Hello! As I mentioned on my “Woodstock” page, I have purchased a 1960s bungalow in my hometown and plan to do a major renovation to it before moving in. It’s a big, huge reno on a very modest budget, so every dollar must be spent wisely.
I bought a great property in a great neighbourhood with a beautiful pool… but the reality is, the house as purchased really didn’t work well for my needs. With tiny bedrooms and an even tinier kitchen, there would be no room for storage of all my stuff, and no room to actually do the stuff that I enjoy doing in the house – baking, quilting, etc.
So I decided to pursue adding a 2nd storey.
The Plans
Step one in the planning process was finding someone to actually work with me to draw up the plans that would be needed to build a 2nd storey addition. I tried several different firms in Woodstock and surrounding area and got the same responses – “we’re too booked up”, or “we’re only doing new builds now”. Finally, in May, I stumbled across CR Group Design on Facebook. I reached out to Ryan, and he was able to help. We met to discuss the project and share some initial thoughts. At that time, I was thinking about adding an extension off the back of the house, but after discussing and realizing that the roof would have to come off the house anyway, I decided it would be best to add a 2nd storey.
It’s now been more than 6 months since that initial meeting. We’ve gone back and forth on the plans a few times to come up with just exactly what I want the house to be. I have a pretty clear vision for what our needs are and I’m pretty definitive, so I don’t think I have been too unreasonable with change requests.
Here are the plans – starting with the initial floor plan, then moving on to what will be the main floor, and finally, the 2nd storey!
Original Main Floor 
New Main Floor 
New 2nd Storey
The Crew
We got the keys to the house on October 15th, and since then, the priority has been to remove anything that can be reused and sell it, and basically gut the entire first floor to get ready for the build. My brother, who has been working on house flips for the past couple of years, has been working on the demo. My “uncle” Tom, (actually my Mom’s cousin’s husband), who has been a builder and carpenter for years is my project manager and my advisor. His experience and expertise is so valuable – and I trust him completely to help me do what is right, while being very aware of budget limitations. He’s the kind but firm hand that says “you really don’t want to touch that right now!”
As for the plans, once totally finalized, they need engineer sign-off, and then we apply for a permit. That’s where we are right now… I’m expecting to head into the permit office this week and the hope/intention is that the main build (ripping off the roof and framing the 2nd storey) will take place over the Christmas break!
The great thing about working with Ryan is that his family has been in the construction business for decades, so we didn’t have to go and search for an available builder (they’re all double booked these days). We just signed up with Cochetto Solutions!