4 Griswold Street · Cambridge, MA 02138
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the Build
Four detached homes going up on a single landscaped corner in West Cambridge. This page tracks the work as it happens — what is finished, what is underway right now, and what comes next. No renderings standing in for progress. Photographs from the site, updated as each phase closes.
Updated August 2026
A development by
Site Preparation
Before anything went up, the corner had to be read carefully. The lot at Concord Avenue and Griswold Street is 9,002 square feet, and the plan committed nearly half of it to open space — so the first decisions were about what stays, not what goes. Two mature canopy trees were identified for preservation and protected in place for the duration of construction. The existing structure came down, the site was cleared and surveyed, and erosion control and tree protection fencing went in before a single machine started digging.
- Parcel9,002 SF corner lot
- ApprovalsBuilt as-of-right — no zoning relief required
- PreservedTwo mature canopy trees protected in place
Excavation & Foundation
Four separate holes, four separate foundations. Because these are detached houses rather than a single building carved into units, each residence sits on its own footprint with its own footings and foundation walls — and the gaps between them, 13 feet 6 inches and 10 feet 6 inches, had to be held precisely from the ground up. Excavation went deep enough to give every home a full finished garden level rather than a utility basement, which is where the fourth bedroom, full bath, family room and laundry eventually land.
- FoundationsFour independent structures
- Separation13′-6″ and 10′-6″ between buildings
- Below grade730–768 SF of finished space per home
Framing & Structure
Three stories above grade went up on each of the four foundations, and the shape of the neighborhood-scaled decision became visible for the first time: at 34 feet 6 inches, these homes sit a full ten and a half feet below the 45 feet zoning allows. The floor plates went in at roughly 740 to 780 square feet each on the first and second levels, with a smaller third floor given over entirely to the primary suite — and the roof framing shaped to carry a private terrace off each one.
- Height34′-6″ against 45′ allowed
- StoriesThree above grade plus garden level
- Third floorFull-floor primary suite, each home
- Above grade1,949–2,042 SF per residence
Roof & Weather Envelope
Dried in. Pella windows set, the high-reflectance cool roof installed, and the full weather barrier closed up so the interiors could begin. The roof specification here is doing double duty — it is a performance decision as much as a material one, carrying a solar reflectance index of 98 and contributing to a Cambridge Cool Factor score of 3.24 against a passing threshold of 1.0.
- WindowsPella throughout
- RoofHigh-SRI cool roof — SRI 98 initial, 87 aged
- Cool Factor3.24 score · 1.0 required
Rough-In, Insulation & Drywall
The systems that make these homes all-electric went in behind the walls: air-source heat pumps for both heating and cooling, energy recovery ventilation bringing filtered fresh air into every room, and electrical serving a building with no gas line to it at all. Cambridge’s fossil-fuel-free declaration applies here, and the homes are built to the Massachusetts Specialized Stretch Code. Once inspections cleared, insulation and drywall closed the walls for good.
- HeatingAir-source heat pump · 10 HSPF2
- CoolingAir-source heat pump · 20 SEER2
- VentilationERV fresh-air system
- CodeMA Specialized Stretch Code, HERS-rated
Interior Finishes
This is where the homes stop being construction and start being houses. Flooring is going down and cabinetry is being set — the kitchens built around Calacatta Claudia stone and panel-ready Thermador appliances, the wet bar that appears in every residence, and the bath program that shifts deliberately as you move through the house: brushed gold in the third-floor primary suite, bronze on the second floor, matte black at the garden level. Large-format matte porcelain, 60-inch alcove soaking tubs, and millwork being fitted room by room.
- KitchenThermador induction · Calacatta Claudia stone
- MetalsBrushed gold → bronze → matte black by floor
- Every homeWet bar, laundry room with undermount sink
- CurrentlyFlooring and cabinetry installation
Grading, Utilities & Landscape
Outside, final grading and the last utility work are running in parallel with the interiors. This is the phase that delivers the thing the site plan has been promising since the beginning: 4,449 square feet of open space on a lot where zoning asked for less than two-thirds of that, and roughly a third of the parcel left permeable at grade. Sixteen trees new and transplanted, joining the two that were protected on day one. Techo-bloc patio pavers, reclaimed boulders and river stone, and six-foot horizontal board fencing defining each home’s own garden.
- Open space4,449 SF — 49.4% against 30% required
- Permeable32.3% of the lot at grade
- Planting16 new and transplanted trees
- ParkingFour off-street spaces, EV-ready · bike parking
Fixtures, Appliances & Final Trim
The last layer. Appliances set and connected — the 36-inch Thermador Professional Induction ProRange, the Masterpiece insert hood, panel-ready refrigeration and dishwashing, the microwave drawer. Plumbing fixtures hung against their floors: the wall-mount pot filler and 32-inch workstation sink in the kitchen, the ceiling-mounted solid brass faucet in the powder room. Paint, final trim, hardware, and the roof terraces finished out.
- RangeThermador 36″ Professional Induction ProRange
- Refrigeration36″ Freedom French door, panel-ready
- SinkRuvati 32″ workstation ledge undermount
- TerracesPrivate roof terrace finished per home
Commissioning & Delivery
Every system tested and balanced, the HERS rating issued, final inspections cleared and the certificate of occupancy in hand. Then the part that matters: keys. Four homes, four sets, four households on one corner in West Cambridge.
- VerificationIndependent HERS rating & blower door testing
- CommissioningHeat pump and ERV systems balanced
- FinalCertificate of occupancy & walkthrough
Get the build updates
A short note each time a phase closes — new photographs, what changed on site, and what is coming next. Sent only when there is something to show.
Request updates 4 Griswold Street · Cambridge, MA 02138 · 617 963 6128Project Team
Construction photography documents work in progress and does not represent final finished condition. Phase dates are estimates and are subject to change based on weather, inspection scheduling, and material availability. Square footages and specifications are approximate and subject to change.