A site to behold

Watertown Middle School will have 18 new neighbors in the fall

ANNA A. and FRANCESCA B.

Last year, students in classes would look out the windows of their classes and say, “Why are they taking down those houses?”

Across the street from the Watertown Middle School, workers for Chatham Development Co. Inc. are building 18 rental units. The company has been working on the project since August and hopes it will be done by the end of summer.

Apparently, Chatham Development has built in Watertown before.

“Yes, we have a built number of rental units in Watertown , including the two two-family buildings at the corner of Quirk Street and Waverley Avenue,” construction foreman Doug Sloan said.

The prices of the units will vary, and Sloan said, “There will be two ‘affordable’ units that will be offered at lower cost for people with low incomes.”

It was amazing to find out how much it cost to build a project like this.

“Buildings such as these generally cost $125-$200 per square foot to build, depending on the materials used,” said Sloan. “Materials such as windows, siding, cabinets, plumbing fixtures, electrical fixtures, interior finish materials, etc. can vary greatly in quality and appearance, which is reflected in their cost.”

But with the economy being bad when the work began, that change was reflected in the project.

“Materials and labor costs are quite a bit lower than they were two or three years ago,” he said.

The inside of the units will be good, said Sloan.

“They will have painted walls, doors, and trim,” he said. “The kitchen and bathroom cabinets will be made of maple with a cinnamon brown finish and have greenish granite counters.”

So far, they are doing great. Each of the units are going to have three bedrooms, two and one-half baths, a sitting area, a kitchen, and a living room/dining room combination. But the room sizes vary between the units.

So when you are walking or driving to school in the fall, why don’t you look around and see how it came out!

–May 19, 2010–