All Forum Posts by: Daniel Flesher

Hi @Darius Rafiei, 

I'm a designer at Cadre Design, an architecture firm in Manayunk. We do a lot of work with investors in the Philadelphia market. Feel free to reach out if you need help with design or getting permits.

The best thing to do is to call and ask what is going on. You should have a receipt number if you dropped it off yourself.

I do a lot of permit submissions in Philadelphia and they have a longer turn around period if you don't pay to accelerate the plan review. Most of the time they get things back on time. Sometimes it just takes a while longer. 

In any case, calling and politely asking for an update (especially if it's past the regular review period) will usually result in a quick answer. Odds are they're just backed up. Asking nicely will probably do nothing for you, but may get your plans moved up to the top of the pile if nobody else is calling about their review. 

Other than that you're at their mercy. Good luck!

Hi @Shantaviae Wynn,

We typically aren't aware of our client's method of financing, but if there's something specific you'd need from our firm to satisfy the bank then we're happy to supply that to you provided you let us know what those requirements are. 

Sorry to just be getting back to you. I only visit BP about once a week. You'll get an email from me today. Thanks @David Ross for chiming in and giving the strong recommendation. 

@Sathya Weerasooriya 

Hi, I'm a designer working at Cadre Design, an architecture firm in Manayunk. My firm has done a lot of work for investors in Brewerytown (you can see a lot of our work coming up on the 1200 block of 27th and 30th streets just north of Girard). We're happy to help you achieve your design and performance goals if you build ground up, rehab a shell, or minimally modify an existing property. Feel free to reach out to me for advice and when you're ready to get a design together for permits.  

Hi @Colby Wallace,

I'm a designer working at Cadre Design, an architecture firm in Manayunk. It's difficult to give an exact answer without knowing the specifics of your project, but here are some general rules that apply to (almost) all zoning types in Philly. 

Any mid-block lot has to have 30% open area in total. This means that a 50' lot needs to have a 15' rear yard. There is no by-right exception to this, but if all your neighbors have smaller rear yards, you can appeal for a variance and it usually goes through (but I'm not a zoning lawyer so don't take my word for it). 

Corner lots must have 20% open area in total. The city actually likes for you to build closer to this limit. They like the visual look of a more filled-in block with larger buildings capping the end of the street. 

There are requirements for a minimum rear yard (9' required) regardless of lot depth, which means that if you have a really small lot you can end up with less than 70% coverage (typical Philly trinity styles rowhomes). 

On the subject of 3rd floor setback, I'll need to look up the specific code, but other than RM-2 or greater, or CMX-2 or greater, the height of your front facade will be limited to what your neighbors are doing. 

So if you have 2-story neighbors on both sides, your front facade will be limited to 2-stories after which you'll need an 8' setback for the 3rd floor. If you have a vacant lot on one side, you have no setback requirement. If one of the two houses has a 3-story facade, you have no setback requirement. 

I use these guides (provided by the city) as a quick reference. They're reworking the CMX guides right now, so they've taken those guides down for now. Hopefully this is helpful. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

http://www.phila.gov/CityPlanning/projectreviews/P...

http://phillyzoning.com/newcode/wp-content/uploads...

Hi Chad, 

Welcome to BP. I'm a designer working at Cadre Design, an architecture firm in Manayunk. 

I've been working on getting our designs into Virtual Reality as a way for clients to market their products (esp. when they are building multiple of the same unit). 

My firm also likes to experiment with different materials and construction techniques, green building methods, and inexpensive/alternative methods of construction, although most of this work is never built since our investor clients want to stick to tried-and-true methods (and we don't blame them for that). We've also been pushing the limits of what's allowed by both the Philly code and building code in order to help our clients get the best return on their investment (getting an extra bedroom in a unit, or a whole extra unit can be huge), so we like to think we innovate in that arena as well. 

I'd be interested in working with a group of people who want to push the edge of the envelope, but my time is pretty limited with the work I already have going on so my hope would be that this is more than just a spitballing group. Feel free to send me a PM if you'd like to talk more or connect via facebook or in person. 

Hi @Greg Ressler. I'm a Philly designer working at Cadre Design, an architecture firm based in Manayunk. We work with developers at working at various different paces and who want a variety of different row home products. 

The price per sf will vary a lot based on finish level. Interior finishes tend to make up ~30% of the total cost and can vary widely based on what you're looking for. New construction in Philly tends to be ~$125 per sf. for new construction. 

It's possible to hire a GC and let them do their thing, but you really want someone (other than the inspectors who only care about life safety), looking over their work. You can either do this yourself by showing up to the job site on a regular basis or by hiring a project manager. Some architects will do this, but it isn't a standard part of the contract and is something you'd have to request specifically and pay for. 

The timing for a project like this can vary a lot. A good architect should be able to have finished construction drawings in 2 months or less. From there you'll need to get building permits, which requires having a contractor hired already and which takes 30 days unless you get it accelerated. 

The plans may come back for revisions (for any number of reasons), which your architect will need to address and then resubmit to wait an additional 30 days (unless accelerated). 

Once you have your permits the construction process generally takes anywhere from six months to a year depending on the size of the project, your contractor's schedule, the schedules of the sub-contractors and any setbacks that will come up during construction. 

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. 

Hi Eric,

My firm, Cadre Design, works with investors in Philly. You can reach out to @David Ross or @Troy Sheets to get their opinion of working with us. 

Hi @William McLaughlin. My firm works with investors in Philly and the Northeast. We cater our services to meet the needs of our clients. So if you just want permittable plans we can get you those, or we can spec finishes, expedite the permit application and give you permits with finished building documents. 

I look forward to hearing from you.