Whole Home Remodel/Expansion Part 2: Framing the Addition

Construction is in high gear in Hopkinton! You may have read our previous blog where we outlined our latest big project: adding a large addition, as well as remodeling the kitchen and bathrooms of this three-bedroom home built in 1983.

Our first mission: build a large addition above the garage that will include an office, guest bedroom and full bathroom. The original loft area of the garage only had open rafters and space to the roof. After building the proper structural support, we built a floor for the new second story of the garage. The new floor is almost 12” thick and will be filled with insulation to keep the air from the garage from entering the new, conditioned living space that we’re building above it.

It’s not just the new ceiling/floor between the garage and the new living space that needs insulation. The existing walls were originally 2” by 4” construction. We padded those out to 6 inches. Above, the new roof cavity will be 15 inches deep. These will allow us to use cellulose insulation rather than spray foam. As you may know, cellulose insulation is made from recycled paper and is much more environmentally friendly which is always a priority at steveworks. When we get closer to completion, the three rooms of the new space will be heated and cooled by heat pump/mini splits which are extremely energy efficient.

Just as important as insulation, we needed to add a vapor barrier to seal the new space. This ensures that moisture can escape to avoid mold or mildew, and that we keep the hot or cold air (produced by the heat pumps we’ll soon install) within the finished rooms and avoid uncomfortable drafts.

We’ll talk more about air sealing in our next blog featuring videos of our blower door test!