Raising the Roof of My 1949 Ranch-Bungalow-Cottage Franken House
In April 2009 I bought a 1949 ranch-bungalow-cottage “franken-house” for about 1/3 of the market value. Near to where I work and in an area I truly believe in, I jumped head first into renovating it: new electrical, plumbing, floors, sheetrock and roof. Having a background in civil engineering, an experienced home inspector (hired only for an extra set of eyes) and a creative general contractor meant few surprises and no obstacles that could not be overcome.
The house started life as a 900-square-foot, 14-foot-wide, two-bedroom, one-bath, L-shaped cottage with a partially completed basement set into a steep hillside with a panoramic view of the city. Previous homeowners in the ’60s and ’80s had built two-story additions on the back of the house, completing both the main story and basement levels. The first addition spanning half of the house removed the old back door and a 10-foot section of load-bearing wall. No header was inserted and instead the roof rafters were left sitting on the remaining double top plate. The second addition covered the remaining length of the house, first as a deck and later as a bedroom and included two picture windows sealed into plaster and drywall. Both additions were done cheaply and had the horror-of-horrors: a 7-foot ceiling with a flat roof. Given the poor support, age and condition of the renovations, the roof acted like a trampoline. Finally, off of the very back of the house was a 14-by-28-foot deck built with 2-by-6 supports and interior-grade screws.
I knew I wanted to keep the house so I embarked on an ambitious goal to raise the roof. At the same time, I wanted a sunroom to properly embrace the magnificent view. After countless sketches and interviews with several contractors, I finally found someone who shared my vision. First step was the demolition of the deck, which allowed for the delivery of material closer to the house. Second, new footings were poured to support the new 16-by-28-foot sunroom with the floor joists over 10 feet above grade. I knew the area underneath would eventually be closed in, so we poured columns to the same elevation as the slab of the house, and continued up with 6-by-6 pressure-treated posts. Next, the sunroom walls with openings for 16 windows. A new gable roof was built perpendicular to the existing peak.
Here is where it got creative: The existing roof of the original portion of the house was raised approximately 2 feet with new rafters running down to the exterior walls of the later additions. This effectively closed the roof of the original portion of the house and the flat roof additions inside the new roof. From there, the flat roof was dismantled section by section and LVLs were used instead of the sagging double top plate. To increase the height of the support wall and strengthen it to hold the load of the new roof, the house was “unzipped” from one end to the other, removing the 7-foot sections, adding new 8-foot sections and then sheathed. Where the new sunroom meets the old dining room, three openings were framed for French doors to allow light from the sunroom into the whole house. Lastly, perhaps out of repulsion for the flat roof, I decided to leave 14-foot vaulted ceilings where once was a dilapidated 7-foot one.
The overall renovation is now in its final stages, with the area under the sunroom closed in as well. Extensive demolition (40,000 lbs. of debris) by myself and others, considerable planning while thinking big and about $35,000 ($15,000 materials, $20,000 labor) invested in this portion has created a series of rooms with a magnificent view. Save money by investigating what your local regulations require for drawings and do them yourself. When feasible, do the demolition and manage the waste by recycling, reclaiming and making multiple smaller trips to the landfill. Attempt to do trim, flooring and finish work yourself.
