Even by Mercer Island standards, a 25,000-square-foot home being built on a 1.67-acre lot off of West Mercer Way is big.
When completed, the home will include a 5,000-square-foot indoor gym, an auto court of 2,500 square feet that can accommodate several cars, a 6,500-square-foot pool and several patios, walkways and balconies. There will also be an extensive garden and landscaping surrounding the home. The structure faces west toward Seward Park.
As the waterfront home near Franklin Landing is beginning to take shape, the owner recently submitted a request to change his construction proposal that would add an indoor gymnasium to the property and eliminate an outdoor court. According to city officials, the proposal remains in compliance with city codes.
Plans for the indoor basketball court include a retractable batting cage and simulation golf room.
The footprint of the home will remain the same, but the outdoor basketball court will be replaced with lawn and landscaping, the new proposal shows.
According to the city’s development services director, Steve Lancaster, the revisions and the design of the home is well within city construction codes. Plans show that adding the gym will not exceed the impervious surface limit, which is 40 percent of the lot.
Neighbor John Ewald, who lives two doors away from the construction site, said that the owners have been “good neighbors” and have taken pains to let everyone know what is going on with the home.
The size of the lot has kept the construction activity contained, he said.
According to city permit coordinator, Linda Pineau, the home will be, anecdotally, the biggest house ever built on the Island. She stated there are no specific records that monitor home sizes on the Island, but Pineau, who has worked with the city for many years, said it was the biggest she has seen built.
Another house recently constructed on the Island’s waterfront is nearly 23,000 square feet, has five bedrooms, four garages, nine bathrooms and is on a two-acre lot. The home was built in 2001 and is currently for sale at about $35 million.
