Additions

Additions

An addition is really two jobs: building the new part, and marrying it to the house that is already standing.

The second half is where additions go wrong. Rooflines that do not line up, siding that does not match, a floor that steps down half an inch at the doorway. We plan the tie in before we break ground, and we match the existing trim, siding and roof pitch so the finished house reads as one building.

We also keep the house liveable while we work. The opening between old and new stays closed and weather tight until the new structure is dried in.

The join is the whole job

Anybody can frame a box in the back garden. The part that separates an addition that looks original from one that looks stuck on is the three places the new work meets the old: the foundation, the roofline and the siding.

Foundations settle at different rates, so a new one is dug to the same depth as the existing and tied in, not poured against it. Roof planes have to be tied together with a valley that actually drains and a kick out where the new roof dies into the old wall. Siding gets woven in rather than butted, and courses are set out from the existing so the lines run through instead of stepping at the join.

The other half of an addition is the half nobody talks about: your heating system, your panel and your septic or sewer were sized for the house you have. We check whether they carry the house you are asking for before you are committed, not after the frame is up.

How the job runs

1. Check the lot and the systems first. Setbacks, lot coverage, and whether the panel, the heat and the waste line take the extra load.
2. Permit set and inspections. We pull them and we meet the inspector.
3. Foundation to match, not to touch. Same depth, tied in.
4. Frame and dry in before opening the house. The existing wall stays closed until the new structure is weathertight. You live in the house while we build.
5. Open the wall, tie in the systems. The shortest, dustiest phase. We seal the opening off from the rest of the house before it starts.
6. Weave the outside in. Roof valley, kick out flashing, siding courses run through from the existing.

What the job includes

• Second storey and dormer additions
• In law and accessory suites
• Garage and breezeway additions
• Bump outs and sunrooms
• Roofline and siding matched to the existing house
• Structural tie in and new footings

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