Make the most of a small lot with a second story

Home and Garden

When lot sizes are small and outdoor space is a premium, building up is the natural solution.

BEFORE: This modest wood frame home in the historic Loring Heights neighborhood between Peachtree Street and Northside Drive was purchased with the intention of adding on a second story.

BEFORE: With only a 45-foot-wide lot to work with, like many intown homes, this Loring Heights bungalow could only expand up, or risk eating up its entire lot footprint. The homeowners completed their second story renovation in just six months, but had to move out of the home during the construction phase.

AFTER: A second story addition to this Loring Heights home in the historic district of some 330 homes near Midtown, doubled the square footage and allowed the family to make more contemporary upgrades to their home, such as higher ceilings, a master suite and a more open kitchen plan, all pluses when it comes to resale.

BEFORE: This Virginia Highlands home on a typically compact intown lot made it an ideal candidate for a second story addition.

AFTER: It would be hard to guess from the outside that this second story addition to a Virginia Highlands home wasn't original especially with the discrete placement of a new dormer window. To further update the home, the homeowners opted to paint the outdated brick, which also helps integrate the second level.

BEFORE: Before a second-story addition by Home ReBuilders, this Morningside home's second level was composed of attic space.

AFTER: A beautiful Morningside home becomes even more stunning with its creatively integrated second story which included a new master suite, two additonal bedrooms, a bathroom and a laundry room.

BEFORE: The homeowners of this Morningside bungalow did not want to change the look or feel of the front of their charming home when they added a second story.

AFTER: This Home ReBuilders remodel illustrates how clever contractors and architects can mask a substantial second story addition by bumping out the back portion of the roofline, disguising the addition from the front of the home.

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BEFORE: This modest wood frame home in the historic Loring Heights neighborhood between Peachtree Street and Northside Drive was purchased with the intention of adding on a second story.

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