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A second story is the addition that gets you space without giving up yard, which is why people want one. It is also the addition where the house itself has the deciding vote.
Everything you build up there has to be carried down through the existing structure to the foundation. Whether it can be, and what it takes, is a structural question answered before anything is priced.
Can your house carry it
The existing walls, floor framing and foundation were sized for the house that is there, not for the one you want. Sometimes there is capacity. Often there is some and not enough.
LVLs and structural beams carry the new load where the existing framing cannot. Posts and bearing points take that load down to the foundation, which occasionally means work in the basement to receive it. The foundation itself gets assessed, because a footing sized for one story is not automatically sized for two.
This is engineering rather than carpentry, and it happens on paper first. It is also why we cannot give you a number over the phone on a second story the way we can on a standard bathroom.
The shape of the house you already have matters
Some houses are simply easier candidates than others, and it comes down to how the original was framed. A colonial or a two-story-style foundation built with a second floor in mind, even if it was never finished that way, tends to have framing and a foundation already closer to what a second story needs. A ranch, which is most of what we see across our service area, was built to carry only a roof, so adding a full second floor usually means more reinforcement: a stronger foundation, engineered beams to pick up the new load, and sometimes work below grade to receive it.
None of that rules a ranch out. It changes the scope, and it is exactly the kind of thing the structural assessment answers before a number gets attached to the project.
The roof comes off
The house is open to weather for part of it.
Not the whole project, but a real stretch of it, and it is the part that makes people nervous. It is managed with temporary protection and by sequencing the work so the opening is closed as fast as the framing allows.
The new roof has to tie into the old.
Where the addition meets the existing roof line is where leaks happen if it is done badly, and it is the detail that decides whether the finished house looks designed or bolted together.
Living there during it is a real question.
Many people move out for part of a second story, and it is worth planning for rather than discovering. We will tell you honestly which stretch is the difficult one.
What it does to the rest of the house
The stairs.
A second story needs a staircase, and it has to come out of the floor plan below. That is usually the biggest change to the existing house and people rarely picture it until the plans arrive.
Mechanical capacity.
Heating, cooling and electrical were sized for the house as built. A second story often needs a zone, more electrical capacity, or both.
Plumbing routes.
A bathroom upstairs needs supply and drainage running down through the existing house, and where those can go is a constraint on where the bathroom can be.
Why plans come before price
Design and plans come first, and on a second story they are doing more work than on any other kind of addition. The design phase is quoted on the discovery call, depending on size and complexity.
They answer whether the structure can carry it, what has to be added, where the stairs go, and how the roof ties in. Every one of those changes the number substantially, and none of them can be guessed at from the driveway.
Only after the design, and after trades have bid the same drawn plan, does an exact proposal exist. A second story over a garage and a full-width one over a ranch are not the same project in any way that matters, which is why there is no number on this page.
When a second story is not the answer
Sometimes the honest answer is a ground-floor addition instead.
If the structure needs substantial reinforcement, if the stairs would take a room you cannot spare, or if the lot has space to build out rather than up, building out is often cheaper and less disruptive. Nobody moves out of the house for a bump-out.
We would rather work that out with you in the design phase than build the one you asked for when the other one was better.
Everything Redeemed Contracting builds is on the services page.
Why Homeowners Choose Us
The Remodeling Experience You've Been Looking For
We built our entire process around the things homeowners told us they were missing from other contractors. Communication, respect, and a crew that shows up when they say they will.
Clear Communication
We send updates, answer calls, and keep you informed, so you're never left wondering what's happening in your home.
Your Home Is Protected
We use floor protection and dust barriers and treat every surface as if it were our own.
Spotless Jobsites
We clean up every day before leaving. You'll never come home to a messy, disrespected space.
Custom to Your Home
No cookie-cutter remodels. Every decision is made specifically for your space, your style, and your goals.
A Premium Process
From first walkthrough to final handshake, the experience is structured, professional, and built around your peace of mind.
How It Works
How a second story gets designed and built
A structured, transparent process so you know exactly what happens, and when, from the first conversation to the final walkthrough.
Discovery call
You describe what you want up there, and we ask about the house itself, its age and style, which already gives us a sense of what the structure is likely to need.
Structural assessment and design
This is where the real work happens: what the foundation and framing can carry, what has to be reinforced, where the stairs go, and how the roof ties in.
Permitting
We file through the county or township depending on your address and handle the structural sign-off along with everything else.
Construction
Roof comes off, framing goes up, the new roof ties in, and every trade that a full second floor needs gets sequenced to close the house back up as fast as the work allows.
Final walkthrough
Every system in the new space, plus the changes made downstairs for the stairs and mechanicals, gets checked and confirmed with you.
Common Questions
Second Story Additions FAQ
Homeowners often come to us with the same questions. Here are straightforward answers.
That depends on the existing framing and foundation, and it is answered in the design phase rather than from the driveway. Many houses can with structural reinforcement. Some cannot economically.
It depends almost entirely on the house underneath it. A second story over a garage and a full-width one over a ranch are different projects, and a figure wrong by a factor of three is worse than no figure. You get a real range on the discovery call.
Often for part of it, because the house is open to weather while the roof is off and the new floor goes on. It is worth planning for, and we will tell you honestly which stretch is the difficult one.
Out of the floor plan below, which is usually the biggest change to the existing house and the thing people picture last. It gets designed early because it affects rooms you were not planning to touch.
Not automatically. Building out avoids structural reinforcement, avoids the stairs and avoids moving out, and if the lot has room it is frequently the better answer. We will say so if it is.
Yes. Houses originally built as two-story or colonial-style tend to have framing and a foundation closer to what a second story needs, even if the upstairs was never finished. Ranches, which are common across our service area, were usually built to carry only a roof, so the structural work is typically more involved. Neither is a reason not to do it; it changes the scope, and the design phase tells you exactly how much.
It stays livable through most of the project in many cases, but the areas near the new staircase and any rooms below new mechanical or plumbing runs will see real work. We walk through exactly what that looks like for your specific layout before anything starts.
"Joe and his team greatly deserve this 5-star review. I wish I could give more stars to be honest. Great communication, craftsmenship, and value. Top notch profesional contractor in Northeast Ohio!"
Russ Preisse
"Reasonable price Joe does what he says he's going to do and shows up when he says he's going to show up. A rare commodity these days! Quality of the work is excellent and if there's something that you're not satisfied with, he will address it immediately. Very honest and upfront."
Marianne Turner
"Joe is amazing to work with. Really honest and quality craftsmanship!"
Michael White
Get Started
Thinking About Building Up?
Start with a free 15 to 30 minute discovery call. We will talk through whether up or out is the right answer for your house before anyone draws anything.
Part of our home additions work.
Free Discovery Call · Response Within One Hour · Serving Stark County