When considering increasing the floor space of any home, second-story additions make it easy for homeowners to retain their original home design and style and add unique design elements that can meet all their floor space requirements.

Morningside second story additions can easily be matched with the design of any existing ground floor. However, homeowners should carefully choose second-story additions that blend seamlessly into the existing design of their house so that it looks as intentionally built with a second-story addition from day one.

Five reasons why having second-story additions are best.

Second-story additions are now increasingly popular with homeowners and are one of the most popular home improvement renovations. Adding a second-story addition to a home can provide a family with plenty of benefits, and is something for them to seriously consider to enhance their domestic living experience. Here are some of the most significant reasons why any homeowner should consider second-story additions.

1. Second-story additions add domestic living and activity spaces.

Second-story additions are a great way to add living space to any home which can be used as an additional family room, an extra bedroom for kids, or additional living space for visitors. There are a lot of ways homeowners can utilize second-story additions, and depending on how large a family wants to make it, the potential for finding creative uses for second-story additions is nearly limitless.

2. Second-story additions allow homeowners to retain their existing outdoor spaces.

Second-story additions eliminate the possibility of needing to expand outwards and losing much-needed outdoor space. This enables families to keep as much outdoor space as possible, which can then be used for other renovation or landscaping projects.

3. Second-story additions add value to any home.

Second-story additions can also increase the value of any home by drastically increasing its square footage. Having second-story additions also means that if a homeowner should ever decide to sell they can easily recover their renovation costs as with many home remodeling projects. This makes second-story additions a financially safe and beneficial decision that can be expected to pay off in the long run even if a homeowner decides not to sell.

4. Second-story additions allow homeowners to easily redesign and improve their existing homes.

Another benefit of having second-story additions is that it gives homeowners the convenience of completely redesigning the living and activity flows of their homes according to their tastes. They can easily have two or three bedrooms on the ground floor or they can move all their bedrooms to the second story and utilize their ground floor for something else. The possibilities provided by second-story additions are nearly endless depending on what a homeowner wants and what they need to get out of their home.

5. Second-story additions make it easy for homeowners not to sell their homes to find larger living spaces.

Second-story additions can provide homeowners with more living spaces without needing to uproot and move to a new neighborhood. Second-story additions can be very appealing to homeowners that are attached to their current homes and neighborhoods. Second-story additions remove the need for families to move to a new neighborhood just to find a larger house.

Second-story additions provide families with more room to grow and are a great renovating choice for both growing families and families that are looking to add more space to their homes to live comfortably.

Second-story additions: Its advantages to families.

There are some practical advantages and limitations to having second-story additions. Its advantages are:

• Second-story additions cost less per square foot to build as the most expensive parts of home construction like foundation excavations are already built with a known roof area to make budgeting for the roofing of second-story additions much easier.
• Second-story additions are more fuel-efficient to cool and heat as it is efficient in conserving fuel per square foot as fewer outdoor wall and roof area are exposed to the elements.
• Second-story additions ensure there is less distance to travel to connect to existing utilities. Homeowners save more money and avoid potential headaches, as plumbing and wiring are already existing and with less distance to use to connect to them.
• Second-story additions provide better views of outside landscapes and the neighborhood as windows are at tree height providing better outdoor views.
• Second-story additions preserve existing outdoor spaces since it does not take up outdoor land space as their footprint is the same as the house.
• Second-story additions have more versatile designs with more attachment points for second-story porches or view decks.
• Second-story additions ensure a family’s privacy as its bedrooms are located upstairs making them more private. It also ensures the security of young children with grown-up kids more likely to appreciate the privacy they gain from their second-story bedrooms.

Second-story additions: The other factors to consider.

As with every advantage, there can also be disadvantages when considering having second-story additions to enhance a home’s floor space. Here are some considerations when thinking about having second-story additions built.

• The stairway required to reach the second-story addition can eat up much-needed floor space in a home’s ground floor areas making it more complex to design to ensure that it does not inhibit or restrict the living and activity flow inside a home’s ground floor areas.
• Possible restrictions in ceiling height. Ceilings and attic heights in the design of second-story additions are generally lower than a home’s existing ground-floor ceiling height of equal square footage. It can also lack varied ceiling heights from room to room which could limit the opportunities for installing skylights and adding large attic storage spaces.
• More chances of possible stair accidents. The stairs that are required for second-story additions can present a potential danger for very young children, the elderly, or anyone with physical mobility issues, and if a homeowner should ever need to install a stair lift to meet the specific needs of their family, they should expect to prepare additional funds for its installation.
• Time considerations should also be factored in when considering second-story additions as it takes longer to design and construct the added staircase, the installation of its required supports, and even possibly requiring the strengthening and deepening of a home’s existing foundation.

With second-story additions, families can keep their existing parking spaces, driveways, both their front and back yards, garages, and even patios. They can live more comfortably without losing their precious outdoor spaces while at the same time easily enlarging their interior living and activity spaces.