Most families outgrow a house before they’re ready to leave it. An addition gives you the room without the move, and an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) gives a parent or grown kid their own place. We build both from the footings up.
The Work
Maybe the family grew and the bedrooms didn’t. Maybe a parent needs to live closer, and the house you love sits on a street you have no plans to leave, just one room too small.
We start with what the space needs to do, then look at the lot and the house: where a foundation can go, how the new roof meets the old one, what the setbacks allow. The crew that plans it frames it.
What We Build
Some families need one more bedroom on the back of the house. Others need a second story, or a full apartment for a parent. Here is the addition and ADU work we take on.
A bedroom or family room added onto the house on a new foundation, framed and roofed so it reads as part of the house, not something stuck on.
A bedroom, bath and closet of your own, added on, with the plumbing tied into the house’s lines and the layout planned so the suite feels private.
Building up instead of out when the lot is tight. We check what the existing walls and footings can carry, then frame the new floor and roof above them.
A small home with its own kitchen, bath and entrance, attached or out back, for a parent, a grown child or a guest, built to what your township allows.
A suite where a parent can live close but still on their own terms: wider doors, a step-free shower, and a separate entrance where the house allows one.
An attached garage turned into living space, or a new garage with a room or ADU above it, with the slab, framing and insulation done right for people.
A few feet added where it matters most, like a bigger kitchen or a bathroom with room to turn around, without the cost of a full addition.
A bright room off the back of the house, insulated and heated so you use it in January too, with windows set and flashed to keep the weather out.
Footings, block or slab poured to the right depth, then the new walls and roof tied into the old ones, flashed where they meet so water stays outside.
The Honest Version
An addition is only as good as where it meets the house. Knowing what to check first keeps the old house and the new rooms working as one.
What we usually findOriginal footings or soil that can’t carry the weight of a new second floor or a heavy addition.
What we do about itWe check what’s there, bring in an engineer when needed, and size new footings to carry the full load.
What we usually findA roof pitch and overhang that make it hard to tie a new roof into the old one cleanly.
What we do about itWe plan the new roof around the existing lines and flash every joint where the two meet.
What we usually findAn electrical panel and heating system already running at capacity before a single new room is added.
What we do about itWe size what the new space needs and upgrade the panel or add heating so nothing is overloaded.
What we usually findProperty lines, easements or township rules that limit how far the house can grow and what an ADU can be.
What we do about itWe confirm what the township allows before the design is final, then file and pull the permits ourselves.
Who Does the Work
Additions are where the sub-out model hurts most: foundation, framing, roofing and finish handed to different companies, each blaming the last. Here, one crew takes it from the footings to the trim.
The usual way
The AllTrades way
How an Addition Comes Together
Most additions take 3–5 months from groundbreaking to final punch, depending on size, foundation and permits. Below is the order the work happens in, step by step.
Start a ProjectYou talk with a carpenter, not a salesperson. Tell us what the house is missing, and we’ll set a time to walk the property with you.
We look at the lot, the foundation and the roofline, check what the township allows, and write a price for the actual work before you sign.
Plans drawn, engineering done where needed, permits filed. Windows, siding and finishes chosen early so they’re on site when the framing is ready.
Excavation, footings and foundation, then walls, floor and roof framed and tied into the house. Wiring, plumbing and heat run and inspected.
Roof, windows and siding on so it’s weather-tight, then insulation, drywall, flooring and trim, and you get a progress update weekly.
Final inspection passed, every seam checked inside and out, doors swinging true. We walk the new space with you until the list is cleared.
The Investment
Additions are priced after a site visit, once we know the foundation, the roof tie-in and what the township requires. Most of our additions and ADUs fall within these ranges.
Tier 01
$35K – $80K
A few feet where it counts
Typically includes
Tier 02
$80K – $175K
A full new room
Everything in Bump-Out, plus
Tier 03
$175K+
A home within your home
Everything in Room Addition, plus
Every number follows a site visit and a check of township rules. These ranges are where additions begin, not where they top out.
Verified Google Reviews
5.0 out of 5 · 17 reviews
Written by the homeowners we've worked for across Westmoreland County. Every one verified on Google, every one pulled from the real feed.
Addition & ADU Questions
What homeowners ask before adding onto a house. Don’t see your question? Bring it along to the site visit with us.
Ask a QuestionYes, and usually drawings and an inspection at each stage. We prepare and file them, bring in an engineer if the design needs one, and schedule every inspection.
It depends on your township’s zoning, lot size and setbacks. We check those rules first, so you know what’s allowed before any money goes into design.
That’s the goal. We match the roof pitch, siding and trim outside, and the ceiling heights and floors inside, so nobody can tell where the old house stops.
Almost always. Most of the work happens outside the existing walls. The messy part is opening into the house, and we keep that window as short as we can.
Yes, when the house can carry it. We have the existing walls and foundation checked first, since a second floor adds load the original house wasn’t built for.
Most run 3–5 months, depending on size, foundation work and permit timing. You get a schedule before work starts, and we update it as each inspection passes.
The Rest of the Work
Once the house has more room, other projects tend to follow. The same carpenters also handle kitchens, baths, basements and decks all over Westmoreland County.
Where We Build
We work in the towns pinned below, from Plum and Monroeville out to Greensburg, and the Westmoreland and Allegheny County addresses in between. Not sure if we cover yours? Give us a call and we’ll tell you.
Service area may include adjacent municipalities on a case-by-case basis — call to confirm your address.
Get in Touch
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.
Call or Text
412-730-8805
hello@alltradeshq.com
Hours
Mon–Fri · 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Closed Sat & Sun
Shop
529 Forest Ave
Trafford, PA 15085
