From groundbreaking to certificate of occupancy, it usually takes about six months, give or take, to build a new home in Philadelphia. If the home is really large, perhaps it will take a little more time, and this makes sense. More house should mean more time is needed for construction. But we're talking an extra month or two here, not years. Perhaps when the size of a home reaches a certain point tough, that timeline extends dramatically. Or at least that could be one explanation for the incredibly drawn-out timeline for two homes at 1413-21 Bainbridge St., perhaps the largest we've seen get built in all our time writing Naked Philly.
We first covered this property at the end of 2012, shortly after groundbreaking. A large auto garage was located here for who knows how many years and might have made for an interesting reuse, but it's entirely too late for that thought at this point.
We told you that the brothers that own C&R Building Supply were behind the project and that they were seemingly building themselves and their families "forever and ever homes." Tell us if this would work out for you- each home will each have 16,000 sqft of interior space and another 4,000 sqft of deck space, six or seven bedrooms, and eight or nine bathrooms. Throw in nine garage parking spaces per home, garage rooftop swimming pools, and basement basketball and bowling.
In the spring of 2013, steel framing was underway. By the spring of 2014, the homes had been framed out in wood and cinderblock. You'd think, given that information, that the homes would be finished by now. But you'd be mistaken. The project has indeed progressed, but the homes are still not finished. Here's a look at how the homes are looking lately.
When the homes are done, they'll look something like this rendering, passed along by Landmark Architecture.
A couple years ago, we said we'd be excited to get a tour of these homes once they're finished. At this point, we'd be stoked just to get a tour during construction, though we'd worry about getting lost. As for the timing to finish the homes, we have no idea. If for no other reason than the perpetually closed sidewalk though, we can hope that it wraps up sooner rather than later.