New Home Addition

[kurono]

Hey there everyone,

My parents decided that they wanted to do an addition to the house from the basement up to the main floor.

This is my first time dealing with something like this. I was hopping someone can point me in the direction of where I would start and what I would need to do.

The new addition should be roughly 170sqft.

If you guys need any more info, I'll be happy to provide.

[sgsmith]

Start with a trip to your municipality's Planning department to make sure your proposal is OK (meets setbacks, lot coverage, intended use, etc.)
Proceed to getting plans drawn up. You can hire an architect, arch tech, or builder for this sort of thing....it just depends on how good you want it to look when you're done. They will provide stamped drawings that the municipal building department will issue a building permit for.
Finally, hire someone to build it. You'll want to consider the quotes, reputation, and any referrals before choosing a builder.

[glugglughic]

If you want a referral to an excellent contractor Pm me. We did a major Reno including second storey about 7 years ago and they did great job.

[Mars2012]

I guess it depends on how attached you are to the place, often it makes more sense to move. As the other poster said, check whether it's even feasible for you to do an addition.

[o0vL]

as others have mentioned.
check with the city. most likely you will need a building permit. if the home is already built then you will probably need to consult with a structural engineer and or architech. this is defiantly not a DYI job....unless your an experienced contractor

[kurono]

Thanks for the responses so far guys.

I'll try to get in touch with City of Toronto planning to see if it's ok. I think it should, only because the neighbours themselves (it's a semi-detached) had an addition done to their house long before we moved in.

As for getting plans drawn up by an architect, would that be cheaper to hire some one separately to draw them up, or would it be cheaper to consult with a few contractors and if they have connections, have them use their contacts to draw them up?

Moving would probably be out of the question since they like the area. If the price tag for this addition is just too much, I'll probably just suggest they abort it.

[licenced]

The architect is your one-stop shop particularly as far as having to chase liability. But they do come at a price for co-ordinating everything.

[StonePort]

The best place to start is to talk with several architects and get as much information as possible. A good architect will be able to give you direction on whether this potential project will conform with the city`s zoning in your area. In addition, they will be able to give you a good budget price on the cost associated with this addition. Hope that helps...