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Phase 5 · Build · Step 5.3

Demolition + framing of the new second story

The GC removes the existing roof, frames the new second-story walls, installs new floor joists (the old ceiling), reframes the new roof, and gets the building dry-in. The single most visually dramatic step of the whole project.

Who
General contractor
How long
6-10 weeks
Cost
Included in GC bid
You end up with
Dry-in second story + temporary stair access

If you skip this: The existing house is exposed to weather between roof removal and dry-in. The GC's tarping plan and weather window matter — push this step into November-February only if the GC has done it before.

What happens

The most physically dramatic stretch of the project, in rough order:

  1. Remove the existing roof — shingles, sheathing, framing. Sometimes done in a single day with a crane and a crew of six; sometimes over a week with a smaller crew.
  2. Frame the new second-story floor (which becomes the existing first-floor ceiling). New joists span between the existing exterior walls.
  3. Frame the new second-story walls — bottom plate, studs, top plates, headers, openings. Plumb and square against the variations of the existing first floor.
  4. Frame the new roof — rafters or trusses, ridge, valleys, eaves. The exterior shape of the addition becomes visible.
  5. Sheathe walls and roof — with shear panels where the structural engineer requires them.
  6. Install windows and doors in the new openings.
  7. Wrap the building with weather-resistive barrier, taped at openings.
  8. Roof — underlayment, then finished roofing.

By the end of this step, the building is dry-in — weathertight enough that interior trades can work without rain damage.

Inspections

  • Framing inspection before insulation. Verifies structural per stamped sheets, fire-blocking, hardware, hold-downs, and the connection of new framing to existing.
  • Sheathing nailing inspection on shear panels.
  • Window flashing inspection in some cases.

Duration

  • 6 weeks for a small simple addition with an experienced crew and good weather.
  • 8–10 weeks is the honest range for most Seattle second-story additions, accounting for weather and the inevitable "the existing wall isn't where the as-built said it was" moment.

What goes wrong

  • Window delivery. Custom windows have 8–12 week lead times. Order during permit review or framing waits.
  • Weather between roof removal and dry-in. This is the big one. A bad November rain on an opened roof is a project-killer. The GC's tarping plan is a contract item, not an afterthought.
  • Existing conditions surprises. Rotted sill plate where new load lands. A buried beam not on the as-built. The hidden-conditions allowance in the contract (step 4.3) is what funds the fix without a change-order fight.

Where this information came from

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