Final Countdown

Forbidden planting under the ash tree at Ell Alley on October 22, 2013

The truck with the granite counter tops at Ell Alley on October 22, 2013

The new fence at Ell Alley on October 22, 2013

The new fence at Ell Alley on October 22, 2013

The buildings across the alley on October 22, 2013

On October 22, 2013 (when these photos were taken) there were only 9 days left before we took possession of the house.  The truck with the granite counter tops was there.  We had visited the site several times already that month.  It was surprising to find that the critical root zone under the ash tree had been planted by the landscape crew as they worked in the area around the rest of the building.  It was supposed to be left unplanted & covered in bark.  It was obvious that, among our neighbors, only we had proposed & been given approval for an alternate landscape plan.  

On another day, we ran into one of the owners of the development company.  We talked with him at length.  He was very pleasant & wore stylish construction-type clothes.  After he left, we all said, 'What a great outfit!'  The fence was being built then.  The walls, roofs & most of the siding on one of the 2 buildings across the alley had been completed & work had begun to pour the foundations of the other.  We met the new owners of one of the unfinished units.  They expected to be our neighbors in about 9 months.  On our side of the alley was one building with 5 units.  On the other side would be 2 buildings with 3 units each.  These were the last buildings to be constructed in our development.

Also during the month of October, we made several trips to buy a refrigerator, washer & dryer, dining table & chairs, & a king-sized bed.  We were all very excited & full of ideas about the house.

Concrete

Entry walk from the sidewalk on Renton Avenue S in September 2013.

Entry walk across the front & down the side of the house in September 2013.

Front porch, which is actually on the side of the house in September 2013.

Back porch & stairs to garage in September 2013.

Retaining wall with very little space left for planting in September 2013.

New building across the back alley in September 2013.

By the end of September 2013, concrete for the walks & porches had been poured.  There were stairs down from the street, in front of the house next door.  The walk to our front door curved around the critical root zone of the ash tree in front of our house, crossing in front of the neighboring house, which seemed an invasion of their personal space.  The front porch was a pad of exposed-aggregate concrete.  The back porch was a much larger pad of smooth concrete, which left very little room (about 3 feet) for planting on that level.  However, there was much more room for patio furniture & pots than expected.  The kitchen island had been installed & some of the cabinets had been mounted. The interior walls had been painted a color that was not quite gray & not quite beige.  The floorboards had been laid on the ground level, but not upstairs.  The bathrooms were far from finished.  We were giving the date of October 31 for closing the sale of the house, which seemed quite an inconvenient date for moving out of the apartment.  The construction of the new building across the back alley had advanced at a rapid pace.

Painted Exterior

Ell Alley at upper left. August 2013.

North & west walls, plus garage.

North & east walls.

Front porch.

Back porch.

The ground floor is one big room.

Master bedroom.

 

 View from master bedroom. Ell Alley August 2013.

By mid-August of 2013, the exterior was painted dark gray-blue, tan & cream with black trim.  The sheet rock was hung on the interior walls.  Construction had started on the residential units across the alley & foundations were poured for their garages.  All of the building in the Allegro development had been built, or were under construction, except for the 3-unit building directly across from Ell Alley.  Even more exciting, the Seattle Housing Authority approved Jordan's landscape plan.

Doors & Siding

Ell Alley at far right of building 8 in July 2013.

Ell Alley, east & north walls.

Stairs from garage to terrace & retaining wall.

Ell Alley at left with garage.

 

New building of 3 units begun below Ell Alley in July 2013.

By mid-July of 2013 the doors & siding were installed.  The doors were locked when the workers left, so we were unable to see the interior very often.  We did see that they were installing the wiring & plumbing.  Work started on a building of 3 units across the alley below building 8, on the southern half of that lot.  Another building of 3 units was planned for the northern half of the lot.

Roof & Windows

The garage. June 2013

 

The north wall with the dining room window at lower center & north bedroom window above left.  On the west wall are the windows of the master bedroom above & kitchen below. June 2013

Ell Alley at left & its 2 adjacent neighbors. June 2013

By early June the roof was on & the windows installed.  We went inside the house & saw the views from all windows.  The view from the master bedroom, across the valley to the Cheasty Greenspace, was expansive.  The view from the east bedroom was mostly of the large ash tree in front of the house.  The dining room would have a view of the garden.  The unfortunate north bedroom had a view of the alley, the garages across it & the houses behind them.  Trees might obscure that scene in the future. 

Jordan met with the Senior Development Manager at the Seattle Housing Authority on June 10.  He learned that the main design criterion for landscaping was visibility, mainly for safety.  No shrubs taller than 4 feet were allowed in the back yard, or higher than 3 feet in the front yard, unless they were placed against the house or garage.  It seemed we would be allowed to plant a few trees.  But that remained under consideration.  Both the front & back yards exist on the north side of the house.  Nothing could be planted on the east side of the house, which was considered the critical root zone under the ash tree.  This area was to be covered with bark & kept free of weeds.  Our plan to use native plants was encouraged.  We were grateful for that.

4 Walls & No Roof

Ell Alley on the left end of Building 8. May 2013

Ell Alley's fairly blank north wall. May 2013

Looking through the living room window to the kitchen door. May 2013

By early May the exterior walls were up for all the units in Building 8.  Framing of the interior walls on the 2nd floor had started, the interior stairs were built & the porches were visible.  The rooms were all clearly distinguishable.  There were no surprises here.  It was just as we had expected. This was probably the most dramatic phase of the project, the surge upward from foundation to 2-story walls.  Ell Alley had started to look like a home.

Construction Continues

Garage. April 2013

Completed foundation & crawl space. April 2013

Site of future stairs to the garage door. April 2013

Concrete-block wall & site of future parking pad. April 2013

Top of wall & terrace. April 2013

The foundation was finished in early April 2013.  Much of what we hoped would be a large crawl space beneath the house was filled with dirt.  The sales agent had told us that access to the crawl space would be through a trap door in a closet.  That seemed an unappealing place to store things. 

By the middle of April, the concrete floor of the garage had been poured.  The most interesting new feature was a concrete-block wall behind the house which formed a terrace about 6 feet above the level of the rear alley.  The wall has 2 tiers, with 2 feet of planting space in the lower tier & more planting space planned in the upper tier, between the wall & a concrete pad, which has not yet been poured.  This additional garden space was very exciting for Jordan, who started thinking of potential plants immediately.

Ell Alley Begins

Building 8 Site January 2013

Building 8 site January 2013

Ell Alley site at the north end of Building 8 January 2013
 

Ell Alley site at the north end of Building 8 March 2013

Garage site March 2013

Near the end of January 2013, preparation for construction began on the site.  A sign was posted, 2 large trees were removed & the ground was smoothed.  Then in March, holes were dug & concrete began to be poured for the foundation.  From the height of the forms, it appeared the the crawl space beneath the townhome would be capacious: a good place for garden tools & camping gear.  We were puzzled about the garage, which seemed to be well below the level of the house.  Would there be stairs?  The other buildings in the development were all on level ground.