I've got a little bitty 40x24 lake house that I want to add more living space to.

What considerations would I need to look at if I was going to build up? Completely add a 2nd floor the same size.

Is it general cheaper to build up or build out? :rolleyes:

Thanks for any input.

Traumatized in TEXAS:confused:

My first suggestion would be to contact the local building department folks. An architect or engineer can determine if the existing structure can bear an additional floor and what modifications need to made to handle the load.

My Experience Will Tell Me That Adding On A Single Story Will Be Cheaper, As Kstar Said , Most Likely You Ceiling Joist Will Not Be Tall Enough To Support A Load, Which Means Your Roof Comes Off Your Ceiling Will Have To Be Beefed Up And Most Likely Beams Will Have To Be Set, Unless Your Cramped For Space Id Expand Ground Level. The Labor Cost Will Be Much Lower If You Do This, At Least If I Was Doing The Work It Would Be.
Going Up Is Just More Labor Intensive, The Main Problem Is Getting The Joist To Support The New Load, It Is Very Time Consuming, Good Luck And Getting An Engineer Isn't A Bad Idea, You'll End Up Talking To Someone At Some Point To Figure Out What You'll Need Anyway