1120 Rhode Island Ave- Almost at Sheetrock

*Reminder- please update your bookmarks to http://lock7development.com/blog/ to continue reading all the newest posts from Lock 7 Development.  Thanks!

At The Newport Tower, we're moving along and aiming to have the Sheetrock installed by April 15th.  We're right on track, and we're finishing up the electric and the sprinklers this week.  The basement concrete is all poured and we're framing out that floor today and Monday.

This might look similar to past photos, but if you look closely, you'll see all the progress with the electric, plumbing and sprinklers.

On the side of the building, we dug out the new areaway to access the lower level.  Fortunately, the plumbing to the street runs in the same spot, so we were able to accomplish both tasks at the same time.

1120 Rhode Island- Moving Along

Things are looking great at the Newport Tower.  We're into the part of the project where the pictures don't really do much justice to all the progress.  However, we really are getting much closer to completion and should have the sheetrock up within the next three weeks.

The plumbers finished the plumbing in the basement earlier today.  Check out the awesome head height.

Our carpenters finished framing out the steps to the roof.

Another carpenter works here to finish the wood trim around the exterior windows.

Blog News!

We've launched a new website at lock7development.com, and our blog will be moving to that site.  For the next few weeks, posts will continue to appear both here on Blogger and on the new site.  However, at the end of the March, we'll switch full-time to the new address.  To continue receiving new posts, please update your bookmarks to:

http://lock7development.com/blog/

Thanks!

Dave

The Newport Tower-Moving Along

The project at 1120 Rhode Island Ave. is picking up speed and moving along well.  We're now on pace to deliver in May.  We've already received a lot of interest-without even marketing the units yet- and anticipate pre-selling several of the units prior to completion.

We began removing the old windows to get ready for the new wood windows that are coming in later this week.

Inside, the floor installers worked to remove damaged flooring and patch floor pieces that were in better condition.

The crew worked diligently to tooth the new pieces in so the seams are invisible.

The flooring that they used for repairs were pieces we removed from elsewhere in the building, such as in the new hallway and the bathrooms.

The plumbers were also here today to run the new pipes.

The carpenters had to take a break from framing windows in order to remove some old plaster.  Check out how big the windows are in this building.

The turret in the penthouse is fully framed and is incredible.

In the back penthouse unit, the balcony windows are all framed and ready for installation.

This building has all sorts of incredible original details, like the brick here.

The new steps are in place.

1120 Rhode Island Ave- Progress

 At The Newport Tower on Rhode Island Ave, we've been busy framing up the new units.  We're nearly complete with this part of the project and plan on starting the plumbing rough-in in about 7 days.  Downstairs, a crew is working to dig out the dirt to obtain at least a 9 foot ceiling height.

The first project was to replace the main beam in the center of the building.  We had to make it larger and steel because of the increased load of the 8 units.

After the welders set the beam in the new concrete footings, the carpenters came through to repair the floor in the affected areas.

You can see in this picture that we kept the original floors wherever possible.  On the left side of the beam is the existing beams, while the right side has the new joists.

On the top floor, we've been busy framing out the new roof.  The new roof line sits slightly lower than the old one to allow for roof access.

The new roof is almost 100% done.  It took a while to hoist all the heavy beams into place.  The plan for tomorrow is to start framing the walls in the top floor units.

New Website for Lock 7 Development!

We are extremely excited to announce the launch of a new website for our company at Lock7Development.com.  The new website has a ton of awesome info about all of our previous, current and future developments.  It also links seamlessly with all of our social media, such as Twitter, Facebook and this blog.

The homepage is clean and well-organized.

Another new feature is the ability to check availability, view floorplans and get building details without having to go to an external website.

We also were able to incorporate the Walk Score app into each project page.  On that note, our lowest Walk Score of any project is 86, which happens to be one block from Columbia Heights.  

Another useful feature is a well-organized portfolio, which is sorted into various categories (like kitchens, baths, etc.)

1120 Rhode Island Ave- New Name, Rendering and Logo

With the new year upon us, we're excited to have three large condo projects underway in downtown DC.  One project that has moved forward with great speed over the last month is our 8-unit building at 1120 Rhode Island Ave NW.  We're pleased to announce that this building will be called "The Newport Tower Condominiums."  The name is a reference to an iconic stone tower in Newport, Rhode Island (story below).  We also finalized the color scheme and the logo.

The color scheme includes a gray for the building and blue shades for the window trim.  It looks clean and historic without being boring.

Our logo uses a font popular in the late 1800's when this building was originally constructed.  We picked an angle for the drawing that really emphasizes the grand scale of the tower.

We spent hours and hours going over potential names for our project.  A good building name is memorable, unique, and provides a groundwork for the marketing materials.  Our intention at this project was to stress the tower (the most stunning architectural feature on the building), the location (on Rhode Island Ave) and provide some historic reference (because the building is so historic).  We brainstormed and discovered the Newport Tower, which is one of the oldest standing structures on the east coast.  It's located in Newport, Rhode Island, and most historians date it to the 1700's, although there are some who think the building might be several centuries older.  It was used in several ways- as a lookout tower, windmill and munitions base.  We loved the fact that the shape is so similar to the tower on the building at 1120 Rhode Island Ave.

Here's a picture of the Newport Tower structure in Rhode Island.

1120 Rhode Island Ave- Before Pics

We have everything set up to begin some minor demolition at our new project at 1120 Rhode Island Ave. on Monday morning.  I had a chance to go by today to take pictures of the project before we start.  Our pine flooring expert came in yesterday and said the floors here are some of the best he's seen in DC, period.  They are heart pine and all horizontal grain.  In addition, the planks run wall-to-wall, so there are hardly any seams at all.  We can't wait to see how they look once we sand them down and clean them up.

The fireplaces will also be reused, as well as most of the trims and casings.  We donated the radiators to a company that repairs, repaints and then re-uses them.

The fireplace will be re-used, but the tile will probably not survive the move.  I took a lot of pictures of the tile so we can match with something similar when the project is further along.

All of this trim will remain, and this will become the living room for unit 8.

These doors are so cool that we'll fine somewhere to use them again.

The layout of the steps will change, but we're going to try to use the posts again.

This parlor is one of the most historically preserved rooms I've seen in DC.

The front doors will stay, or be replaced with something identical if the damage cannot be repaired.

These are the radiators- pretty awesome.  They'll be salvaged and used in another house.

This picture really shows the grain of the flooring.  Can't wait to see the finished ones.  The floor here in the foyer will probably be moved into one of the units and this will be tile or carpet.

This fireplace has a stone that looks a lot like emperador dark.

This stain glass and all of the original trim will remain.

Smaller Units

There was an interesting article today on Urbanturf.com about the appeal of small units in DC.  Here's a link to the story.  The article features a 302 SF unit, which is in Foggy Bottom and is being sold by our good friend Lindsay Reishman.  Here's pretty much the whole unit:

Our upcoming project at 1120 Rhode Island Ave will feature eight units, which range from 500-650 SF.  We've sold several other moderately-sized units in the past, and we've found that they are usually the first units to sell.  Here are the reasons that we've seen why buyers love our smaller units:

1.  Cost-  Let's face it, smaller units are less expensive.  They often allow buyers to get into the most popular neighbors at a more attractive price than other, larger units.  Our units also are all new with high-end finishes, which is hard to find under $400,000.00 in DC.

2.  Location-  Our units are in the middle of downtown DC, close to pretty much everything.  Buying a unit with slightly less space but in such convenient locations is a trade-off most buyers are willing to make.

3.  Piede-a-terre-  Literally a "foot on the ground," often buyers who travel a lot for work like to keep a place to sleep when they're working in DC.  It's less expensive in the long run than staying in a hotel.

4.  Investors-  Apartments generally rent based on bedrooms, not size of the unit.  If you're buying a condo with the intention of one day renting it out, you'll get a better return on your money by buying a smaller, better priced unit.

5.  Lifestyle-  Single buyers and young couples don't need all of the space and upkeep of larger condos or houses.