me any help is greatly appreciated.thanks once again.

[TSJHD1]

When you and the AIA decide on the design, get several contractors' input on the process they would use. You might get a creative, practical approach that may involve changing the design, but still giving you what you want. There are many choices here to explore, and a good choice that minimizes the time your house is vulnerable to the elements, may in fact help dictate the design. And that may end up being quite different from the AIA guy's.

Then by all means, if you go with a certain contractor's suggestions, give him the job!

I personally would love to one day stabilize an entire roof system, pick up the whole thing off the house with a crane, frame all the new stuff with about 20 guys on site (most of which would be pre-built, of course-the new stuff, not the guys!), then put the roof back on. All in one day. Story at 5, 6, and 11, too!

Run that by the AIA.

Tom

[PaddyO]

thank you again Tom for the info.Is the only option to destroy the roof system,frame second story and rebuild roof?The tarps being an integral part of the process. i realise that the roof lifting system may be fanciful...if you had to do the job yourself how would you approach it.Happy St.Patricks Day to you.
Paddy

[TSJHD1]

thank you again Tom for the info.Is the only option to destroy the roof system,frame second story and rebuild roof?The tarps being an integral part of the process. i realise that the roof lifting system may be fanciful...if you had to do the job yourself how would you approach it.Happy St.Patricks Day to you.
Paddy

No, that's not the only option, but again, some of that will depend on the design, so start there, only with a concept (don't give that AIA a whole bunch of money just yet), then get some contractors' opinions on what would work well. As I said, the method may partly dictate exactly how and what you do to this house.

If I were doing this, the first thing I'd have to do is meet you on-site, and learn what your basic desires/needs are. And of course find out how much money you have to spend!

Tom

[PaddyO]

Tom, thanks, now I have to find someone who has done this before and get methodology from them,you have been a great help to me.
Paddy

[TSJHD1]

You're Welcome. Now put some info in your profile. If Bill sees this, we're both gonna hear it!

Tom

[Sweep8]

I've never heard of an architect being called an "AIA" before. I'm just curious.. if he/she were not a member of the AIA, would you still use that name?

I don't believe you've mentioned the age of the house, how it was framed or the condition of it. The best approach will depend greatly on the physical characteristics of the house and where it is sited.

[PaddyO]

An architect in ireland is called an R.I.A.I so old habits die hard. If the person was not a member of the AIA i would call them an imagineer i guess:).As Tom opined I should pick the brains of guys that have completed such a task.The house is 55 years ,in a densely populated area.Tear down and rebuild seems perfectly logical.

[TSJHD1]

Oh, I can't resist...

McCarthy walked into a bar and ordered martini after martini, each time removing the olives and placing them in a jar. When the jar was filled with olives and all the drinks consumed, he started to leave.
"Excuse me," said a customer, who was puzzled over what McCarthy had done. "What was that all about?"
"Nothing," he replied, "my wife just sent me out for a jar of olives."

On Saint Patrick's Day, an Irishman who had a little to much to drink was driving home from the city and his car was weaving violently all over the road. A cop pulled him over.
"So," said the cop to the driver, "Where have you been?"
"Why, I've been to the pub of course," slurs the drunk.
"Well," says the cop, "it looks like you've had quite a few to drink this evening."
"I did all right," the drunk says with a smile.
"Did you know," says the cop, standing straight and folding his arms across his chest, "that a few intersections back, your wife fell out of your car?"
"Oh, thank heavens," sighs the drunk. "For a minute there, I thought I'd gone deaf."

An Irish priest and a Rabbi get into a car accident. They both get out of their cars and stumble over to the side of the road. The Rabbi says, "Oy vey! What a wreck!" The priest asks him, "Are you all right, Rabbi?" The Rabbi responds, "Just a little shaken." The priest pulls a flask of whiskey from his coat and says, "Here, drink some of this it will calm your nerves." The Rabbi takes the flask and drinks it down and says, "Well, what are we going to tell the police?" "Well," the priest says, "I don't know what your aft' to be tellin' them. But I'll be tellin' them I wasn't the one drinkin'."

An Irish man walks into a pub. The bartender asks him, "what'll you have?"
The man says, "Give me three pints of Guinness please."
So the bartender brings him three pints and the man proceeds to alternately sip one, then the other, then the third until they're gone. He then orders three more.
The bartender says, "Sir, I know you like them cold. You don't have to order three at a time. I can keep an eye on it and when you get low I'll bring you a fresh cold one."
The man says, "You don't understand. I have two brothers, one in Australia and one in the States. We made a vow to each other that every Saturday night we'd still drink together. So right now, my brothers have three Guinness Stouts too, and we're drinking together.
The bartender thought that was a wonderful tradition.
Every week the man came in and ordered three beers. Then one week he came in and ordered only two. He drank them and then ordered two more.
The bartender said to him, "I know what your tradition is, and I'd just like to say that I'm sorry that one of your brothers died."
The man said, "Oh, me brothers are fine----I just quit drinking."

A man stumbles up to the only other patron in a bar and asks if he could buy him a drink.

"Why of course," comes the reply.
The first man then asks: "Where are you from?"
"I'm from Ireland," replies the second man.
The first man responds: "You don't say, I'm from Ireland too! Let's have another round to Ireland."

"Of Course," replies the second man. Curious, the first man then asks: "Where in Ireland are you from?" "Dublin," comes the reply.

"I can't believe it," says the first man. "I'm from Dublin too! Let's have another drink to Dublin."

"Of course," replies the second man. Curiosity again strikes and the first man asks: "What school did you go to?"

"Saint Mary's," replies the second man. "I graduated in '62."
"This is unbelievable!" the first man says. "I went to Saint Mary's and I graduated in '62, too!"

About that time in comes one of the regulars and sits down at the bar. "What's been going on?" he asks the bartender. "Nothing much," replies the bartender. "The O'Malley twins are drunk again."

Tom

[TSJHD1]

An American walks into an Irish pub and says, "I'll give anyone $100 if they can drink 10 Guinness's in 10 minutes." Most people just ignore the absurd bet and go back to their conversations. One guy even leaves the bar. A little while later that guy comes back and asks the American, "Is that bet still on?" "Sure." So the bartender lines 10 Guinness's up on the bar the Irishman drinks them all in less than 10 minutes. As the American hands over the money he asks, "Where did you go when you just left?" The Irishman answers, "I went next door to the other pub to see if I could do it."

Seamus was walking along the coast of Galway early one morning with a bit of a sore head when he tripped over something in the sand. Reaching down, he picked up a lamp and starting rubbing it. There was a huge crack of thunder, an awesome amount of smoke, and lo and behold, a genie appeared.
"Mornin' boyo," said the genie. "For releasing me from two thousand years of bondage, I'll be grantin' ya three wishes."
"Isn't this grand," said Seamus. "Can I have a pint of Guinness?"
"Sure of course ye can," said the genie. And poof! a pint appeared in Seamus's hand. Seamus starting sipping away at the pint. "For the love o' Jaysus, this has to be the best pint I've ever been tasting."
"Of course it is," said the genie. "I'm an Irish genie, after all, and I do know a bit about pints. Now, let's get on with business. You've got two more wishes left, and I haven't got all day!"
"Now just be bidin' yer time," said Seamus. "I want to enjoy me pint."
"Ah," said the genie. "That's a magic pint."
"And what do ye be meanin' by that?" asked Seamus.
"Well," said the genie, "as soon as it's done, it'll fill right back up again just as good as the first."
"Is that so," said Seamus, finishing off the pint. Sure enough, back up it came, and when he tasted it, it really was every bit as good.
"Now," said the genie, "about those other two wishes?"
"Ah," said Seamus, "I'll have two more o' these!"

Tom

[Sweep8]

Architects here are licensed by each state so there is no national registration. If someone is not registrered in the state where he proposes to practice, he cannot use the title architect there. Being registered in MA doesn't mean I can call myself an architect in Connecticut; I have to first be registered there, even before making a proposal to a client.
Here an architect can use RA after his name but if he joins the AIA, a private professional organization similar to a fraternity, he can also use AIA after his name. Most of the architects I know dropped out of the AIA long ago because of high dues and no real benefits. The primary benefit is that you can imply that you are an architect in a state where you are not registered by the use of the initials after your name.

I have moved a house, added a second story to several houses and redesigned a house immediately after a floor had been added. The thing that is difficult to control is the resulting proportions. Careful drawings are a must or even better a computer generated perspective.

It's hard to believe that there would be any real economy in saving the roof unless it is new slate or copper or it has nice dormers, etc. When a structure is moved the most important task is to keep it together during the move. If it is not braced and supported properly it will never go back in place. Moving a house would be easier than removing and replacing a roof because the house is stabilized by its floors as well as its roof. If you removed a roof you would need to keep the attic floor in place or tie each rafter together just above the top plate and brace that systen horizontally, an expensive proposition. It doesn't cost much to build a roof over an attic space and larger rafters would allow improved insulation if you wanted to use the attic space. If you add a floor you will have to greatly increase the energy performance of the entire house and the easiest/cheapest place to do that in an existing house is in the attic/roof structure. In MA you can use heavy prescriptive insulation thicknesses or you can analyize the performance of the whole house on state supplied software. Your RA will know how to do that.

In what town is it located?