Right now I'm in the "looking" stage, but hopefully soon I'll progress to buying. One thing I've noticed is that in some areas near me there tend to be ranchers that sell relatively cheaply due to two factors: Their small size and the fact that they need updating in key areas (kitchen/bath) since some look like a set straight out of Three's Company.
I'm wondering if it's possible (and worthwhile) to turn a little two bedroom one and half bath ranch into a three or four bedroom two or two and a half bath two story house? To me it seems like for someone who is willing to do as much of the work themselves as possible as well as keep the property for 8-10 years, it would be worth the investment. However, I'm not an engineer or even a carpenter-just a guy who worked construction during summers off from college and saw it done once or twice.
I guess the question is, will most one story 2x4 framing be able to accomodate a second story without major major restructuring/reinforcing of the existing walls? Would I have to hire an engineer to make that determination? How much does something like that cost, etc...? Just a thought.
I'm wondering if it's possible (and worthwhile) to turn a little two bedroom one and half bath ranch into a three or four bedroom two or two and a half bath two story house? To me it seems like for someone who is willing to do as much of the work themselves as possible as well as keep the property for 8-10 years, it would be worth the investment. However, I'm not an engineer or even a carpenter-just a guy who worked construction during summers off from college and saw it done once or twice.
I guess the question is, will most one story 2x4 framing be able to accomodate a second story without major major restructuring/reinforcing of the existing walls? Would I have to hire an engineer to make that determination? How much does something like that cost, etc...? Just a thought.