If you’ve been following our fixer-upper journey, you know our cozy 1,150-square-foot house was bursting at the seams. We needed more space, and not just any space. We dreamed of a master suite addition that felt like a retreat: a spacious bedroom, a relaxing bathroom, a glam closet, and even a cozy den. So, we rolled up our sleeves and started our biggest home addition yet.
Should We Build Up or Out?
We spent weeks planning every detail of our house addition project. At one point, we asked ourselves:
“Should we go up and add a second story? Or keep it simple and expand out on the first floor?”
In the end, a one-story home addition made the most sense for us. We had room on our property to grow outward from the living room heading east. Plus, keeping it one level matched our pier and beam foundation and helped keep costs down. Win-win!
Laying the Foundation (Literally)
Since our original home sits on a pier and beam foundation, we continued with the same for the new home addition. Step one was grading the lot to get a nice, level surface for the new floor.
Prepping the site for our master wing addition.
Batter Boards, Strings & A Little Humor
With the lot ready, we laid out batter boards and strings to map the locations of each pier. These lines are crucial to make sure everything is square and level. When I saw all the spray-painted circles, I joked to my husband, “Are we marking alien landing zones?”
Laying out the pier locations for the new foundation.
Drilling the Piers, All 27 of Them!
Then came the fun (and messy!) part. A drilling rig came in to dig holes for 27 concrete piers. Yes 27! My husband warned me it would look like a disaster before it looked like progress. And he was right! But it was fascinating to watch.
It looked chaotic, but those drilled piers were the start of something strong!
Rebar Cages & Concrete
Next, we added rebar cages to each hole to reinforce the structure. These give the foundation for our home addition the strength it needs. Once the cages were in, we poured the concrete piers and let them cure.
Rebar ready to make this foundation rock solid.
Framing the Beam Walls
Once the piers had cured, we set up forms for the concrete perimeter beams. These tie everything together and outline the footprint of our future master suite addition.
The outside beam forms shaping up our new space.
Pouring the Perimeter Beams (A Long Day!)
Then came a big day: pouring the perimeter beams. Fun fact: once you start pouring concrete, you don’t stop. The crew worked until late into the evening to make sure every part was done right. And yes, it was totally worth it!
Concrete day! The crew worked late into the night to finish.
Stripping the Forms & Cleaning Up
After the concrete set, we stripped off the forms and cleaned up the site. Seeing the clean lines of our new home expansion felt like a huge win. The foundation was ready for framing, and I could finally imagine where our dream master suite would take shape!
A clean, solid foundation, ready for walls and windows!
That’s a Wrap for This Stage!
This was the biggest, messiest, and most important part of our home remodeling journey so far, and it’s just the beginning. Next up: framing walls and watching rooms take shape. I can’t wait to show you more soon!
💬 Let’s Chat!
Are you thinking of a fixer-upper addition or trying to decide between building up or out? Wondering what it’s like working with a pier and beam foundation? Drop your questions or share your own story in the comments. I’d love to hear what you’re dreaming up!
I can’t wait to see the finished product!!!