Bay House Portland construction started

Pretty desirable neighborhood. Right near the ocean, the eateries on that end of commercial and middle street, and it's close enough to the old port for a couple minute walk and far enough that you won't deal with yahoos every night.
 
the brewery smell in this immediate area is quite strong fairly often.

You say that like it's a bad thing. One of my favorite things about living on the East End was getting the occasional whiff of that. I love it.

I guess if you're not a beer lover and/or home brewer, then I could see that as undesirable, but personally to me it's an extra selling point.
 
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great photo. thx for sharing. looks like they are moving along at a nice pace.
 
Photos from this morning, pardon the lack of quality:

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Thx for the photos! ...

Is the Bay house going to have any retail space on the ground floor?
 
This may be a testament to my ignorance of construction principles, but I'm kind of surprised how much wood is being used to construct a modern 5-story condo building. I would have thought there would be a lot more steel, concrete, brick, etc. involved. Can anyone explain all the wood?
 
In terms of raw materials:

Average Cost of Steel = $700-$800 per metric ton
Average Cost of Concrete = $100-$200 per metric ton (but this doesn't include extra expenses like aggregate, rebar, molds, etc.)
Average Cost of Lumber = $400-$600 per metric ton

Then you have to consider things like labor, time, etc. Steelworkers generally earn more than rough carpenters/framers. Steel goes up quicker, but then you still have to use lumber/aluminum to frame things out, and tying into steel takes a little extra time. Concrete takes a lot longer, because you have to build the molds, set rebar and supports, pour and then allow for time to dry. Building with block requires a similar time frame as concrete, and qualified masons generally earn more than rough carpenters/framers.

Overall, all lumber or mostly lumber construction is quicker and less expensive. The drawback is the allowable height you can build, which is upwards of four stories. Bay House is four stories of lumber on top of one story of concrete and steel.

All or mostly lumber construction is more costly to insure once built, but if you're building to sell, you generally don't care how much building operator or the condo owners have to pay in insurance.
 
Thanks for the tutorial! I'm assuming the exterior will be finished with stone, brick or something other than wood, judging by the artwork of the finished building.
 
Great Update BeeLine. Bayhouse is really going up quick. Condos make a much stronger statement about city than apartments as far as buying versus renting.
 
Great Update BeeLine. Bayhouse is really going up quick. Condos make a much stronger statement about city than apartments as far as buying versus renting.

These will actually be apartments instead of condos. This is because financing for the two different types of units dictates the result. Financing for condos is more difficult to obtain than for apartments. The hope as I understand it is to obtain financing for a condo building and transform the structure into condos when the market permits. It was originally condos.
 
These will actually be apartments instead of condos. This is because financing for the two different types of units dictates the result. Financing for condos is more difficult to obtain than for apartments. The hope as I understand it is to obtain financing for a condo building and transform the structure into condos when the market permits. It was originally condos.

The building on the left (bldg #2) is condos. The one on the right (bldg#1) will be apts for rent.
 
The building on the left (bldg #2) is condos. The one on the right (bldg#1) will be apts for rent.

When did that change?

When this was approved it was supposed to be apartments in the first tower, with an intent to condo, and hopefully secure financing for the condos on the second tower before the opened, but I never heard anything more.
 
I don't know when or how it changed. But they started selling (again) building #2 units before they broke ground last year, and I was told by their agent (several months ago) building #1 will be rentals.



EDIT: As of this week (5/22/13), it looks like condo's on building #1 are now being listed on the MLS for sale.
 
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Nice photos, BeeLine. Hope you enjoyed your visit. It's interesting to see the Bay House from nearby streets since it rises above the surrounding buildings now.

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