HMH Construction — Masters of Renovation

Project story · Toronto

Bungalow Raised to a Two-Storey in Scarborough

The roof came off and a full second storey went on — same foundation, same footprint, twice the house.

The finished two-storey home from the street, stucco exterior with black trim and a new driveway
The finished two-storey home from the street, stucco exterior with black trim and a new driveway

Taking the roof off a house is the least reversible thing you can do to it. Everything after that is a race against weather — which is why the sequence matters more than the speed.

What the project had to achieve

The lot was good, the location was good, and the bungalow was too small. Building up rather than out kept the existing foundation and footprint — and the garden — while roughly doubling the floor area the family had to live in.

Project goals here are read from the signed scope of work. We don't publish our clients' names, addresses, or anything they told us in confidence.

Scope of work

How it was built

  1. March 2025

    What we started with

    A post-war bungalow on a good lot, with an attached garage and a long driveway. Nothing structurally wrong with it — just a house that had run out of room for the people in it.

    The original bungalow from the street before the second storey was addedThe original attached garage and driveway before work began

  2. May 2025

    The roof comes off

    The point of no return. With the roof removed, a new floor system was framed over the original walls — which is the moment a bungalow stops being a bungalow and the weather becomes the schedule.

    The house opened up after the original roof was removedNew roof structure being framed over the houseNew floor framing set over the original wallsNew subfloor laid across the full second-storey footprint

  3. May – June 2025

    A full second floor

    The upper level was framed out room by room over the original footprint, with the new stair opening cut through to the floor below. Building on an existing structure means every new wall has to land on something that can carry it.

    Upper level framed out with the roof structure aboveInterior of the new upper floor during framingThe house standing as a full two storeys in frameThe covered front entry canopy framed inInterior partitions framed on the main floorFraming with mechanical and electrical services run through it

  4. July 2025

    Closed in and re-roofed

    Sheathing, wrap and shingles went on to get the house watertight. From the street this is the first time it reads as the building it was going to be.

    The two-storey house sheathed and wrapped against the weatherSide elevation wrapped, with windows set and the entry canopy framedThe new roof sheathed and shingled over the second storey

  5. July 2025

    Boarded and taped

    Insulation and drywall went in across both levels, with the new stair opening framed and boarded so the two floors finally read as one house rather than an old one with a new hat.

    Rooms boarded out with drywall on the new upper levelTaped drywall through the upper floor roomsThe new stair opening boarded, connecting the two levels

  6. August 2025

    Bathrooms

    The bathrooms were finished wall to wall in large-format marble-look porcelain, with shaker vanities and matte black fixtures.

    Finished bathroom with shaker vanity and marble-look porcelainSecond finished bathroom with vanity, black fixtures and porcelain walls

  7. August – September 2025

    Outside, finished

    Stucco with black trim, a covered entry on black posts with cedar steps, a rear carport, a new concrete pad and a purpose-built garden outbuilding. The house sits on the same foundation it always did.

    Finished covered entry with black posts, canopy and cedar stepsThe finished entry and rear carport structure alongside the stucco exteriorThe garden outbuilding framed and roofed at the rear of the lotThe finished garden outbuilding in white siding with its own entry doorNew concrete pad running back to the carport and outbuilding

The result

A two-storey home on the original bungalow's foundation — new roof, new upper floor, stucco exterior, covered entry and carport, finished on the same lot the family already owned.

Services used on this project

Home Additions →Home Renovations →Garden Suites →

Questions about projects like this

Is adding a second storey cheaper than moving?

In most of the GTA, yes — you keep the lot, the location and the land transfer tax you would otherwise pay again. What it costs depends on whether the existing foundation and walls can carry the new load, which is an engineering question we answer before quoting rather than after.

Can the existing foundation take a second storey?

Often, but never assume it. The foundation, the bearing walls and the existing footings all get assessed by an engineer, and the drawings are built around what they can actually carry. Sometimes that means reinforcement; sometimes it means the load paths simply get planned around.

How long is the house open to the weather?

As short a window as the sequence allows. Once the roof comes off, framing the new floor and getting the structure sheathed and wrapped is the priority — everything else waits. That is why this kind of work is scheduled around the season rather than squeezed into it.

Can we live in the house while the second storey goes on?

Generally no, not during the roof-off and framing stages. It is one of the few renovation types where moving out is the sensible answer, and planning for it up front is cheaper than discovering it halfway through.

Planning something similar?

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