Almost a third of Greensburg's houses were standing before 1940, often with plaster inside and a steep stair up to the attic. When one needs another room, our carpenters work out what the city's yard rules leave room for, then build it to match the trim, the roofline and the age of the house.
Greensburg Additions
Half the city's houses were up by 1957, and six in ten have two or three bedrooms, most on older city lots. Owners who want to stay ask us how much more house the lot can hold.
About 37% of Greensburg homeowners have passed 65. Where every bedroom and the only full bath are upstairs, they ask for a way to live on the first floor instead.
A bedroom and accessible bath added at the back, with a no-step shower, wide doors and a floor that meets the old one without a lip. We match the window trim and ceiling height so the suite doesn't read as new.
Primary suite additionsThree in ten owners here are under 45. A two- or three-bedroom home that worked for a couple can feel tight with kids, and they'd sooner build on than give up the street they chose.
A bedroom over a new first-floor room, or a single-story wing, framed to the house's floor heights. Where plaster walls meet the new drywall, we finish the joint so the change is hard to spot.
Room additionsKitchens in houses from before the war can be small rooms at the back, built for one cook. Owners ask for a few more feet for an island, a pantry or a table, without losing the house's character.
A bump-out or a full rear addition with a beam where the old back wall stood, then cabinets run the new length. Outside, siding, trim and roof pitch match, and the windows follow the house's proportions.
Bump-outsSome Greensburg houses have a front porch but nothing out back. Owners want a roofed porch off the kitchen for summer dinners and a dry place for boots, and ask how near the lot line it may sit.
An open, one-story porch up to 12 feet deep may reach into a yard but must stay 3 feet off the line. Enclose it and the zoning treats it as house, so we decide open or enclosed before laying out the footings.
Sunrooms and porchesOn some older city lots the car lives on the street. Owners with room behind the house want a garage for a car or two, sometimes reached from the alley, with storage overhead for the bikes and the bins.
A detached garage can sit in the side or rear yard but at least 5 feet from the property line, and no accessory building may top 18 feet. We set the slab, frame storage trusses and run power for a door opener and lights.
Garage buildsWhere the lot is narrow and coverage is already high, there's little yard left to build on. Owners there ask whether a one-story wing or a flat-roofed back section could carry a second floor.
An engineer checks the walls and footings first. If they'll carry it, we frame the new level within the city's 35-foot height limit for houses and tie it into the old roof so the seams stay dry.
Second-story additionsOwners and households: Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024, City of Greensburg. Yard and height rules: Greensburg zoning, Chapter 265.
The rest of the job
How it runs, what it costs and who builds it are on our main additions & adus page.
Adding On in the City
In Greensburg an addition starts with the Planning Director, then has to fit the city's yard schedule and its height limits for houses and garages.
§265-134Permit before enlarging a house
Enlarging a house in Greensburg needs the Planning Director's sign-off under zoning first, the construction permit second, and downtown, Council's approval of the exterior. Greensburg's attic finishing page spells out all three. We handle them in that order.
Greensburg rules, explained40%Most of a lot that can be covered
R1 lots keep a 20-foot front yard and a 30-foot rear; R2 lots, 10 and 20. In both, buildings may cover up to 40% of the lot. Where neighbors sit closer to the street, the front yard can shrink to the block's average. We measure yours before design.
Greensburg Code (opens in a new tab)35 ftHouse height, R1 and R2
A one-family house can rise 35 feet in either residential district, so a second story is usually within reach. Garages and other accessory buildings stop at 18 feet. Eaves can overhang a required front or back yard by 30 inches, though bay windows get no such allowance.
Second-story additionsAddition Questions
City owners ask these before an addition is drawn. The main additions page goes through every stage of the build.
Ask a QuestionLot, foundation and how much of the old house we open up set it. A few feet of bump-out is the lighter job; going two floors, plumbing a suite downstairs, or milling trim to match an old profile takes more. You'll see a written figure after we've walked the house.
Addition price rangesYour district decides. R1 permits one-family houses, while R2 allows two-family dwellings, so a separate unit is only an option in R2 and must meet its rules there. Rooms that remain part of your one household work in either. We ask the Planning Director first.
In-law suitesYes, outside. In the downtown overlay, exterior changes, siding and windows included, need City Council to grant a certificate of appropriateness after the planning commission weighs in. We plan that review into the schedule before ordering materials.
Downtown's extra stepOnly if someone other than the owner lives there. Such homes get a city visit at least once in two years, plus once ahead of any transfer. A house that's entirely owner-occupied is exempt, but we build to code either way, so the new rooms pass whenever they're seen.
Greensburg rentals and salesPossibly. DEP's map marks old workings beneath a large share of the city, densest north of the courthouse. A standard policy won't pay if the ground settles into them, so check the address and price the state's subsidence policy before pouring footings.
Mining in GreensburgOther Services
In the same city we also redo kitchens and baths in older houses, finish attics under steep roofs and turn old cellars into rooms. Choose a service below.
Kitchen RemodelingNew layouts, new cabinets, new counters: framed, built, and installed by the same crew.View Service
Bathroom RemodelingFull gut renovations with proper waterproofing, new framing, and tile set by hand.View Service
Attic FinishingUnused attics framed into bedrooms and offices: subfloor, insulation, drywall, and a proper stair.View Service
Basement FinishingUnfinished basements turned into real rooms: framed, insulated, drywalled, and finished by our crew.View Service
Windows & Exterior DoorsWindows and exterior doors set, flashed, and trimmed so water stays out of the wall.View Service
Exterior Restoration & Structural RepairsRotted trim and siding, sagging joists, failed sills: opened up and repaired to solid wood.View Service
Decks & Covered PatiosDecks, covered patios and three-season rooms, flashed to the house and built for Westmoreland winters.View ServiceVerified Google Reviews
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Tell us about the project in the form or give us a call. Either way, estimates are free and the number is the number — priced to the actual work, written down before anyone swings a hammer.
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Trafford, PA 15085
