Continuing to Pop Way Up on V between 10th and 11th Streets, NW

by Prince Of Petworth January 24, 2013 at 11:30 am 57 Comments

In early Dec. we noted the start of a row house popping way up on V Street, NW. Check it out now:

For those curious about the new building in the background at the corner of 11th and V St, NW – check a photo after the jump.

ah

Is the first one going tohave no windows on the sides of the popup? Or do they just figure the neighbors would eventually block them?
- gonzodc
  
  I dont think you’re allowed to have windows on a party wall/property line.
  - zero_sum
    
    Are you guys still living in the green house? How’s construction treating you? Any word for the other neighbors on that row?
    - gonzodc
      
      nope. moved in to new house on Sherman Ave.
AnononThursday

I know next to nothing about building construction, so take this with a grain of salt, but is no one else concerned about the shoddy structure of this building? We drive by it every day and I shudder to think of what will happen if someone has a fire incident…or is that just the structure for a more sturdy shell to come later? I’m so lost.
- annonny
  
  I hope the plywood on the exterior of building #2 is only there temporarily.
  
  Otherwise, that place looks like a treehouse my brother built when he was about 12.
- manimal
  
  this looks like normal construction to me.
- zero_sum
  
  I’m waiting for a strong gust of wind to blow it over. I walk by this everyday and it reminds me of a wall made of Jenga pieces.
- Anonymous
  
  YES to this comment. My boyfriend and I shudder every time we walk past this corner. Also, did anyone see when they first started digging this place out and failed to put an exit ramp for the truck or any sort of drain and when it rained, the truck was just stuck in the center…? I also know nothing about construction, but compared to the many other construction sites I have seen around the city, it looks like a lot less care and thought has gone into this one.
  - Anonymous
    
    I should clarify that I’m referring to construction site #2 on the corner. Though I also think the pop up is extremely hideous and out of place.
    - Idaho Ave
      
      I believe in DC (and fairfax, arlington too) the first floor is all thats required to have concrete and steel for the framing. I believe upper floors are allowed to be just plywood.
kev29

Wow, someone get in touch with the Committee of 100, I think this may be taller than 12 stories.
- michael k. wilkinson
  
  +100. great comment. chuckle.
manimal

i assume this will be luxury condos?
- Joe E.
  
  Yeah, just looked it up, the issued permit is to convert from a 2 story single family home into a 3 condo, 5 story building. Looking at PIVS, it seems there was a stop work order issued on the 18th of this month, it’s probably what the orange square just barely visible on the (detached) front door is.
  - faithkelley
    
    Wow! 5 stories! At first it looked like it was going to be four, which was bad enough, but five is awful.
  - o2bncdg
    
    Joe E. – thanks for the reference to PIVS. Never knew that existed. Looks like 1013 V St. NW has had two (2) Stop Work Orders. That doesn’t bode well for the whole project, developer, contractor, nothing!!
    - SydneyP
      
      Yes! PIVS can be useful to keep track of renovations and construction in your neighborhood. The DCRA is good about responding to complaints about construction without a permit. That’ll keep you and your neighbors more safe from fire, flood, and sometimes, hideous outrages of shoddy work.
ET

Do I see a stop work order on the storm door?

Also, is this going to be one of those multi unit condo projects? Otherwise I can’t imagine why the would have put 2 floors (doubling the size) plus what I assume is going to be a roofdeck. Whatever the reason I would sort of feel sorry for the people buying into this – they likely never got to see the progress so won’t necessarily know how this project went up.

Hopefully a strong wind won’t bring it down on any of the neighbor houses.
- textdoc
  
  This makes me think of the Three Little Pigs. 🙂
bgluckman

I do not understand how local ANCs and Committees of 100 and Shaw Dupont Citizen Alliances and whatnots manage to throttle every element of progress in this city in terms of, well, everything, then somehow allow this horror of a pop-up to just…happen. It’s a full three stories taller than the original building, not to mention everything around it. WTF?
- textdoc
  
  You might call it “progress,” but just about everyone else on this thread is calling it “really ugly.”
  - bgluckman
    
    No, I mean all those groups work to throttle normal progress, killing sidewalk cafes, making building designs utterly banal, that sort of thing. But yet somehow this…horror…got through?
    - textdoc
      
      Ahh, I see what you’re saying.
      
      It seems as though ANCs and citizens’ groups are frequently successful in getting ABRA to deny licenses or to issue them only with certain restrictions… but when it comes to buildings and how they’re built, it seems like either you’re in a historic district and the the restrictions are numerous, or you’re not and it’s like some kind of Wild West free-for-all.
      
      I guess the building height restrictions are determined by how a lot is zoned. Maybe this one is zoned for both commercial and residential use, thus allowing the 5-story height?
      
      It seems like there ought to be some kind of in-between historic designation that would stop this kind of monstrosity.
      - DC200009
        
        It’s not a free-for-all, it’s zoning regulations as enacted by the City Council. They are regs – allowed height, for instance – that were created for a 21st century city, rather than the nineteenth century which is when the exiisting houses were built. And not only is the pop-up taking advantage of the allowable height, but so is the new construction to the left. Soon it will be the pre-existing houses that look out of place due to the small stature. Clearly it’s not in an historic district – the fake stone applied to the older buldings is probably one reason why – so why shouldn’t we increase the density of our city in areas that have been identified as appropriate. And as for the pop-up – it may look flimsy due to being slim, but with steel frame and concrete block it’s certainly as strong as, if not stronger, any of the nineteenthe century houses.
      - textdoc
        
        Building pop-ups like this is not an efficient way of increasing density.
        
        You want to increase density? There are multiple vacant lots a short walk from the Petworth Metro that could do with mid-rise apartment/condo buildings, and where those could be built without destroying the look and feel of a block of rowhouses.
        
        The zoning regulations allow for monstrosities like this to be built. Does that mean it’s a good idea? Most people on this blog don’t seem to think so.
- Anonymous
  
  +1
anon

People who don’t care at all about their neighborhood and ruin a whole block with their out-of-whack popup are the worst. Ruining your 100 year old home while also suppressing housing values for everyone else on your street? Terrible.
Anonymous

That neighborhood continues it’s roll as a petri dish for unbridled ego manifested in facade. That red house is a comical F*CK YOU to the entire neighborhood and good taste everywhere.
Anonymous

overcompensating?
Anonymous

I really think this should be against code! It is just wrong on so many levels
- Formerly CoHi
  
  Ha! Nice one!
emmaleigh504

Wow that pop-up looks awful. Every house on that row needs a huge pop-up to make it fit in. Those itty bitty pop-ups to the right just aren’t big enough to make this monstrosity blend.
Anonymous

That is so ugly. And it looks like it is going to fall over.
Anonymous

Sigh. My wife and I are trying to find a way to increase the headroom on our third floor by 2 feet in a historic district, and are finding it impossible to get through HPO even though we can do it without it being visible from the front (its possible to see the side of our house from a vacant lot nearby, and they are blocking the increase as a result).

Which is super frustrating.

Then I see something like this and I am reminded why HPRB is needed even though its driving us crazy and we hate pop ups like this as much as anyone else.
- Anonymous
  
  I completely agree. While the HPRB can be frustrating to deal with, their existence is, on occasion, invaluable.
Anns

So so ugly. And I’m so grateful I live in a historic district.
Anonymous

Hideous!
andy2

How can that foundation be strong enough to support an additional 3 stories?
those are going to be the most narrow units ever!
- gdopplerxt
  
  I was thinking the same thing. The foundations (and original walls) now have to support a structure (and contents) 2.5 times bigger than originally planned. Maybe it’s not a problem but it does seem kind of crazy. Perhaps being part of a row of houses the load is spread enough amongst the adjacent houses – but what if every house on the block added 3 floors? Anyone out there know more about this stuff?
  - genodc
    
    It may be that the existing foundation is strong enough but, if not, it can ‘beefed-up.’ The foundations of the adjoining houses don’t/can’t be included, each unit has to be self-supporting.
  - Marcus Aurelius
    
    It’s not completely clear from the photos but it appears as if that steel and the cinderblock walls actually extend dow into (or up from) the original structure. It almost looks like they just kept the facade of the old building and added a new steel frame and cinderblock walls. It’s possible that they built up the foundation or drilled piles deep enough to support the additional weight.
    It really is unattractive and incredibly inconsiderate of the other neighbors. But the guy with the pop up three doors down is like, “And ya’ll thought I was bad. At least I didn’t do that!”
    - gonzodc
      
      they did pour a new foundation and tied in the steel.
- ET
  
  I thought that as well….
  
  Honestly the whole thing is scary and sketchy.
Bloomingdale

My friends live next door to it and confirmed that there is a stop work order on the house. The fun little bit about this all is the shotty construction crew that was jumping over things and onto the adjacent roofs while constructing the new walls. Now there is some lovely structural damage to a few joists and collapsing drywall in the green house. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was damage to the grey house as well.
- zero_sum
  
  I hope they have their lawyers on speed dial and retainer money in the escrow account.
manimal

maybe its a racquetball court.
bb

“Now witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational battlestation!”

–The Emperor
Redbeard

I like how the largest second structure looks like a castle. We can only hope it will become a Medieval Times!
bruno

Ugh- lee!
mj42

wonder how they can build codos…zoning wouldnt alow a lot that small to be condos
houseintherear

Basically the entire Soleil building at 14th and Florida was built with wood (2x4s and plywood), only a regular foundation. It’s a tall building, a very big. It’s the main reason I didn’t buy there, and why I wouldn’t buy any new construction these days… apparently, it’s the new norm, but it’s a terrifying fire/earthquake/everything hazard.
wreckfish

It seems like there’s very little oversight these days of projects like this. The developer of 1339 Irving is, as far as I can tell, doing a big project that is thoroughly unpermitted, breaking all sorts of rules. The city’s response? Uh, we’re conducting a review process…meanwhile the guy continues to build. The mayor seems to be basically giving up. He’s already toast so why bother with itty bitty projects like this?
here2stayinpw

This must bs stopped!!!!!!!!!!!
SydneyP

The horror. The horror.
Phil

It’s beginning to look a lot like…Williamsburg.
reality

???!!! This is the stupidest looking thing I’ve ever seen! How the heck has the city not stopped this dump?

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