Lock 7 Development http://lock7development.com Just another WordPress site Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:49:34 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 The Newport Tower Progress http://lock7development.com/the-newport-tower-progress/ http://lock7development.com/the-newport-tower-progress/#comments Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:14:00 +0000 davidgorman http://lock7development.com/the-newport-tower-progress/

The carpenters have removed the old windows and are reframing the openings to prepare for the new ones.

One mason is working to repair the brick where the old fireplace shaft was located.

The interior walls are going up on each floor.

In the basement, a crew is using a conveyor belt to remove the dirt so we can achieve a greater ceiling height.
The digging is nearly done and we should be able to start underpinning next week.

]]> http://lock7development.com/the-newport-tower-progress/feed/ 0 1120 Rhode Island Ave- Progress http://lock7development.com/1120-rhode-island-ave-progress/ http://lock7development.com/1120-rhode-island-ave-progress/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:00:00 +0000 davidgorman http://lock7development.com/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.


]]> http://lock7development.com/1120-rhode-island-ave-progress/feed/ 2 2108 10th St NW- Brick Nearly Done http://lock7development.com/2108-10th-st-nw-brick-nearly-done/ http://lock7development.com/2108-10th-st-nw-brick-nearly-done/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:46:00 +0000 davidgorman http://lock7development.com/2108-10th-st-nw-brick-nearly-done/ The Thompson at 2108 10th is coming along nicely.  We’re actually ahead of schedule and are on track to deliver in early April.  The biggest projects now are finishing the exterior brick and getting the inside ready to install sheetrock.



In the back, the brick suncontractor had six masons working to finish the rear wall.  They are about 3/4 finished.

Inside, the units are framed and ready for electric and HVAC rough-ins.  Henry, the electrician, stopped by quickly today to measure so he can order materials.

Upstairs, our carpenters worked to install the pitch on the front roof.  The roofer is starting tomorrow (let’s hope the nice weather will continue).

In front, the brick is finished.

]]> http://lock7development.com/2108-10th-st-nw-brick-nearly-done/feed/ 0 2108 10th St NW- Taking Shape http://lock7development.com/2108-10th-st-nw-taking-shape/ http://lock7development.com/2108-10th-st-nw-taking-shape/#comments Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:55:00 +0000 davidgorman http://lock7development.com/2108-10th-st-nw-taking-shape/
While the plumber is able to work before the building is completely water tight, both the electrician and HVAC contractors can not start until the building is 100% sealed up.  They should begin at the end of this week or the beginning of next.

In the front, the masons worked this week to install the front brick wall.  The brick is from the same factory as The Thompson Flats next door and looks nearly identical.

Here’s the view from across the street.

In the rear, we worked this week to install the doors and windows so the masons could work.

]]> http://lock7development.com/2108-10th-st-nw-taking-shape/feed/ 0 New Website for Lock 7 Development! http://lock7development.com/new-website-for-lock-7-development/ http://lock7development.com/new-website-for-lock-7-development/#comments Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:42:00 +0000 davidgorman http://lock7development.com/new-website-for-lock-7-development/ 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.)

]]> http://lock7development.com/new-website-for-lock-7-development/feed/ 0 The Thompson- Windows http://lock7development.com/the-thompson-windows/ http://lock7development.com/the-thompson-windows/#comments Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:21:00 +0000 davidgorman http://lock7development.com/the-thompson-windows/
The doors are scheduled to arrive on Friday of this week.

Pretty cool, right?

]]> http://lock7development.com/the-thompson-windows/feed/ 0 Harvard Row- Excavation http://lock7development.com/harvard-row-excavation/ http://lock7development.com/harvard-row-excavation/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:07:00 +0000 davidgorman http://lock7development.com/harvard-row-excavation/ With all of our addition permits fully issued, we started off the new year with an army of excavation  machines at 1449 Harvard St NW.  The addition in the back will extend 25 feet, so we needed to remove almost 25 loads of dirt in order to lay the new foundation.  The new concrete footers and foundation walls will take about two weeks to complete.

The little machine can maneuver in small spaces and removes the dirt close to the building.  The bigger machine then scoops it up and puts it into a waiting dump truck.

]]> http://lock7development.com/harvard-row-excavation/feed/ 0 1120 Rhode Island Ave- New Name, Rendering and Logo http://lock7development.com/1120-rhode-island-ave-new-name-rendering-and-logo/ http://lock7development.com/1120-rhode-island-ave-new-name-rendering-and-logo/#comments Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:08:00 +0000 davidgorman http://lock7development.com/1120-rhode-island-ave-new-name-rendering-and-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.

]]> http://lock7development.com/1120-rhode-island-ave-new-name-rendering-and-logo/feed/ 0 Lock 7 http://lock7development.com/lock-7/ http://lock7development.com/lock-7/#comments Wed, 04 Jan 2012 23:22:59 +0000 admin http://lock7development.com/?p=711 http://lock7development.com/lock-7/feed/ 0 2108 10th St- Framing http://lock7development.com/2108-10th-st-framing/ http://lock7development.com/2108-10th-st-framing/#comments Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:58:00 +0000 davidgorman http://lock7development.com/2108-10th-st-framing/ Our goal was to get the roof framed up before the Christmas holiday.  Truth be told, I think we’ll still fall a little short, but we’ve still made an incredible amount of progress here in only a few weeks.  Less than two months ago, there was an entirely different small house on this lot.  Now, there are three finished units, and we’re well on our way to getting the fourth one completed.


In the front, you can finally start to get an idea of what the building will look like when finished.

This was the rear of the building on Thursday of last week.

Here’s the same view from this morning.  You can see the carpenters made a lot of progress on framing the second floor rear windows and started the joists for the floor above.

]]> http://lock7development.com/2108-10th-st-framing/feed/ 0