news-record.com

Need more space in your one-story home? Look up.

Your size solution could be a second floor.

While it’s an involved proposition that is not inexpensive, a Greensboro remodeler says it’s become a popular option.

The project is the right fit, says Kevin Jones, owner of Kevin Jones Design-Build, for home-owners who need more living space but want to stay where they are because they like their house and neighborhood. “A lot of people can’t build out because of lot line restrictions,” he says. And building up, as long as the structure is sound, is a good way to expand.

There’s interest in the concept, Jones says. His entry in last month’s Greensboro Builders Association Tour of Remodeled Homes drew about 500 visitors, and he says since starting second-story additions in 2005 his company typically does two a year.

Of course, homeowners need to make sure the addition would also be a good fit for their neighborhood and that the home’s value supports the investment.

It was the right solution for the owners of Jones’ Tour entry, E.O. and Paula Ferrell of Old Irving Park. Their quest started with the goal of preserving the sanctity of E.O.’s study when they had company. He wanted easy access to his computer and files, and the empty-nesters wanted to make the home more comfortable for themselves, as well as their children and their families during visits.

The couple hired Jones earlier this year to build a 1,400-square-foot second floor onto their 3,300-square-foot rancher.

The Ferrells fit Jones’ description of homeowners who wanted to stay put but make their home more comfortable. They also were interested in another aspect of the process that industry professionals endorse: maintaining the integrity of the original structure.

Jones says the house is “classic Old Irving Park.” The neighborhood is known for its Colonial Revival and Neoclassical Revival styles.

Paula says she loved the home’s features — the round shapes, oversized doorways, pocket doors and built-in shelves — and wanted the addition to maintain the theme. “I wasn’t about to give this quality up.”

The house, built in 1962, also has a history, according to information the Ferrells learned from previous owners. The Ferrells bought the house in 2003 after moving to the Triad from Charlotte, and they were told
Otto Zenke, a well-known designer at the time the home was built and whose work is still seen in the area, was involved in the design.

“I suspected (Otto Zenke) had influence because of the round shape of the sunroom and the round shape of the front porch,” Paula says.

Though one could say the Ferrells super-sized their three-bedroom home by adding a study and two more bedrooms and bathrooms, a McMansion it is not.

“We didn’t want to make it look like a brand-new house,” says building designer Blythe Haynes of BSHdesign in Greensboro. “We wanted to make it look like it had been there since 1962, and hopefully we accomplished that.”

The Ferrells worked with Haynes long-distance last year at the tail end of a two-year stint in the Bahamas. They didn’t have the original architectural plans, so Haynes went to the house and measured everything to come up with drawings of the existing structure before planning the addition.

“I like to work with the style of the architecture, versus what is popular at the current time,” Haynes says. “To me, good architecture is good architecture, and it stands the test of time. There’s no need to change the style of a house. You just work with it.”

In addition to the complete design plans Haynes worked on and the remodeling work Jones’ company completed, the addition of a second story required a structural analysis to ensure the building could accommodate the project.

Structural changes vary by project, but Haynes and Jones say the Ferrells’ house needed few modifications to make it upgrade-ready. They added piers underneath the house to create a solid footing for the weight of the second floor, Jones says. Larger attic floor joists were installed upstairs, reinforcing the second-story’s floor and raising its height, and the stairs leading to what had been a small attic space were redone.

The Ferrells actually lived in the house during the three-month project, which was finished in July. Workers created a portal between the family room and kitchen, where the new staircase leading to the addition was built. They sealed off the area to prevent as much dust, debris and noise as possible from infiltrating the Ferrells’ living space, and they used temporary stairs outside to access the area.

Paula says the measures made it possible for them to stay in the house and come and go as they pleased while giving the workers necessary access.

The new upstairs is now the Ferrells’ master suite. In addition to E.O.’s library and media room, there’s a bedroom with an attached bath and walk-in closet that also could be used as an office. There is expanded walk-in attic space. And the master suite features a custom closet and luxury bathroom.

But the piece de resistance is the new upstairs porch accessible from the library. In the plans, the space above the existing sunroom was going to be a nonfunctioning porch with windows overlooking it from the study. But after the addition was framed, the Ferrells’ decided they had to take advantage of the view, which includes the sixth hole of the Greensboro Country Club Golf Course shaded by decades-old oaks.

“When you get it framed, things change,” something Jones says is typical of the remodeling process.

While the Ferrells’ second-story addition isn’t an unusual project, it bucks a recent economy-driven trend recorded by the National Association of Home Builders’ Remodeling Market Index toward smaller jobs such as siding and window and door replacement.

The cost of a second-story addition varies widely depending on the finishes and materials used, such as carpet grade, tile or marble, and the amount of lumber needed. But as a base, Jones says a 1,000-square-foot addition could cost around $100 to $150 a square foot, with a higher cost for the square footage for bathrooms and kitchens.

Jones says in his experience the additions are common in Greensboro neighborhoods where the price per square foot is more than average. But “it depends on the neighborhood,” whether the cost of the investment will be returned, he says.