Pop the top !! Adding a second story

[John Berg]

Hello all!! I'm an experienced rehabber in the Dallas area. I just got a home under contract and its in super hot area where they are building a lot of new $1M properties. My plan is to buy this 1300 ft.² home and basically add another 1300sqft above the existing footprint and foundation. I think this will save me money so I can keep the walls, raise them and reinforce the foundation. Talking to some contractors they tell me you're better off just scraping it and starting over... Of course that will cost about $115 a square foot minimum. I think I can pop the top for about $90 a square foot... And still create a really cool contemporary. I would love to hear any comments or tips from rehabbers that have popped the top. Thank you, John