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Case study · Completed

Three-Story Custom Home

A tired two-story house with severe rot came down. A charcoal three-story modern home went up on the existing footprint.

  • Completed
  • Demolition & new build
  • Three stories
  • Pennsylvania
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The lot was right. The house wasn’t.

The original house on the Three-Story Custom Home project was a two-story home with pale yellow siding. Once the exterior walls were opened up, the problem was obvious: rotted corners, failing brick and sheathing, and joists and sill framing that were past saving.

That’s exactly the situation our location-first approach is built for. The location was worth keeping. The structure wasn’t, so the plan called for demolishing the existing two-story dwelling and building a new three-story home on the existing footprint.

What we did

  • Opened up and assessed the original structure, documenting the rot as we found it
  • Demolished the old house behind a safety fence
  • Formed and poured new foundation walls and slab, then waterproofed before backfill
  • Framed the new home floor by floor up to three stories, then sheathed it
  • Finished the exterior in charcoal siding with a side carport, a covered wraparound rear porch, a new walkway and plantings

The result

A modern three-story custom home that looks like it was always meant for that lot. Same address, same street and neighbors, and a completely new house.

Before & after

Same lot. Completely new house.

BeforeThe original two-story house with pale yellow siding that stood on the lot
Before: the original two-story house
AfterFront of the finished home with a new walkway and young evergreen plantings
After: the finished three-story home

Timeline

How it came together

Stages are shown in order. We don’t publish dates or durations because every schedule depends on permits, inspections, weather and scope.

  1. The original house

    A two-story house with pale yellow siding stood on the lot.

  2. Tear-out reveals the damage

    Walls opened up to severe rot in corners, joists and sill framing.

  3. Demolition

    The old structure came down behind a chain-link safety fence.

  4. Foundation

    New foundation walls and slab, waterproofed before backfill.

  5. Framing and sheathing

    Three stories of framing, then full sheathing.

  6. Finished

    Charcoal siding, side carport and a covered wraparound rear porch.

Gallery

Every photo and plan

Select any image to view it full size. Use the arrow keys to move through a set and Esc to close.

See all photos in the filterable gallery

Browse by stage: Before (8 photos) · During (11 photos) · After (4 photos)

After

4 images · the finished home

  • Finished home: charcoal three-story modern house with a side carport under a blue sky
    Finished: charcoal three-story modern with side carport
  • Front of the finished home with a new walkway and young evergreen plantings
    Finished front with new walkway and plantings
  • Street view of the finished home with its carport and driveway
    Street view of the finished home and carport
  • Rear of the finished home showing a covered wraparound porch with white railings
    Rear view: covered wraparound porch

Before

8 images · the original house

  • The original two-story house with pale yellow siding that stood on the lot
    Before: the original two-story house on the lot
  • The original house with exterior walls opened up and rotted framing exposed
    Before: exterior walls opened up, rot exposed
  • Failing exterior wall on the original house: deteriorated brick, sheathing and trim
    Before: failing exterior wall
  • Open framing and exposed floor structure inside the original house
    Before: open framing and exposed floors
  • Severe wood rot at a corner of the original house
    Before: severe rot at a corner
  • Rotted floor joists and sill framing in the original house
    Before: rotted joists and sill
  • Interior of the original house stripped down to studs and sheathing
    Before: interior stripped to the studs
  • Debris and open wall framing during tear-out of the original house
    Before: debris and open wall framing

During

11 images · demolition to sheathing

  • Early construction work on the original structure, with new framing and a blue tarp
    During: early work on the original structure
  • Demolition of the old structure behind a chain-link safety fence
    During: demolition behind the safety fence
  • New concrete foundation walls and slab at the Three-Story Custom Home project
    During: foundation walls and slab
  • Foundation work underway at the Three-Story Custom Home project with tools and equipment on site
    During: foundation work underway
  • Waterproofed foundation walls at the Three-Story Custom Home project before backfill
    During: waterproofed foundation
  • Framing lumber on site and first-floor framing at the Three-Story Custom Home project
    During: lumber delivered, first floor framed
  • Framing rising on the new home
    During: framing rises
  • Three-story framing at the Three-Story Custom Home project with lumber stacked in front
    During: framing reaches three stories
  • The framed home at dusk
    During: framing at dusk
  • The three-story frame against a twilight sky
    During: the three-story frame at twilight
  • The new home fully sheathed, with scaffolding ladder
    During: sheathing complete

Plans

7 images · drawings for the new home

  • Plot plan noting the existing two-story dwelling to be demolished and a new three-story dwelling built on the existing footprint
    Plan: plot plan (existing 2-story removed, new 3-story on the existing footprint)
  • ST-1 sheet with plot plan, wall section and partial front elevation
    Plan: ST-1 sheet with plot plan, wall section and front elevation
  • Three-Story Custom Home sheet A-2 with second- and third-floor plans and details
    Plan: second- and third-floor plans
  • Three-Story Custom Home floor plan sheet
    Plan: floor plan sheet
  • Three-Story Custom Home construction drawing sheet
    Plan: construction sheet
  • Three-Story Custom Home construction drawing sheet with details
    Plan: construction sheet
  • Three-Story Custom Home construction drawing sheet with sections
    Plan: construction sheet

Past and in-progress projects are shown as examples of our work only. They don’t guarantee future results, costs or timelines, and every project depends on its own agreements, feasibility, permits, inspections and financing arranged outside this website.

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