New Appliances

We ordered Kitchenaid appliances for the condos at 1470 Chapin St NW, and we're excited about giving them a try.  The Architect 2 series gets outstanding reviews, and they look really sharp.  Buyers were asking for them, so we decided to try them out.  Here are the products we selected:

Construction Progress- The Gracie

Even though it's freezing outside, we're still getting a ton of good work done at our condo project in Columbia Heights.  It's so cold that if the masons don't keep a massive heater within 2 feet of their mortar fix it instantly freezes solid.  That's pretty cold.  Fortunately, the building is insulated now and most of the windows are installed so it's not so bad inside.

The back of the building has been fully painted and most of the windows are installed.  Once the sheetrock crew is working inside next week, we'll start on the rear decks.

Amazingly, the masons are still installing more blocks on the roof for the parapet walls.

The roofers worked today to install the new roof membrane.

Here's the view of the loft in the top unit.

From the roof, there's an incredible view of the Washington Monument to the south.

To the east, you can see the convention center and the Capital.

Inside, we used a special cleaner on the exposed brick.

Neighborhoods- Adams Morgan

The Charles Condos are located at 2431 Ontario Rd NW in Adams Morgan.  I lived for several years right around the corner on Mintwood Place, so this area is near and dear to my heart.  It's an exciting place to live not only because it has so many bars and restaurants, but also because it's so close to everything.  From Ontario Rd., you're a 10 minute walk from people-watching in Dupont Circle, the Zoo in Woodley Park and shopping in Columbia Heights.  Here are some favorite neighborhood spots:

1.  The Diner (2453 18th St NW)

 

 

The Diner has a massive menu with large portions, and it's open 24 hrs.  What more could you possibly want?  Photo curtesy of stationstart.com

The Diner is a restaurant on 18th St that has excellent food and a fun atmosphere.  It serves everything you'd expect at a diner- like breakfast all day and hamburgers- but they also surprise you with dishes like salmon with mango salsa.  Another good bet here is a pressed sandwich, like a cuban or a croque madam. 

2.  Tryst (2459 18th St NW)

Tryst is a unique establishment that is hard to define.  Photo courtesy of about.com

Tryst is a little bit of everything- restaurant, coffeeshop, bar and meeting space.  Whatever it is, it works.  This place is packed at almost every hour of the day with people meeting friends, meeting for work or just relaxing with a book.  There have a variety of comfortable couches, large tables and normal tables for whatever it is you've come here to accomplish.  I enjoy coming here for a large cup of tea- which comes in a french press- and a homemade muffin.

3.So's Your Mom (1831 Columbia Road NW)

This is how a real pastrami sandwich should look and taste.  Photo courtesy of iflipforfood,com

So's Your Mom is the best authentic Jewish deli in DC.  They serve only top quality Boar's Head meats, H and H bagels and make all of their own tuna, chicken and liver salads.  My favorite sandwich here is the "half and half"- half pastrami and half corned beef on toasted rye with mustard and muenster cheese. 

4.  Pasta Mia (1790 Columbia Rd NW)

Pasta Mia is for serious pasta fans.  Photo courtesy examiner.com

It's small and easy to miss, but Pasta Mia is worth the search.  It's a tiny restaurant that almost always has a wait and opens and closes pretty much whenever they feel like it.  However, people still line up here every night and often wait over an hour to try the homemade gnocchi, rigatoni and spaghetti.  I'd recommend coming hungry because the portions are enormous.

5.  Bourbon (2321 18th St NW)

Even if you don't drink bourbon, Bourbon the bar is a great place to grab a drink with a friend.  Photo courtesy dc.metblogs.com

Adams Morgan is famous for the nightlife, so this list wouldn't be complete without at least one bar.  Bourbon is a great bet because it has an incredible selection of bourbon, great food, and a down-to-earth vibe.  On a crowded night, it doesn't feel cramped because they have a second level for private parties and a hidden outdoor patio (shh...keep it a secret).  If you eat here, don't pass up the peanut butter pie for dessert- it's homemade and incredible.

6.  Harris Teeter (1631 Kalorama Rd NW)

The Harris Teeter is large, well-stocked and clean.  Photo courtesy of dcist.com

The Harris Teeter is only a block away from The Charles, which will be a huge benefit for the new residents.  This grocery store opened just three years ago in a building that used to be an ice rink.  Even though I now live on the other side of town, I still drive out of my way to do my shopping here.  The prices are good, the produce is fresh and the store has a great layout.  If for some reason you have loyalty to another store, you're in luck because there is a Safeway a block away and a Giant about four blocks away in Columbia Heights.

2108 10th St- Coming Soon!

We're pleased to announce our next project, which will be at 2108 10th St NW.  It's the property directly adjacent to our last project, The Thompson Flats.  The new building will be a mirror image of that project.  When completed, the two buildings will look like one building.  We plan on breaking ground in April of this year and should be finished (if all goes according to plan) by October.

Here's the house.  It's a small 2 BR/2 BA house that is slightly set back from the street.

Even though it looks smaller, the lot is actually the exact same size as the property next door.  Also, there is currently a small walkway, which will be removed.

Construction Progress- The Charles

We finally obtained all of our permits for the excavation at 2431 Ontario Rd NW before New Year's, and we're now working hard to get caught up. The rear of the yard has a pretty incredible amount of dirt to take out.

Construction Update- The Gracie

With the holidays coming up and a lot of our workers traveling to be with family, we've decided to hold off on the excavation at our other project at 2431 Ontario Rd.  This allows us to focus fully on making big progress at The Gracie.  Our goal was originally to get the sheetrock up before the new year, but now it looks more like we'll do it in the first week of January, which is still great.  The HVAC, electric and plumbing are totally done on the first three floors, and now everyone just has to come back for the penthouse once the framing is complete.  The final two pieces will be the sprinklers- which only take a day or so- and the soundproofing, which we're doing now.

The brickwork is done around the new front balcony.  It's really starting to look like the rendering, which is exciting.

In the basement, the carpenters worked friday to install the resilient channels for soundproofing.  The drywall gets attached to the metal channels on the ceilings instead of the joists, which prevents the sound from traveling between units.

I liked this picture because it shows how we like to go  one step further than our competitors.  In the basement bathroom, we installed copper plumbing along the exterior wall because it resists freezing better than PVC.

In the basement, other carpenters are building the bulkheads beneath the new ductwork.  We used metal studs so we could gain an extra inch and a half of ceiling height over using wood framing.

Design- Dark Kitchen Cabinets

Dark kitchen cabinets are becoming very popular in the DC area. Part of the draw of them is that they give you the ability to provide a lot of contrast between the cabinets and the flooring, countertops and backsplash. We like to do dark cabinets when we have a big kitchen space with a lot of light. Here are some of the better uses of dark kitchens that I've found:

This designer did a good job on creating a lot of constrast between the light maple floors and the dark espresso cabinets.

This is a very simple kitchen design but has a lot of thoughtful details.  The shelves on the side of the island are useful and the space in the middle of the island is convenient for pushing in stools.

This is a good example of a kitchen that looks great in a magazine but would be hard to maintain in real life.  Not having upper cabinets means you have to be extremely organized with your dishes.