When we checked in on the intersection of York & Amber last month, a new home had recently been framed out on the corner, with the promise of two more homes to come. We stopped by the corner again the other day, and saw that promise fulfilled.

In January

This week

As you can see, the corner house has been sheathed with what looks like a combination of hardie-board and wood siding. As developer Mark Hutchinson told us in the comments section of our last post, this home will be a certified Passive House, meaning it will be significantly more insulated than the average home. The combination of the solar PV array on the roof and the added insulation will mean very low utility bills for the person who’s already agreed to purchase the home.

Closer look

Meanwhile, the two homes next door represent the newest project from Postgreen (is it us, or are those guys everywhere lately?). The Snapback homes are two story structures with so many customizable options, they’re like a snapback baseball cap, so the thinking goes. Options include flooring, lightbulbs (cfl vs. led), doorknobs, doorstops, everything in the kitchen, everything in the bathrooms, whole-house wiring, landscaping, and the list goes on. Designed by Interface Studio Architects, the two-bedroom, two-bathroom homes take the somewhat unusual approach of putting the kitchen in the middle of the first floor, with the living room in the rear. Also interesting is that the front door opens onto a landing where you can either walk down a few steps to the basement or up a few steps to the first floor. Kind of a new take on the traditional vestibule, in our estimation.

Under construction

Rendering from the opposite direction. Note the burnt cedar cladding.

The unusual first floor

Just a couple of years ago, this intersection featured more vacant lots than actual buildings. With the addition of these three buildings, plus the G8 Life building across the street, it’s experienced quite a rebirth. Kind of a microcosm for what’s been happening in Fishtown and East Kensington in general. And we we don’t see this momentum slowing down any time soon.