Home Additions & Structural Services
Second-Story Additions
Full and partial second-floor additions with structural evaluation, foundation reinforcement, and complete upper-level build-outs.
Home Additions & Structural Services
Second-Story Additions with Structural Engineering
A second-story addition is the most structurally demanding project we build. You're adding dead load and live load to walls, beams, and a foundation that were engineered for a single story. The first step is a structural engineer's assessment — existing foundation bearing capacity, first-floor wall framing adequacy, and Michigan's 40 lb/sf ground snow load requirement applied to every new structural member.
Once engineering is done and the permit is pulled, we build temporary weather protection over the existing roof before removing it. First-floor walls may need steel columns, doubled studs, and LVL or steel beams at load transfer points. We frame the new floor system, second-floor walls, and roof on that reinforced base, then bring HVAC, electrical, and plumbing up from below.
Second-story additions are expensive because they're genuinely complex. But they double your living area without reducing your yard. For Oakland County homeowners on smaller lots where a ground-floor addition isn't feasible, it's often the right answer.