A Look Inside the V Street Pop Up

by Prince Of Petworth November 15, 2013 at 1:46 pm 50 Comments

ella_condo
1013 V Street, NW

Well we’ve certainly looked at the outside enough, time to get a peek at the inside – check out some photos here.

From the brokers:

“These stylish condominiums are flooded with light & feature all steel new construction, high ceilings, hardwood floors, gas & heat cooking, outdoor space, low condo fees, parking & sweeping city views. The Ella is located one block from the metro & close to the bars & restaurants of vibrant 14th Street.”

Anonymous

I like how the photoshopped a different exterior trim on it. All in all, I don’t necessarily hate the interior (except that busy kitchen backsplash. Just stahp!) but I’m predisposed-disposed to detest this project in general.
- Anonymous
  
  Is the exterior trim photoshopped? I actually think it makes the place look tons better.
  - Anonymous
    
    Yes, those white lines on the front exterior are Photoshopped.
    When you got a massive gloryhole on the top, so cheap exterior glue-on trim is basically lipstick on a pig.
    .
    I’d love to know who’s moving into here and their thought process. I wonder if they bought on spec?
    - Anonymous
      
      No the trim is not photoshopped. I walked past here 2 days ago and the trim has indeed been added. The whole place still looks like a hot mess though. . .
- Anonymous
  
  WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH THE FUGLY PHOTOSHOP!?!? OMG.
  
  And LOL @ “flooded with light”. These places have 30 sq feet of windows on each end of the building, that must be 80 feet in length. Do we know if there’s “bedrooms”/dens with no windows in them? That lower level apartment looks really dark, yikes.
- epric002
  
  yeah- what’s up with the differing exterior photos? and those camo-patterned backsplashes- UGH. but wtf is up with that fugly futuristic shower thingy? overall, do not like.
  - Anonymous
    
    That shower unit just looks like something that’s going to break within the first year and need to be repaired with impossible-to-find parts, until it finally has to be ripped out, which will require redoing all of the tile work. But I am clearly not the Ella’s target audience, becasue I think redoing that tile work would greatly improve those showers.
- justinbc
  
  It’s not inconceivable that the photo PoPville is using is outdated, rather than a malicious attempt by the condo owners to deceive potential buyers.
JS

That bathtub looks like it’s three feet long.
Anonymous

garrish
Yaba

It’s…. Beautiful
Jay

This unit is listed for $800,000. Btw, there’s a Capitol Hill townhouse for $650,000 right now, folks, just two posts down on this same blog!

Really can’t wait to see photos of the gloryhole unit.
- Anonymous
  
  My bet is that the top unit was either pre-sold or kept by the developer. Or do developers usually only “release” one unit to gauge interest?
  .
  $800K for this is nuts. It’s not even the “nice” unit. They spent $386K for the original property. What would be the construction costs for this place? $600K?
  - Anonymous
    
    BTW, they originally listed this at $850K but lowered it after one day.
    Stupid money chasing the real estate dragon.
Quincy St Neighbor

Light filled? The units seem cramped and really narrow.
- Anonymous
  
  Have house of this width (and less deep) in this neighborhood. “Light filled” it is not.
Anonymous

This listing with the award for BUSIEST BACKSPLASH in the District. It extends above the kitchen windows!
WHY?!?!?!?!
http://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/451-S-St-NW-20001/home/52309770
- Anonymous
  
  OMG, that’s tragic. I love how they tried to be edgy and installed the lower part of the backsplash sideways.
  - Anonymous
    
    I actually really like the house and I think the rooms and bathrooms look great. The kitchen is also really nice. But that backsplash is ATROCIOUS. It’s like a bad ayahuasca trip. What were they thinking?!?
  - Anonymous
    
    Love everything about this house except the backspalsh. POP please make this a GDoN next week!
- textdoc
  
  I cannot wait until these super-busy backsplashes go out of style.
Jack5

It looks like a straight block that was dropped into a single row in Tetris.
- ryan2499
  
  Haha, you win today’s comment.
- textdoc
  
  🙂
Anonymous

Hm. It looks pretty much just the same as everything else.
ryan2499

That first exterior pic is classic for this project. So ominous. There’s a storm brewin’ ’round here.
- Anonymous
  
  Prediction of the next Derecho that will knock this place over like Jenga blocks.
  - Anonymous
    
    it has a steel infrastructure.
Anonymous

No Frdge?
Annonny

There are actually two units for sale – number 2, which seems to be the middle floors and is $799 (http://slideshow.mris.com/slideshow/slideshow.htm?ListingKey=98432126634) and number 3, which is the glory hole unit and is $850,000 (http://slideshow.mris.com/slideshow/slideshow.htm?ListingKey=98432099011). Clearly they’re going for the “more money than sense” market.
- *giggle*
  
  The glory hole is GLORIOUS. And what’s up with the FormStone balcony flood? That’s hot.
bb

They forgot to mention that this is a historic opportunity to “own a piece of a DC landmark”…
Anonymous

After looking at these photos I’m 99% sure I know who the developer is and all I can say is stay away! CHEAPO RAMA on the workmanship.
anonymous

Yup, looks just about as narrow and cramped as I expected. And these photos were most likely done with one of those deceiving wide angle lenses.

Even if I loved the inside and the price were about half, I would never buy a unit. My pride and self dignity just wouldn’t let me.
Emilie504

There are walls right? Like for the bedroom?
DM

I really don’t think it’s that bad? I think everyone’s letting months of anger about this place cloud some pretty inoffensive interior renovations. It’s a developer flip. Compared to other developer flips, the kitchen and bathroom are pretty par for the course.

The outside still looks ridiculous in context, but at least it’s not an ugly building on its own merit. If the rest of the block popped up into apartments, it’d be a pretty cool streetscape. Better than tearing down the whole block to build a 14th Street Glass Box.

Not that I could ever afford an $800,000 walkup, but still.
- Jay
  
  The price is sort of a big factor though, right? It’s not horrible if you get to live in it for free somehow, but it’s really not the interior stylings that would make an intelligent person spend $800,000 for a walkup.
  - Anonymous
    
    its always funny and condescending the way people want to refer to those that would actually spend money on a place like this as unintelligent.
    im sure you have but ive never met an unintelligent person that had that kind of money.
    - Anonymous
      
      Clearly you’ve never met somebody whose primary job description is “Trust Fund”. Money is certainly not always proportional to intellect or ability.
      - Anonymous
        
        i have not.
      - Anonymous
        
        “A fool and his money are soon parted.”
Whyohwhy

Why do these developers try to sell houses for 3/4 of a million dollars furnished with Ikea?! It just makes the whole thing look cheap.

And I’m so tired of that ugly brown backsplash that keeps popping up in every renovation on here. It’s especially awful in the bathroom. It’s going to look like avocado, rust and gold in the 70s did – immediately dating it.
Alicia

I think this is a standard renovation for DC, so I’m surprised it’s going for $800K. It’s nice for what it is. And I know location, location, location, but I feel like the proper price for this is more in the $600Ks, not $800K. It’ll be interesting to see if the price drops further.
Anonymous

Just shocked on multiple levels.

They need to drop the price a couple hundred thousand for this mess… Then maybe someone can rent it out – that is all this property is good for – the rental market.

Also note to self never do any transaction with Sotheby’s
Just sayin’

and yet… watch how fast the top two units sell. One block from metro, some of the best views in DC, steps to all the clubs, restaurants and nightlife of U street, bound to increase in value since there will be laws passed preventing similar extreme popups, making this one unique and historic, close to the coming 9th and Florida construction (more condos, a bowling alley, movie theater, grocery store, retail… On and on. It is an eyesore to some, but the interior looks in line with other new urban spaces. It’s small? Um, middle of major metropolitan city…hello. Anyway, 1600 and 1800 sq ft isn’t small by any city standard. So deep breaths errybody, nobody’s forcing YOU to buy them.
- Just Sayin’
  
  Hey there. It’s not my property, sorry. And I didn’t say it didn’t blow, only that it would sell, regardless. Read much?
ET

I am thinking they should have waited until the exterior was finished before taking those pictures because anyone seeing that online may think twice.

I don’t mind the backsplash though I think it will date itself, but is there some weird photoshopping going one that makes that second kitchen photo have part of the backsplash/counter doing something funny? I assume that they didn’t like how that was looking in the picture but this just looks weird and in a “honey I don’t want to look at this place” sort of way.

All that being said, I am sure it will sell though I can’t say at what price. Don’t think it is worth what they listed it as but people frequently surprise me. So if someone buys this for close to the asking I wish them luck on the resale. They will have hold onto it for a few years to make anything and maybe even to break even. I just don’t see that place a worth that price. I think equivalent places that new development where the convention center was aren’t that much different. And this location and that one don’t even compare.
- anon
  
  I think what you’re seeing on the 2nd kitchen picture is that the cabinet/counter on the right of the stove is only 12 inches deep rather than 24 (probably to account for some sort of structural thing behind the wall). That would really irritate me when cooking. The top “cabinet” is likely just a cabinet door on top of drywall to keep a cohesive look (note the lack of cabinet pulls). All this also means there isn’t as much storage in the kitchen as it looks like on first look.
Anonymous

I recognize all that model furniture from my last trip to Ikea
Anonymous

the whole popup looks like a giant cell phone

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