You are recent grandparents. Your house is finished, for the most part, but you want to make room to accommodate grandkids overnight. Building off the existing footprint of your home would be too costly for your budget, and you don't want to compromise any backyard space. You aren't 100% sure of what you want aesthetically, but you do know that you want a durable space requiring very low maintenance. What do you do?

Try this. Hire the architect next door to help you negotiate design decisions. Hire BBC to work with your architect neighbor to help you build a third floor addition, divided into an office space and master bedroom, with panoramic views of your "birder's paradise" and the Mississippi River beyond. Let the grandkids take over the second story, and remain aloft of the pitter-patter of their little feet late into the night.

Connect second and third stories with a simple, sturdy staircase design that matches the existing staircase while making you available to your masters below.

Project: Parkin
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