Our Charlottesville, VA, home has brick exterior walls. We want to create house additions for a home office and a small hobby room. Our roof line is simple--one ridge. Should our home additions create a new second story, or is it feasible to open up the solid brick walls?
Victor H. ~ Charlottesville, Virginia
There are many ways to create additional space for your home. If your home is already 2 stories, adding a 2 story addition may make the most sense. Generally, if your home is a single story, it is going to be more difficult and expensive to add a second story, even if your single story addition requires the modification of solid brick walls.
Consult with a builder before you get too far along in the design process to get an idea for the relative cost/complexity for the different ideas that you have. There is no right or wrong choice here, decide what factors on this project are the most important to you and let those guide you through the design process.
