What is a Pop Top Addition?
What is a pop top addition and why should you consider one?
A second-story addition, also known as a “pop top”, is a home renovation where the roof is removed and a new upper level is added. This type of addition is especially popular in urban areas where space is limited and expanding horizontally is not feasible.
There are several reasons to consider a second story addition to your existing home. It might be the perfect location, or a home that you really love, but you need more space. A second reason could lie in the mortgage rate you have on your current home compared to the mortgage rate you would have on a larger home today.
The Denver Post recently reported that Denver area residents have the biggest “mortgage handcuffs” in the country. The mortgage rate lock-in gap, also known as the “golden handcuffs,” is 3.45 points in Colorado, the largest of any state. Many families are in this situation of needing a larger home, but in addition to the costs for more square footage, they are looking at a mortgage rate that is double their existing.
Beautiful Habitat has worked with clients on pop top additions for both reasons: a beloved family home that they wanted to keep and a financial opportunity.
Benefits of a Pop Top Addition
Maximize Living Space
When you Pop the Top of your existing home, you can add significant square footage without expanding the home’s footprint. Depending on the home and existing roof design, you might add a partial addition to capture as we did in this home in old Westminster.
Or you can use the entire footprint to literally double the size of the home as we did in the Pop Top addition in the Washington Park neighborhood in Denver.
Stay in Preferred Location
Adding a second story to your home is ideal for growing families or homeowners who need more living space but want to stay in their current location. In the case of our Westminster project, the clients had lived in this home for nearly 30 years. It’s a beloved member of the family that they never want to leave, but they needed a better primary suite.
In the case of our Wash Park project, the client loved the location. Anyone from Denver knows that Wash Park is always one of the most popular neighborhoods in the area.
Preserve Yard Space
Since the addition goes up instead of out, you can maintain your existing yard or garden space. This is ideal for properties with limited lot sizes, usually in urban areas.
Property Value
It’s a no-brainer, but adding square footage increases the overall value of the home. This can make it more attractive to future buyers, particularly in neighborhoods where larger homes are in demand.
On our Denver Pop Top, the cost to build the addition was 1/3 of the price of the finished square footage. This meant that building was significantly less expensive than buying a larger home in the same neighborhood. Then, once the project was complete, the project was essentially paid for because of a x3 increase in property value.
Customization
When adding an addition to your home, you can truly customize the space to your needs.
In our Wash Park project, the client wanted to maximize the space for larger families in this popular neighborhood. Therefore the addition created three new bedrooms, two new bathrooms and a second floor laundry room.
Our Westminster, CO clients had a different motivation. The new attic addition was designed purely for the homeowners, whom had never had a proper Primary Suite. This addition created a huge, light filled bedroom, with a seating area, a primary bathroom and a walk-in closet.
More Sustainable
A Pop Top addition is certainly more sustainable than to scrape an old home and a build on the same lot. And anyone from Denver knows that this has happened a lot in the Wash Park area. Keeping the original home structure in tact is more sustainable than a complete new build, but also keeping the same footprint leaves more space for plants and trees, which is better for the planet and our mental health.
With a second story addition, you are also not disturbing the ground for additional foundation work.
Want to learn more? I’ll be posting next month on considerations before undertaking a second story addition. You can also read our past article on Five Tips for a Pop Top Addition
Read all about the Wash Park Denver Home
Read all about the Westminster Project
Are you considering an addition to you home? Contact me today to discuss your project!