1221 12th St Basement

Four of the five units at 1221 12th St are under contract, with only the penthouse still available. We've had several interested parties in that unit, and it's only a matter of time before that unit is also wrapped up. The basement has been finished for a while, but only last week we staged it and had it professionally photographed.

Here are the images:

The basement didn't have the original pine floors, so we went with a dark oak stain.

The floor really matched up well with the brick and the white countertops.

The large glass doors really open up the space in the bedroom.

The bathrooms in the basement have the same white wall tile, marble floors and espresso vanity. This combination is so great because it's timeless.

1221 12th St- Done

The top three units of our condo development at 1221 12th St NW are finally complete and on the market. We had our first open house on Sunday and more than 100 people came through between 1 PM and 4 PM. Not bad! We don't think it will be long before all of the units are under contract. We're still working in the project to finish the two basement units, but the hard work is done. The condos look amazing! We're very proud of the finished product.

1221 12th St- More Progress

With the open house scheduled for next weekend, we're working around the clock to get these condos finished. To make things even more interesting, we won't be able to work on Monday or Tuesday next week because of a summit at the Washington Convention Center that will have intense security. They are closing off the streets for several blocks in the area and no work is permitted. Other than this slight delay, things are moving along, and the place looks really special.

Here is the kitchen on the first floor with the new backsplash. Also, today we installed the crown molding on the top of the cabinets.

This is the kitchen on the second floor. The corner cabinets were delivered yesterday and I'm looking forward to seeing them installed next week.

The floors are looking amazing. It takes so much work to get off all of the old polish and sealant, so it's very rewarding to see them all cleaned. They look as good as new!

The 1221 Condos- Open House Next Sunday

We've set the date for our open house for one week from this Sunday, which is April 18th. That means the clock is ticking to get all of the little tasks done to get these condos on the market. Tomorrow is an exciting day because the granite is being installed in the kitchens, bathrooms and fireplaces. Not only does this make the kitchens look complete, but it allows us to install the appliances and tile backsplash.

The biggest task remaining is refinishing all of the original pine floors and installing new oak floors in the basement. The floors had decades worth of nails and scratches that had to be removed, plus several layers of polyurethane.

The bigger areas can be done with the large sander shown above. However, the edging has to be done with a small handheld sander. They do this first, and then come back with the big one. This is what it looks like when they first start a room:

This picture pretty much shows up the current state of the project. Almost there, but lots of details remaining. Note the missing countertops, appliances, glass in cabinets and bulb in pendant light. These are the types of things that will be completed in the next week.

The back parking area is nearing completion.

1221 12th St NW- Closer Every Day

This project is really entering the final stages. We're at the point in the project where everyone comes back to finish. Today, there were several plumbers, electricians, the HVAC company and our carpenters working in the house. We're looking forward to next week, when we'll start refinishing the floors and installing the new hardwood floors in the basement.

This picture of the second floor unit will give you a pretty good idea of the current condition of the building. The paint color looks perfect (thanks to Jaye at Red House Staging) and all of the trimwork is complete. The lights are all in, and the furnaces are set, ready to be turned on when the gas meters are installed on Friday.

All of the cabinet frames are installed, although now we need to go back and install the inset doors. The cabinet frames were covered in plastic to protect them during the construction.

This picture shows the new tile, paint and wall-hung sinks in the hall bathrooms. The colors really work together well.

Here is the master bathroom on the first floor. The Kohler dual-flush toilets are in, as well as all of the marble and ceramic tile. We had the marble vanity tops measured yesterday and they will be installed next week.

The drywall guys finally got to work on the plaster section of the bayfront windows. We kept the trim entirely intact on the front to preserve the historic character, so it will now take a lot of work to patch and skim the plaster.

Here is the hallway in the back bedroom unit. The brick is all cleaned and ready to be sealed.

1221 12th St NW- Light

We finally got the lights installed in the top two units this morning. Until this point, only the basement unit had power because the breakers weren't in the panels in the top three units. It's amazing how nice everything looks when the lights are turned on.

Here is the top unit. It's funny how small the electrician looks with the towering ceilings.

The cabinets are being installed in every floor. Here is the progress on the second floor.

Out back, today we removed the old concrete pad. It was in bad shape and didn't cover the whole parking area.

The fence on the side of the property is almost complete. If you look in the left corner you can see the lattice, which is going on top.

1221 12th St NW- Three weeks left

At the 12th St project, we're working basically around the clock to finish in the next three weeks. For the majority of a renovation project, you are held back a bit in terms of speed because you're often relying on other people to finish their job before you can finish yours. For example, the sheetrock guys are waiting for the electrician, who comes after the HVAC, who comes after the plumber, who comes after the framers, and so on. However, after the sheetrock is up and sanded, there's really no one left in the way. The trim guys can work at the same time as the painters, exterior carpenters, concrete workers and tile men. Even the plumber and electrician can come back at any point. This is the point we've finally reached. We're working hard to finish before mid-April so buyers get a chance to take the $8,000.00 tax credit before the end of the month.

In the rear of the property, the spiral steps are finished and the decks are 90% done. The carpenters were working today to put in the final pickets on the railing and the final Trex decking on top of the joists.

The first floor is ready to paint and the coffered ceilings are in. This floor is actually the furthest from being completed- the other floors are almost entirely painted. We had so many materials sitting in the project and nowhere to put them that we decided to leave them all on one floor (this one) and finish the other three floors. Now the stuff has all been moved to the basement, which is painted. The ladder in this picture is 8 Ft tall and the ceiling is easily 2-3 feet taller- not bad!

Here is the tile in the front basement unit. We're really happy how the hex marble tile came out in the showers and we'll definitely do this again in another project.

1221 12th st- Looking Great

We're heading into the final few weeks at The Twelve Twenty-One Condos. There's a lot going on right now- painting, trimwork, tiling and all of the exterior projects. We should be finished within the next month.

In the back, the welders are working on the spiral steps. The joists are all put in for the decking, and today the carpenters started laying the Trex decking. Also, two masons are working on the wall on the first floor. This picture gives you a good idea of how much work this task has been. The wall is actually three bricks thick, and we totally changed the location of the two windows and added a patio door. The brick has to be taken out in sections to prevent undermining the brick wall above.

Today, the carpenters finished the coffered ceilings on the second floor. They need to put the crown molding in the squares, but they already look awesome.

Two guys are tiling all eight bathrooms. They're making great progress and should start grouting tomorrow.

Lots of the trimwork is complete. You can see we matched the trim exactly from the original windows.

1221 12th St- Getting Closer

The 1221 Condos are really looking good. The weather has started to warm up and we've finally been able to work outside. We're working full speed ahead and should be finished during the second week of April.

The entire house is sheetrocked. Inside, we're still sanding down the sheetrock and we will prime the walls with paint next week.

The big project of the week is the rear decks. The bottom two decks are finished. The welder is coming back monday to extend the posts up to the third floor, and then that deck will go in on Tuesday. Once we pour the concrete, the welder will build the spiral steps.

1221 12th st NW- Sheetrock Up

The snow has finally melted and we're back to work. Over the last week, all of the walls got closed in with drywall and we started working on the rear decks. The next two weeks will see a flurry of activity- all the interior doors, trim, cabinets, paint and tile will all be installed. We're excited to see the building take shape.

They planted the sign in front today, and lots of people were stopping to read it.



Here's the ceilings in the top unit. They're easily 15 Ft high.



This is the second floor. The fireplace mantel is just resting there- that's actually the kitchen.



Here are the kitchen cabinets, ready to be assembled. These are very high-end custom cabinets- we're excited to see them installed.



In the back, the masons worked on cutting the brick for the patio doors and windows. The top two floors are done.



The floor guys finished patching the original pine floors. They ended up moving a lot of the old floor from areas that will be tile- like the bathrooms- to fix damaged spots in the living areas. When it's sanded and stains it will look good as new.

1221 12th St- Lots of Small Tasks

Things are progressing well at our 5-unit condo project. I'm hoping to have the drywall up by the end of next week, which is definitely possible. Right now we're working on all of the small tasks that have to be completed before the walls are closed-in. The biggest project right now is preparing the basement for the new concrete slab.

In this picture, you can see Andre preparing the drain in the basement that will drain to the sump pump. It's wrapped in a fabric and then surrounded by gravel to help keep dirt from clogging the small holes meant for water.




Here's a ceiling on the second floor unit. We ran 2 x 4's to hang the sheetrock because the original joists aren't 100% straight. This isn't because they've moved, but it happens because 125 years ago they cut them all by hand, so the cuts on each one aren't perfectly straight. To correct this, we ran a chalk line and then notched the 2 x 4 so it's level.



Here's a closeup of the soundproof boxes we built around all the recessed lights. This prevents sound from going up through the spaces above the light. We built the boxes out of cement board and fire-rated sheetrock.



This is a perfect example of one of the small but important projects that needs to be complete before you hang the drywall. The stand-up showers have to have the mortar placed underneath the rubber membrane.



This is the kitchen in the top floor unit. You can see all of the orange fire sprinklers and the metal duct for the hood exahaust. This one is all done and ready to close-in.