A customer recently contacted us with a major problem. A room addition that was completed before she bought her home in Marietta, Georgia, was slowly falling off the back of her home, and multiple attempts to solve the problem weren’t working. Over the next few months, Fowler Homes completely removed the existing room and redid the entire project, including adding handicap accessible ramps and a new deck. This article goes over the entire process from start to finish.
The Problem
The homeowner was concerned that her room was becoming potentially hazardous. The previous contractor had added the room but failed to install a good foundation. Attempts had been made to remedy the problem by adding support beams, but the room continued to settle and pull away from the home.
The Solution
With the help of Marietta architect Robert Bruder, Fowler Homes proposed removing the existing room and putting back a firm foundation that would support a new room addition. We also added new handicap ramps for future access and built a new deck to use for entertaining. It was important to the homeowner that the new addition matched the existing style and exterior of her home.
Planning
To ensure that this addition went smoothly, we used the services of Robert Bruder to provide design and architectural drawings that would be needed for Cobb county building permits. Mr. Bruder met with the homeowner to design the perfect project that would not only solve her initial problem of a settling room, but also to create a living space that flowed naturally with her existing home. The new plan provided a functional living space for entertaining as well as access for elderly parents should they need it in the future. My favorite feature of this project is the four large windows that were added. Taking design cues from the existing home, we carried over the abundance of large windows to let in natural light.
Demolition
Before work could start on adding a new room addition, Fowler Homes first had to remove the existing structure and dispose of it off site. Crews removed the old deck and tore down the room as well as built a wall to partition off the house during construction.
Foundation and Footing
A firm foundation is essential to any home or room addition. Some contractors might be tempted to breeze past foundations because they might not settle until years later when it won’t be their problem. Cobb county and the city of Marietta require all foundations to be inspected and have an engineering letter before work can continue. Fowler Homes also created a small crawl space under the new room for extra storage.
Framing and Roofing
The next stage in this remodeling project was to frame the new room. Part of the plans called for extending the room wider and raising the ceiling as high as possible. The ceiling height was constrained because of the large windows covering the back of the house. Fowler Homes used our expertise in roofing to solve the problem by framing the room with a slow slope and installing a low slope roofing product by Certainteed. This procedure allowed us to raise the ceiling as high as possible while maintaining a watertight structure.
Decks and Handicap Ramps
Another very important part of this project was the deck. The room would be overlooking the back pool area, and the decks were in need of repair. While some of the deck around the patio was reserved, the main deck that attached to the house was removed and rebuilt to meet updated building codes. Planning for the futur,e the homeowner wanted to make sure she had proper accessibility in the event she should ever need to bring her parents into her home if they were unable to climb stairs. Following ADA guidelines, we built ramps from the driveway that allow for easy accessibility into the home.
Interior
Because this home addition was tying into the kitchen, we had to pay careful attention to existing finishes. As an addition contractor, our goal with new room additions is to create a seamless space that appears as though it was always supposed to be there. By matching the cedar trim, large windows, and tile color, we were able to create a smooth transition from existing home to new addition.
We love the way this addition turned out in Marietta. For more pictures of this project and others, be sure to check out our gallery here. If you have any questions about your own project, feel free to give us a call at 770-744-5992 or contact us here.