Excellent advice. We were in the same place not long ago. There was no
easy way to add on to our house, so it was either a second story or add a
basement. (the house had neither)
Adding a second story was out of the question, not only from a cost
standpoint, but the footings would not have handled the extra load. We
seriously looked into putting a basement under it. We almost did it, but
the housemover wanted $12,000 to lift the house 36" and set it back down AND
I had to do all the work. Work meaning get everything ready for the lift -
he only lifts the house and nothing more.

In the end, it was less hassle to build a new house with basement - which is
what we ended up doing.






"Charles Schuler" wrote in message
. ..

wrote in message
ups.com...
Can someone tell me how much this generally costs? I have a ranch
that I would like to renovate by adding a second floor. Is there a
way to estimate it per square foot? What hidden costs are there (such
as architect fees, permit fees, and etc.)? Thanks.

Be VERY careful about this. Many downsides:

1/ Where will you live during construction? (What if the contractor(s) is
late in completion?)
2/ Storage costs and transportation costs for your belongings.
3/ Your floor plan will be compromised; perhaps severely.
4/ You might overload the existing structure and footings.
5/ Have you sketched the elevation views? (They might not be to your
liking).
6/ Code requirements? Neighborhood covenants? (Potential lawsuits?)

It has been done successfully, but is a very non-trivial project. Be
careful and cautious. I went through this years ago and quickly decided
to move. Good luck, in any case.