We live in a West Coast cottage from the 80s (L-shaped, single-story house) with a basement, and the plan is to expand (or build new) in the coming years.
We need more space (we have several children), and since we want to remodel the house to give it an old appearance, the idea is to do a roof lift and add an extra floor.
My question is whether it's possible to raise the ceiling height on the lower floor in connection with the roof lift? Today, it is a standard 2.40 m, but it would be good if we could raise it to about 2.80 m. Is it technically possible to raise the ceiling height by 40 cm during a roof lift? Does anyone know? A higher ceiling height would help make the house feel older during the renovation.
Ideally, we don't want to build completely new, as it's an inherited house that we are very fond of, and the basement is practical. Moving is not an option either since we have a really nice beachfront plot on a peninsula, hard to find a better location.
Grateful for answers!
We need more space (we have several children), and since we want to remodel the house to give it an old appearance, the idea is to do a roof lift and add an extra floor.
My question is whether it's possible to raise the ceiling height on the lower floor in connection with the roof lift? Today, it is a standard 2.40 m, but it would be good if we could raise it to about 2.80 m. Is it technically possible to raise the ceiling height by 40 cm during a roof lift? Does anyone know? A higher ceiling height would help make the house feel older during the renovation.
Ideally, we don't want to build completely new, as it's an inherited house that we are very fond of, and the basement is practical. Moving is not an option either since we have a really nice beachfront plot on a peninsula, hard to find a better location.
Grateful for answers!
The short and boring answer is no.
It is difficult to increase the ceiling height on the ground floor.
It is difficult to increase the ceiling height on the ground floor.
Everything is possible but it is not economically feasible.
Building a new stick-built house on the old stone foundation and cellar is the only technically reasonable solution I can think of, and it is expensive.
Log houses can be easily lifted and have an additional row of logs added below to increase ceiling height, but panel houses and many modern stick-built houses do not hold together when lifted.
Building a new stick-built house on the old stone foundation and cellar is the only technically reasonable solution I can think of, and it is expensive.
Log houses can be easily lifted and have an additional row of logs added below to increase ceiling height, but panel houses and many modern stick-built houses do not hold together when lifted.
Member
· Västerbottens län
· 18 024 posts
It is possible.
The collar beam of the trusses is what holds the ceiling, if you remove the truss then it's open upwards.
Then whether it's possible to splice the studs so that it holds for raising and adding an additional floor remains to be seen.
Protte
The collar beam of the trusses is what holds the ceiling, if you remove the truss then it's open upwards.
Then whether it's possible to splice the studs so that it holds for raising and adding an additional floor remains to be seen.
Protte
Thank you for responding! My partner also says that it's probably impossible without building new. He is skilled at carpentry himself and has built stick-built houses from the ground up. Had hoped someone had been crazy enough to try with good results 
.
.
Last edited:
Thanks for the answer! That actually sounds a bit hopeful...
The question then is if a west coast cottage from the 80s can support a splice and another floor? I hope so. Maybe one can hire a structural engineer (is that what it's called?) who can calculate the strength of an existing house. Might be good to know before doing a roof lift 
I assume you have already checked the maximum building height according to the zoning plan and that there is room for both an additional floor plus 40 cm extra on the existing house. Otherwise, that's priority 1 before the engineer.E Elofen said:Thanks for the response! That actually sounds a bit hopeful...
Good that you mentioned this! We live in the countryside outside of planed area, but we still need to get the building permit and beach protection exemption clear before we can start. I'll check with the municipality what applies. But wouldn't it be wise to have a structural engineer check if it's even possible before we submit drawings to the municipality?S sunqan said:
We are also considering getting help from an architect with an interest in old houses so that the renovation turns out really well and as we've envisioned. Maybe the architect is in contact with a skilled structural engineer?
A carpenter will build quite a bit since we don't have the time to do everything ourselves, but the plan is for my partner to build dormers, glass verandas, and a tower on the house if it can be worked out smoothly with the carpenters.
Last edited:
Thanks for the tip, we'll do that!S sunqan said:
The entire plot, about 9000 sqm (including the meadow) is classified as plot land and it goes all the way down to the lake. We applied for building permission and shore protection exemption for a garage a few years ago and checked it out then.
Right by the water's edge, there's an old summer cottage that should have been demolished when the current house was built. Could it be to our advantage that the little house is still standing when we want to expand?
In a first phase, can we start by expanding less than 30% of the house's size without applying for a building permit? Do we need to apply for a shore protection exemption for that as well?
Last edited:
Keep in mind that you are dealing with two different laws, which are not necessarily coordinated. The Planning and Building Act regarding construction, and the Environmental Code concerning shore protection. Start by checking the conditions for an exemption from shore protection. If possible, I suggest you contact an architect, who is best equipped to come up with a good solution for your needs. Most architects work with structural engineers they collaborate with. Larger architectural firms have their own employed structural engineers.
Skogsägare
· Stockholm och Smålands inland
· 21 924 posts
According to which legislation? This is a tricky matter, but I guess we're talking about tax law here, that it's a property with type code 220. That is not the same as the entire property being classified as plot land according to shoreline protection regulations.E Elofen said:
The fact that there is a house on the property with a demolition order is not to your advantage. In practice, this means that the current building permit is not fulfilled (even if the issue is statute-barred; to the extent that a demolition order in a shoreline protection case is statute-barred, illegal buildings are not), so it is rather a problem than an advantage.
Now, there seem to finally be some easements coming in today's draconian shoreline protection regulations, maybe you will benefit from them, but if you otherwise need an exemption from the shoreline protection (rather than it being abolished), the chances of getting a building permit are probably very limited.
In connection with shore protection exemptions, there is a concept called tomtplats. It is usually drawn on a map and is the area that can be privatized. It is only within that area that the concept of domestic peace applies. The shore protection rules are found in Chapter 7 of the Environmental Code. Section 17 reads as follows: "The government or the authority designated by the government may issue regulations that the prohibitions in Section 15 do not apply to supplementary measures to a main building undertaken
1. within 15 meters from the main building but not closer to the shoreline than 25 meters, and
2. within a tomtplats that has been specified in a decision on exemption." If you meet these requirements, you should be granted an exemption.
1. within 15 meters from the main building but not closer to the shoreline than 25 meters, and
2. within a tomtplats that has been specified in a decision on exemption." If you meet these requirements, you should be granted an exemption.
Skogsägare
· Stockholm och Smålands inland
· 21 924 posts
I do think that 7:18 c p. 1 is a more important legal provision in the matter, but let's hope that TS doesn't get stuck in the coastal protection quagmire, and only needs to fight against building technical challenges.