When people think about additions to their home, we are often asked “Is it better to build up or out, and which one is most cost effective?”

We are often asked is it better to go up… or out? And which is more cost effective?

Up or Out? The answer really depends upon the goals of the addition, style of the house, access to the new space and the land around the existing home. However, I will say that in the many in-town homes that we have worked on, “up” is most often the way to go. Building up  maintains the yard around the home which is a premium in-town. Also if designed correctly, provides enhanced curb appeal from the street which adds to the value of the home and provides a better resale price.

Which is more cost effective? It is interesting that in the projects where we concepted both an up and alternatively an out plan, the up was often a bit more cost effective. The trick here is the design and placement of the stairs. If the stairs can be worked out, without having to reverse the basement stairs, and moving too many walls, then up saves the cost of the foundations and landscape disturbance. Keep in mind that most second story additions require the reframing of the old ceiling joists to allow for floor loads. This we like to do with a separate 10” floor joist system that we nestle in between the old ceiling rafters (this is called sistering). This allows for a separate diaphragm system for ceiling & floor joists and thus increases the sound proofing, minimizes the potential of plaster cracks in the old ceilings, and reduces the overall addition height. All good things, but in the end the construction costs of going up are close to, but maybe a tick less than, going out.

Many of our past projects can be seen on our website at…http://homerebuilders.com/ga/atlanta/custom-home-remodeling/gallery

School is out and many of you have a houseful of children underfoot for the summer. Any budding designers in the bunch? Maybe a summer excercise of decorating a bedroom can be a fun way to fill some of those long hours of summer. Paint is always an easy starting point. When picking paint colors with the younger set, sometimes they are draw to a very saturated level of color that may not strike the right cord with you. A good compromise can be to start with the color of  child’s choice and then travel up the paint chart for a more muted color of the same family.  Another fun variable with paint can be the ceiling. Maybe a fun accent color on the ceiling will provide the excitement a child is looking? Sometimes redecorating a child’s room can be as simple as rearranging the furniture.  Moving the bed around can provide a fun change of view as well as help expose all the “treasures” that sometimes become hidden. Always a good start to a full cleanout from the previous school year. If you are looking for sources for children’s accessories catalog companies are a great starting point. Serena and Lilly, The Land Of Nod, West Elm and CB2 can be great resources.  Have fun and remember the best child’s room is one that can grow with them so steer clear of themes and novelty items and try for transitional pieces that can display their changing interests.

Traditionally, built-in bookcases are made with solid wood boards, carefully routed to make tight grooves that accept each shelf. But sawn lumber is expensive – enough oak for a 8-foot bookcase, for example, could run into thousands of dollars. Plywood that has a hardwood veneer is not only less expensive but in many cases stronger than solid softwoods like pine. Most lumberyards stock the basics: birch, maple, and oak veneer plywoods. Birch is the best wood to use if you plan to paint your bookcase, and maple lends itself to a variety of stains. But there are also special-order lumberyards that make veneer plywood from any kind of wood, including mahogany, teak, cherry, or walnut. For these, it’s best to use a clear finish and let the beauty of the wood shine through.

For the strongest frame, we like to suggest oak plywood and doubled its thickness for the bookcase sides, or legs, by gluing and nailing plywood shelf supports onto longer boards. (Cutting grooves in a single board would compromise its strength.) The rough ply edges are hidden by solid-wood finish trim.

The tricky part of working with plywood is ripping down the 4-foot-wide boards to the widths needed for the frame and shelves. Making a straight cut along an entire 8-foot sheet with a circular saw is difficult, and running plywood through a portable table saw is dangerous. Your best bet is to find out if your lumberyard has a commercial table saw to make clean, straight rips. Most yards will make the cuts for a dollar or so each. Calculate how deep you want the bookcase frame and the shelves to be, subtract 11/16 inches to account for the added depth of the 5/4 solid-wood trim, then have the lumberyard rip all your sheets into boards of that width. Once you get home, you can use a circular saw to cut these narrower pieces to length.

Have the lumberyard rip your plywood into boards to the width that matches your bookcase depth. Before you cut and assemble any parts, sand all the wood. Stain or prime it and allow it to dry.

Measure the height of the space where the bookcase will go. Cut two bookcase legs to this measurement from the ripped-down plywood

Measure the width of your space in three places. Subtract 1½ inches from the smallest measurement. Cut the shelves to this length from the plywood. (Make sure you also cut a piece for the top.)

If you want your shelves to be different heights to accommodate different sizes of books, you must mark the legs where the supports will be. Hold one leg against the wall and mark where you’d like the bottom of each shelf to fall. Try to line up the shelves with nearby architectural details, such as baseboards, windowsills, and mantels.

Lay both legs on a table, butted evenly next to each other. Use a framing square to transfer the shelf marks from one board to the other. Then place a plywood scrap on edge at each line and mark the width of each shelf.

Other considerations are joining the new bookcase to your existing space. Do you want to match the existing baseboard? Ideally this runs across any built ins. The finish and profile can sometimes pose a problem, stain or paint, but a good craftsman can help you along.