1317 Addition: Unbuilt Award Submission

1317 Addition: Zoning Relief

We submitted drawings to The Board of Zoning Appeals yesterday for an addition to the rear of 1317 D St. NE (yes, that's our place). I have to say that the experience at the zoning office was about the most pleasant experience I've ever had in a government office.  The receptionist was super nice, and guided me through their requirements, and let me make additional photocopies and use their space to assemble the materials in the format they require. (All the 11 x 17 sheets had to be folded down to 8.5 x 11).  Their instructional materials seem very clear, but they are not completely correct.  For one thing, the instruction sheets suggests that you MAY get  the property addresses of immediate neighbors from the Office of Tax and Revenue, but I was told by the receptionist that if we got the information from somewhere else, and it was not correct, or did not include everyone, that they could deny our application.  Well, I got the information off the web, and I made the decision of who to include in the 200 foot radius. I decided to take the risk, but I'm having second thoughts. I've since gone to Tax and Revenue to get the list to check it against our own.

As it just so happened, the ANC meeting was the same evening, so Missy went to the meeting and, afterward, spoke with our commissioner and the chair of the Economic Development and Zoning Sub-Committee.  Missy seemed to find out that we would likely give our presentation to the sub-committee, unless it was deemed controversial, in which case we would present to the entire ANC. So the good news is that, while the BZA and ANC do not meet in August, the Zoning sub-committee does.  So we might have an outside shot to move this thing along behind the scenes......

1317 Remodel: The Final Images

1317 Bathroom Remodel: Almost there...

We are in the final throws of our bathroom remodel,

but we kicked out the contractor for Thanksgiving

and cleaned the house from top to bottom.

The perfect time to take a few snapshots.

The new hydronic  towel warmer / heater with the bathroom door swing reversed.

New wall-hung vanity, mirror and wall cabinet.

The light fixture is available for purchase at design within reach.

That's the toilet peeking out from behind the tub wall.
The opening between the toilet and tub will have a pane of 1/2" glass

The world's shallowest niche.

New & Old

Perfect fit

But soft! What light from yonder skylight breaks?

406 Kentucky Avenue: First Yard Sign

Our first Yard Sign

202.455.OCDS

1317 Bathroom Remodel: Close in Inspection

We passed our close-in inspection on Wednesday, and the walls are ready for drywall.

Here's a photo with my son for scale.  I bet the bathroom looks really big from 3 feet off the ground.

I really love the old plaster and the back side of the lathe.

The mounting brackets for the wall-hung sink ended up in the perfectly wrong location.  So, after much consideration, I made a 1/2" thick plywood plate that will be mounted to the studs in place of the drywall. Then I installed a heavy gauge metal plate plate to the back to protect the vent stack.

Downstairs in the hall, we are are installing an acoustic ceiling because PVC is really noisy.  The track is attached to the joists, then the drywall is attached to the track. 
In between the joists we're installing mineral wool sound insulation. 

Next up: Drywall!

1317 Bathroom Remodel: Demolition & Framing

The Lead abatement basically rendered our house unusable, since the limits of destruction were our entire stair hall upstairs and down. So we scheduled the demolition for a Friday and Saturday and took a mini vacation so that we would be out of town for the worst of it. 

When we returned from a restful weekend, we had a clean house and a (temporary) double-height space.

Three days later, the floor is re-framed and the studs surrounding the tub are in place.

After a hard week of work by the two-man crew, we can better imagine the view from our new shower.