Pictures of my Second Floor Addition!

[PocketThunder]

I was going to wait till i finished the front porch floor and get all the trim on but thats not going to happen till summer now so here is what we did durring the last 2 years.  My spouse and i had a nice house in an expensive neighborhood but soon after our son was born we changed priorities and decided to sell and buy down.  We (my) play was to buy a one story house and add a second floor.  About $100,000 cheaper than trying to find another 2 story.
I told my spouse that it would only take 6 months and cost $10,000.  She agreed because our daughter was due in October and we would easily make that deadline with this schedule (ya right!)  So in May of 2006 when the snow melted and my 68 was finished, i started demo on the roof. 

Pic 1: Thursday
Pic 2: Friday
Pic 3: Saturday
Pic 4: Sunday

[PocketThunder]

The next weekend i had a free beer and bar-b-que party for all my friends!

[PocketThunder]

The back of the house will have a veranda off the mbed.  the stairs that you see are just for construction.  I didnt cut a hole into the exiting first floor untill the very end.  we lived in the first floor the entire time i was working upstairs. 

Pic 1: back side done.
Pic 2: the stair way cut out.  I though i was going to hoist a cast iron bath tub up 2 stories from the basement, boy was i wrong!
Pic 3: Duct work. 
Pic 4: A typical Saturday morning dump run for "Whitey"    (the other whitey)  God i miss my truck. 

[PocketThunder]

So you can imagine, every time there is a deadline to meet, it only means that its not going to happen.  My daughter was due on Halloween and i was getting down to the wire to have the upstairs at least rocked, taped and painted with one working bathroom by then.  Well, that would have happend except my daughter decide to be born a week early!  Shoot!.  The tapers just finished up as we were on our way to the hospital.  We came home from the hospital and slept in the dining room for a week while the painting was done and the carpet guy finished up.  My spouse was real excited about that week.  Can you believe she still reminds me of that to this day?..?? 

Pic.  1,2,3 Here are some pictures from the front.
Pic 4: Front porch ceiling.

[Charger74]

Man, that looks great.  You did some mighty fine work on that house there Pocket....

[ramit]

Nice work! 

[Charger_Fan]

I can't believe you even bothered with that other thread with the kitchen. I was thinking you did pretty darn good with that remodel, then you post THIS?? This one pretty much made the kitchen job look like "lookie, I restored my car...I polished the rims!"

What are you, SUPERPAUL?? Looking back on any of my projects, I'm definitely not worthy.
Pretty friggin' awesome, Man. You are the poop!

Ok, so two questions...
How did you finally get the tub upstairs?
Doesn't adding another floor kinda stress the walls of the existing house by pretty much doubling the weight on them, or did you brace the crap outta the basement?

[PocketThunder]

I can't believe you even bothered with that other thread with the kitchen. I was thinking you did pretty darn good with that remodel, then you post THIS?? This one pretty much made the kitchen job look like "lookie, I restored my car...I polished the rims!"

What are you, SUPERPAUL?? Looking back on any of my projects, I'm definitely not worthy.
Pretty friggin' awesome, Man. You are the poop!

Ok, so two questions...
How did you finally get the tub upstairs?
Doesn't adding another floor kinda stress the walls of the existing house by pretty much doubling the weight on them, or did you brace the crap outta the basement?

Hey thanks for the love man, ya i am the poop. 

I waited till the stairs were built then I had my neighbor come over and we put the tub on an appliance cart and gave it the old heave-ho up the steps.  I didn't tell him what we were doing until I got him over to my house.   

The basement foundation walls are 12" concrete block and are plenty strong enough to support two stories.  The city office of License and Inspections approved this before I started. The First floor walls are plenty strong enough to support the second floor load.  All the forces is straight down, not out.  I layed down I-joists all the way across the width of the house.  So the second floor is not resting on the existing first floor ceiling joist.  The load points are at the exterior walls and the center wall.  You can see in this picture on top of the wall is two 2x4s and then the new I-joist's.  the existing 2x6 ceiling joists are left in place to hang the 1st floor ceilings from.  I have some more detailed pictures at home I'll get put on later tonight..

Paul
In St. Paul

[PocketThunder]

What are you, SUPERPAUL??

Sometimes i am, especially here >>>  http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,36940.msg405782.html#msg405782           

[supserdave]

Nice job man, did it really only cost you 10K?

[PocketThunder]

Nice job man, did it really only cost you 10K?

I wish!   It got up to $37,000 and pretty I'm much done.  But dont ask my spouse if i'm done. 

[supserdave]

That's still not to bad. Good job. Now get to work on that 500! jk

[Charger_Fan]

What are you, SUPERPAUL??

Sometimes i am, especially here >>>  http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,36940.msg405782.html#msg405782           

That's just not a mental picture I needed, Man.

[400/6/PAC]

Nice job.
The house looks great.

[HITMAN 149]

DAMN POCKET!!!!!!!!!!!  
so when ya comming over w/ all your friends to do my house?!?!?!?? LOL
wow... GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Steve P.]

If I could do here what you did there for a mere $37K I would do it in a heartbeat.

Great job bro...   

[PocketThunder]

Ok, porch columns are all done and it goes up for sale on Monday.  Baby #3 is due in July and we decided to move to the burbs, closer to my work and a better public school system. 

[TruckDriver]

Looks great Paul!

[Steve P.]

DAMN!!!  Did you even have a chance to move any furniture up there??   

[69bronzeT5]

Looks great Paul

[daytonalo]

Now you can add a third floor !!

[Todd Wilson]

Wow! You made it look easy! I wish I had the talent to do something like that. My body wouldnt survive doing it though for sure! And now after all that work you are gonna move! You got more energy then I do!


Todd

[Charger1973]

That is impressive.  I love watching other people work.   

[The70RT]

  looks great

[694spdRT]

Nice job Paul! 

[Charger_Fan]

And now after all that work you are gonna move!

That's what I was thinking.

I was wrong with the SUPERPAUL name, more like "Masochist Paul".

[PocketThunder]

And now after all that work you are gonna move!

That's what I was thinking.

I was wrong with the SUPERPAUL name, more like "Masochist Paul".

Ummm no, i dont find pleasure in self inflicting pain. .    Although all my friends and family think so.  I hope the last few years of me busting my balls on remodeling and selling will now enable me to buy a nice house in the burbs close to work, and get a 15 year mortgage and be debt free before i'm 45...

However, we are not sold yet, just looking to see what might happen, believe you me we dont really want to leave our neighborhood, but looking down the financial road at the next 25 years we would be better off in the south west burbs than staying in the city.  (i hope)

[SnoPro440]

Where are you looking to move to?  Eden Prairie area or further south than that? 

[PocketThunder]

Where are you looking to move to?  Eden Prairie area or further south than that? 

Yes, Eden Prairie or Minnetonka.  I want Eden Prairie because i work right at 494 and 169.  I'd like to be within a mile or two so i can walk to work.  My spouse wants to be in the Minnetonka School District though so that puts us a little further away from work for me.  EP or Minnetonka schools seem to be the same quality to me

[69_500]

So you went through all of the work to fix the house up to your standards, and then decide to move? Sounds like everything my family has done. Remodel whole house, live in it for about 6 weeks then put the house up for sale and let someone else enjoy all the hard work.

[694spdRT]

So you went through all of the work to fix the house up to your standards, and then decide to move? Sounds like everything my family has done. Remodel whole house, live in it for about 6 weeks then put the house up for sale and let someone else enjoy all the hard work.

I have noticed some people do that with cars too. I remember this guy from Minnesota working on a nice '68 Charger and then.....oh, um nevermind.

[PocketThunder]

So you went through all of the work to fix the house up to your standards, and then decide to move? Sounds like everything my family has done. Remodel whole house, live in it for about 6 weeks then put the house up for sale and let someone else enjoy all the hard work.

I have noticed some people do that with cars too. I remember this guy from Minnesota working on a nice '68 Charger and then.....oh, um nevermind.

Cant be me, i'm "from" Wisconsin, but now live in Minnesota..

[694spdRT]

So you went through all of the work to fix the house up to your standards, and then decide to move? Sounds like everything my family has done. Remodel whole house, live in it for about 6 weeks then put the house up for sale and let someone else enjoy all the hard work.

I have noticed some people do that with cars too. I remember this guy from Minnesota working on a nice '68 Charger and then.....oh, um nevermind.

Cant be me, i'm "from" Wisconsin, but now live in Minnesota..

If you ever come back to where you belong I would like to do an addition on my house.   

[69_500]

So apparently working on cars/houses is a  way to get your wife pregnant huh? Maybe I should quit putting off the restoring of my 500 so that we can have more than 1 kid too. I mean lets do the math.

Start working on 68 to get practice for eventual restoration on 500, and you and your wife have child #1. Add a second floor onto the house due to child #1, and expect child #2. Decide to finally get the 500 up and running and just take it to a show as is, and low and behold expecting child #3. 

[General_01]

  Moving again!!?? Wow you guys don't stay put for very long. Good luck. Hope it sells pretty quickly for you and you find a house you don't have to remodel.

[PocketThunder]

So apparently working on cars/houses is a  way to get your wife pregnant huh? Maybe I should quit putting off the restoring of my 500 so that we can have more than 1 kid too. I mean lets do the math.

Start working on 68 to get practice for eventual restoration on 500, and you and your wife have child #1. Add a second floor onto the house due to child #1, and expect child #2. Decide to finally get the 500 up and running and just take it to a show as is, and low and behold expecting child #3. 

Actually, we need to stop going to overnight weddings..

[PocketThunder]

SOLD!!!!!

We had an offer come in tonight and it was almost full price!  We were at 5 weeks on the market.

Just real excited and wanted to post.  OK, i'm going to bed now. 

Paul
in St. Paul >>>  but not for long. It'll be Paul, in Minnetonka after June 1st....

[General_01]

That's great Paul. Congrats.

[Charger-Bodie]

Good deal Paul!! 

[moparstuart]

SOLD!!!!!

We had an offer come in tonight and it was almost full price!  We were at 5 weeks on the market.

Just real excited and wanted to post.  OK, i'm going to bed now. 

Paul
in St. Paul >>>  but not for long. It'll be Paul, in Minnetonka after June 1st....

now how will i find you on the way to wing warriors meet

[Charger_Fan]

Congrats! Do you have a new house picked out? Does it have an 8-car garage??

It'll be Paul, in Mini Tonka after June 1st....

Fixed it for ya, here's a visual aid too.

[SnoPro440]

PT, That's sweet.  Especially considering the market here. 

Off topic, are you going to Mopars in the Park this year?

[PocketThunder]

PT, That's sweet.  Especially considering the market here. 

Off topic, are you going to Mopars in the Park this year?

Ya about that.  Our closing date is set for May 29th.  Two days before Mopars in the Park.  I asked to move the closing date to another time but when dealing with a 7 month pregnant lady you kind of just keep your mouth shut and do what she says.  ... So my trip to the show might not happen because we will be moving that weekend.
If so i will ask a friend to drive my cars there and enter them anyways.  So my cars will be there, but i may not.  We shall see what i can come up with for an excuse though. 

Paul
in St. Paul (soon to be Minnetonka)

[General_01]

Bummer deal, but at least it is for something important. I will say hi to your cars for you. (That's if I ain't moving somebody )

[PocketThunder]

Bummer deal, but at least it is for something important. I will say hi to your cars for you. (That's if I ain't moving somebody )

You just volunteered!  Sweet!

[General_01]

NO I DIDN'T!! Dang it. I just read my thread.



Let me know the when and where. I can get to Brainerd before than and get the car trailer if you think we may need it. Let me know that too. See ya then, if not before.

[PocketThunder]

NO I DIDN'T!! Dang it. I just read my thread.



Let me know the when and where. I can get to Brainerd before than and get the car trailer if you think we may need it. Let me know that too. See ya then, if not before.

thanks. i'll have my 22' car trailer and my Dads V10 Ram for moving stuff.  We are gonna hire movers this time though for the house stuff.

[694spdRT]

Congrats Paul. 

At least all the snow should be gone by the end of May. 

[Charger_Fan]

Bummer deal, but at least it is for something important. I will say hi to your cars for you. (That's if I ain't moving somebody )

You just volunteered!  Sweet!

You're worse than my Mother.

[PocketThunder]

Might as well keep my story going here...

House hunting sucks!   

We sell our house, and everyone says, oh great you are in the drivers seat now...  But we want to settle into a nice neighborhood and not move again for 25+ years.  So, we have been watching dream house #1 in the neighborhood we want to live in, its for sale for 8 months and does a price drop from $449k down to our max budget of $299k and sure enough this house sells the day before we sell ours!  What are the odds!     3 days later and i'm still pissed off.  Now everything we look at does not compare to that house we could have bought. 

Ok i'm done venting now..      Going to look at more houses tonight...

[Dans 68]

Paul,

'Aint life like that. All you can do is laugh and keep moving forward. And all things considered you are doing great! Good luck with the house hunting...I'll hook you up with a 3-bedroom, 1 bath fixer upper in my neighborhood for $700,000. 6,000 sq ft lot. 1-car garage.    And I'm not kidding.   

[General_01]

You guys will find something Paul. It does kinda suck, but it will just make the one you do find that much sweeter. 

Keep looking dude. YOU GOTTA MOVE IN 1 MONTH!!!

[Todd Wilson]

I guess I am in the dark here but how in the F do you afford a 700000$ house or a 300000$ house?   We got Doctors and lawyers in town here that dont live in houses priced like that?!



Todd

[Dans 68]

I guess I am in the dark here but how in the F do you afford a 700000$ house or a 300000$ house?   We got Doctors and lawyers in town here that dont live in houses priced like that?!



Todd

Everything is pricier in California. Market forces have set the median home price way up there. Salaries are higher too. It is all relative.   

Dan

[Charger_Fan]

House hunting sucks!   

Yes...yes it does.

[PocketThunder]

We found dream house #2.  So not getting that first house must have happened for a reason because this next house we found is even better.  The inspection on our house was yesterday so we will find out today if our buyers want us to fix anything or if they will remove the contingency without any items needing to be addressed.  After that I am good to go with an offer on this house.  So we shall see what plays out in the next couple days.   

[SnoPro440]

Good luck!  Hopefully it will work out.  You can use my Mega cab for your move if you want to. 

[PocketThunder]

Good luck!  Hopefully it will work out.  You can use my Mega cab for your move if you want to. 

Hey another volunteer!   

[SnoPro440]

Good luck!  Hopefully it will work out.  You can use my Mega cab for your move if you want to. 

Hey another volunteer!   

If you got beer, I'm in. 

[Todd Wilson]

I guess I am in the dark here but how in the F do you afford a 700000$ house or a 300000$ house?   We got Doctors and lawyers in town here that dont live in houses priced like that?!



Todd

Everything is pricier in California. Market forces have set the median home price way up there. Salaries are higher too. It is all relative.   

Dan

So you can make  150grand a year working at McDonalds?


Todd

[PocketThunder]

I guess I am in the dark here but how in the F do you afford a 700000$ house or a 300000$ house?   We got Doctors and lawyers in town here that dont live in houses priced like that?!
Todd

Everything is pricier in California. Market forces have set the median home price way up there. Salaries are higher too. It is all relative.   
Dan

So you can make  150grand a year working at McDonalds?
Todd

Its not how much you pay its how much you borrow...  but i assume you already know that. 

[timmy]

if you need help moving  let me know i will help you out

[PocketThunder]

if you need help moving  let me know i will help you out

Thanks.  May 29th is the tenative date.  Maybe Brian will come up early for Mopars in the Park..