Additions

Additions

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

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 the ground is broken, and we match your existing trim, siding and roof pitch so your finished house reads as one building.

You keep living in the house while we work. The opening between the old part and the new stays closed and weathertight until the new structure is dried in. We work in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, registered as Massachusetts HIC 213949 and Rhode Island GC-51642. Your estimate is free inside 100 miles of Seekonk, and no more than a third of the price is due up front.

The join is the whole job

Anybody can frame a box in the back yard. What 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 your new one is dug to the same depth as the existing and tied in, not poured against it. Roof planes get 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 the courses are set out from your existing walls 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, not for the house you are asking for. We check whether they carry the new load before you are committed, not after the frame is up. Setbacks and lot coverage get checked in the same pass. If the panel or the waste line will not take it, you want to know while the job is still on paper.

How the job runs

1. Check the lot and the systems We look at setbacks and lot coverage, and whether your panel, your heat and your waste line take the extra load.
2. Permit set and inspections We pull the permits and we meet the inspector.
3. Foundation to match Your new foundation is dug to the same depth as the existing one and tied into it, not poured against it.
4. Frame and dry in The new structure goes up and gets weathertight while your existing wall stays closed.
5. Open the wall We seal the opening off from the rest of the house, then open it and tie your systems in, which is the shortest and dustiest phase of the job.
6. Weave the outside in Roof valley, kick out flashing and siding courses run through from your existing house.

What the job includes

• Second story 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