Cambridge Condominium

There is old adage in real estate that everyone knows: location, location, location. Although playing with the commercial spaces in Everett and converting them to lofts was a fun challenge, BEXT decided to pick the next project largely based on ideal location. The neighborhood of Cambridgeport in Cambridge, Massachusetts is such a location. Nestled between MIT and Harvard campuses, Cambridgeport bends towards the Charles River which separates Cambridge and Boston. A series of streets run from Central Square down to a Trader Joe's and Whole Foods near riverside parks and a public swimming pool. The tree-lined neighborhood is a mix of triple-decker condominiums and apartment buildings. Once upon a time a highway project threatened to destroy the neighborhood, but the people that live there fought back and won. A mural depicting this fight still exists on the back of the MicroCenter building.

Architecture

BEXT purchased the top floor apartment of one of the Cambridgeport triple-deckers in 2006. After the purchase, it was revealed that the apartment was not legal under the latest building codes, having only one true means of stairway egress (the trap door and ladder in the back deck was not considered an adequate second form of egress). After consulting a lawyer and the other condo owners, it was finally agreed that the old 3-level back deck belonging to the condo association needed to be redesigned and rebuilt to accommodate a larger deck with egress stairs from the apartment to the ground. BEXT sketched a design on paper and the architect who owned the second floor condo translated it to drawings for the city. The plans were approved with a variance and a new deck was built.

Design

A new kitchen was the main project taken on by BEXT. Similar to the limousine loft, a white kitchen with butcher block countertop was used. A baseboard heater on the left side of the kitchen prevented new floor cabinets, so wall-cabinets were used to create additional counter space.

BEXT re-used the live edge benches that had been used for staging the limousine garage loft as nesting benches and table on the porch.

Engineering

New gas and electric lines were brought up through an old heating system chase in order to add an electrical sub-panel and gas appliances. The new electric sub-panel made running wires for the new oven, cooktop, and laundry much easier. And just like with the Coca-Cola loft, the new gas line could run a new tankless hot water heater. Space for the new laundry and hot water heater was created by demolishing an old closet in the eaves of the roof.

Some projects were done in cooperation with the downstairs neighbors. For example, walls were built by BEXT in the basement which divided the deeded storage spaces. Boiler vents in the basement were re-routed from the chimney to the exterior walls, allowing for the chimney to be removed. The chimney removal allowed for a few more precious square feet of floor space in each unit, as well as one less potential roof leak.