Cost to raise roof

[Anonymous]

Our cape cod has 7 foot ceilings in the upstairs (in the highest part - sloped ceilings in all the bedrooms). The roof is nearing the end of its life and we need new windows. Contemplating trying to redo the entire upstairs floor all at once - raise to 8' ceilings with an attic above (pushing the slope into the attic), along with all new windows. The whole house needs to be repainted anyway so that would be part of the project as well. Obviously we are at the early stages of just thinking about this. Any thoughts from the crowd on
1- whether we need a full GC or if an "exterior" company that does all of these things (roof/windows/painting)
2- any guesses as to a ballpark cost?

We had more or less earmarked 30K for new windows (18 windows in the house), 15K for a new roof and 10K for painting, all as separate projects. House is 1800 SF over 1.5 stories currently. Any chance we could do the whole thing for under $125K by the time you rebuild framing on the upper story and attic? Is there any economy of scale to doing it all together?

[Anonymous]

I would just sell and buy a new house like new construction

[Anonymous]

$125k seems very low for basically adding 2 new floors to your house.

[Anonymous]

This is serious construction needing engineered plans, a contractor, permits, the whole bit. It won't be cheap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$125k seems very low for basically adding 2 new floors to your house.

+1. It's easily 3 times that in the DC area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our cape cod has 7 foot ceilings in the upstairs (in the highest part - sloped ceilings in all the bedrooms). The roof is nearing the end of its life and we need new windows. Contemplating trying to redo the entire upstairs floor all at once - raise to 8' ceilings with an attic above (pushing the slope into the attic), along with all new windows. The whole house needs to be repainted anyway so that would be part of the project as well. Obviously we are at the early stages of just thinking about this. Any thoughts from the crowd on
1- whether we need a full GC or if an "exterior" company that does all of these things (roof/windows/painting)
2- any guesses as to a ballpark cost?

We had more or less earmarked 30K for new windows (18 windows in the house), 15K for a new roof and 10K for painting, all as separate projects. House is 1800 SF over 1.5 stories currently. Any chance we could do the whole thing for under $125K by the time you rebuild framing on the upper story and attic? Is there any economy of scale to doing it all together?

I don't think you understand the scale of what you want to do. At a minimum, you'll need an architect and likely a structural engineer. You may or may not need trades inside the house depending on where you ductwork and electrical are running. You should talk to a design build firm to just get a ballpark number and decide whether that's feasible for you.

[Anonymous]

I spent 360k for a second floor with a bit of reconfiguration of the first; 2 full baths were redone on first with a kickass master in the new second floor.

I should’ve knocked the whole thing down and had one of those infill builders put up one of those huge fake craftsmans for $650k

[Anonymous]

OP, I have a similar house. We did a renovation but ended up not raising our roof because our contractor explained the logistics to us and it’s incredibly complicated not to mention expensive. It did not make financial sense just for an extra foot of ceiling. Luckily none of us are 7 ft tall so we just deal with it. Our main level has a nearly 9 ft ceiling so that at least helps us not feel cramped for most of our daily living. But what you are considering will not make any sense financially. You’d be better off moving unless you want to spend $$$ to basically gut and re do your house into a much more expensive house.

[Anonymous]

I’m not an engineer but wouldn’t you need a whole new gable?? Ooof. Sounds like tearing off the 2nd floor, building a new gable with tie ins into existing walls (assuming that’s a structurally sound thing to do?), and rebuilding second floor with new roof line. Definitely can’t live in the house at the same time. Are you ready to rent for at least 6 months and pay mortgage?

All that to say….can you include an addition to increase sqft so you make the cost worth it? Do you already have a primary suite with en suite? If not, I could see the cost being worth it to adad. You could alap include laundry upstairs.

[Anonymous]

Maybe you should consider adding in skylights instead? I also have a Cape Cod and that is our plan to make the upstairs feel more spacious. much more cost-effective.

[Anonymous]

Just move or consult a decorator to give paint color and design tips to LIVE WITH IT.

[Anonymous]

We added a whole second story and large attic to our bungalow 10 years ago. At that time, the cost was $400K. I imagine if we did that now, it would probably be at least $600K. Since you are not adding square footage but will still need all kinds of structural work, I imagine that you are looking at at least $300K. One of the super expensive costs was having to re-side the entire house so it all matched. Fiber cement siding is very pricey.