Currently, our home has a main floor and basement. I've noticed a few people adding a second floor to older homes.

While it makes sense to add a floor instead of buying another home, I wonder how easy this is when the home is an older Victorian.

Would a second floor require the foundation be extended? How long does it take to add another floor?

If the foundation can't be extended, due to property line limits, is there a way to fram the support for the second floor with a new outer wall, encasing the original first floor?

You're going to need to start with an architect and a structural engineer. Then you will need permits and a reputable contractor. Also, you may need to plan to live somewhere else for a while when they tear the roof off your house.

The permit process is very long, so don't do anything until you have a green light from the city. You don't want a cease and desist order while this is going on and you don't want a city inspector to come by later and put the brakes on your project.

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Tommy Bahama 

Good advice, do not take a project like this lightly. You need to make sure you have the right people for the job.

Completely agree with karma....

you really need to check everything that you should check, to avoid huge mistake in the future.

Out its new foreign and local snow load standards to determine if it satisfies the roof of the addition test. Snow load you need a city inspector to determine if additional construction should request an evaluation.

madrid wrote:
You're going to need to start with an architect and a structural engineer. Then you will need permits and a reputable contractor. Also, you may need to plan to live somewhere else for a while when they tear the roof off your house.

The permit process is very long, so don't do anything until you have a green light from the city. You don't want a cease and desist order while this is going on and you don't want a city inspector to come by later and put the brakes on your project.

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Tommy Bahama 

yep i think his suggestion is a good advice

How did the renovation go? Can you update us when you have time.