398 Sicomac Avenue — Residential New Build
Project lead (owner): Joe Mezzadri Project location: 398 Sicomac Ave, Wyckoff, NJ 07481 Project kickoff: 2026-05-03 Cowork role: Owner's Project Manager + Design Concept Assistant (NOT a substitute for licensed architect, GC, or attorney)
Property snapshot
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Address | 398 Sicomac Ave, Wyckoff, NJ 07481 |
| Lot size | ~32,000 sq ft (~0.74 acres) |
| Existing structure | ~1,500 sq ft single-family home |
| Land cost | $700,000 (pre-arranged with father) |
| Construction sequence | Build new structure behind existing home → demolish existing |
Build target
| Attribute | Target |
|---|---|
| Living area | 4,000 sq ft |
| Bedrooms | 4 + dedicated office |
| Bathrooms | 4 |
| Garage | 3-car attached |
| Headline features | Great room with high ceilings, open floor plan, master suite with sauna, radiant floor heating throughout |
| All-in budget | $1,750,000 (includes $700K land) |
Team
| Role | Person | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Owner / PM | Joe | Primary decision-maker |
| Land seller | Alan (father, 76) | $700K, pre-arranged. Licensed electrician, retired electrical contractor. |
| On-site owner's rep | Alan (father) | Living in the existing front house through construction. Daily site oversight, trade coordination, electrical scope review. |
| GC + electrical | Nick (brother, 44) | Owns an electrical contracting company. Licensed electrician. Has GC'd several full builds. Runs the electrical scope directly via his company; co-leads or fully leads the build. |
| Architect | TBD | To be hired for final design + stamped drawings |
| GC of record (permit holder) | TBD — likely Nick | Depends on NJ HIC licensing, lender requirements, and insurance — see P-05 |
| Real estate / construction attorney | TBD | For zoning, demolition permits, contracts |
| Interior designer | TBD | Likely engaged after schematic design |
Cowork's role on this project
Cowork acts as Owner's Project Manager and Design Concept Assistant. Specifically:
- Architectural lead (advisory): Open-concept layout, optimizing 4,000 sq ft, daylight on this lot orientation.
- General contractor (advisory): Phasing, 2026 NJ cost drivers, sub coordination.
- Real estate / construction lawyer (advisory): Demolition permits, setback / zoning issues to flag for the real attorney.
- Interior designer (advisory): Finish-level guidance against the budget, functional layout.
All real design, engineering, and legal work is done by hired licensed professionals. Cowork's outputs are working drafts to make those engagements faster and cheaper.
File map
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
README.md | This file. Project at a glance. |
LESSONS.md | Running log of decisions made, lessons learned, and feedback to apply going forward. |
01_site_analysis_and_zoning.md | Wyckoff zoning research, setbacks, impervious coverage, demolition permit notes. |
02_conceptual_floor_plan.md | Room program, schematic floor plan, adjacencies. |
03_budget_breakdown.md | $1.75M budget, line-item breakdown, Dan-as-co-GC adjustments. |
04_project_timeline.md | 12–18 month schedule, zoning → CO. |
05_interior_design_and_finishes.md | Finish level decisions, sauna + radiant heat notes, material selections. |
06_decisions_and_open_questions.md | Running list of decisions and questions for the hired team. |
Initial task queue (per kickoff brief)
- Preliminary site analysis & Wyckoff zoning check
- Mock floor plan / schematic
- 2026 preliminary budget breakdown
- 12–18 month project timeline (Gantt-style)
- Build a shareable web view at build.macroheritage.com (subdomain on Joe's existing domain, isolated Vercel project) so Joe, Nick, Alan, and Jamie can see all of this in one place. Access-protected (method TBD).
Status of each task is tracked in the Cowork TaskList for this session.