Well, the url too. =) lol

Oh, cool. Thank you and and url!

Cool new signage before the Downtown Design Review Committee:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/level1111.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/level1111b.jpg

I like the color accents on the building, like the green wall and the pops of color underneath the overhangs*. If I understand correctly, each side of the building will feature a different accent color that they've pulled from the surrounding neighborhood.

From today... Look at how this neighborhood is really coming together: Level, Aloft, the Clark Building in the foreground and you can see the ground level of Maywood Lofts being readied for Hefner Companies:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/level1118.jpg

Making great progress:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/level1128.jpg

Woo! When April comes, I'll upload pictures of my view from INSIDE those apartments.

http://okc.biz/oklahoma/article-5958-apt-findings.html

P.S. Not on topic but just want to note that the article states that Gary Brooks hopes to start on the Edge next August, that's earlier than I thought.

Other interesting parts of that article:


Level will include 228 units. One-bedroom units will range from $850- $1,150 per month, and two-bedroom units will range from $1,190-$1,500 per month. McKown says, so far, no one has scoffed at the prices.


McKown plans to have 58 units finished and ready to lease in April. The entire project is set for completion next fall.

Those are very good prices for the location. I'd think they will escalate quickly in the coming years. That seemed to be the bad thing about living downtown--your rent was sure to go up year to year. I checked in at Legacy out of curiosity a few weeks ago, and the type of 1-bedroom apartment I'd lived in has gone up $175/month since I lived there (almost 3 years ago).

The rental market is underserved now so as some of these projects are finished prices may not rise due to actual competition... Right now, Legacy is one of few downtown options.

Those are very good prices for the location. I'd think they will escalate quickly in the coming years. That seemed to be the bad thing about living downtown--your rent was sure to go up year to year. I checked in at Legacy out of curiosity a few weeks ago, and the type of 1-bedroom apartment I'd lived in has gone up $175/month since I lived there (almost 3 years ago).

And their units are notorious for shoddy construction-disastrous problems.

Drove by Level today on my lunch break, they have started adding stucco to the southside of the complex, actually doesn't look that bad, looks contemporary and sleek, 100x better than renderings...no pic though...too muggy and foggy outside.....just wanted to give a little update...

Muggy? Lol

Muggy? Lol

ok, cold and muggy, lol

Drove by Level today on my lunch break, they have started adding stucco to the southside of the complex, actually doesn't look that bad, looks contemporary and sleek, 100x better than renderings...no pic though...too muggy and foggy outside.....just wanted to give a little update...

I'll go out and take some pics tomorrow, I think.

Yesterday (click for larger versions):

http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/1717/img0014wq.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/545/img0014wq.jpg/)
http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/6522/img0016na.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/810/img0016na.jpg/)
http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/9671/img0018zm.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/706/img0018zm.jpg/)
http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/6075/img0019co.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/696/img0019co.jpg/)

Thank you so much catch22!

Is this real stucco or EIFS?

It has been stated on here previously that it is real stucco.

It's real stucco. I saw them applying it this morning.

It has been stated on here previously that it is real stucco.

Thanks, and sorry. I guess I had missed it. I was curious as it doesn't appear to be stucco as applied in Phoenix, Santa Fe, Albuquerque or other places I am more familiar with. I couldn't tell from the photos, but it seemed like it didn't have the same layers of slats and wire mesh, etc. Must just not be visible. That's why I asked.

It doesn't have slats and wire mesh. It looked like they first put up concrete board or something like it. But they were definitely applying stucco with a trowel this morning.

It's all good. I only worded it that way b/c I don't have the expertise to know myself. I just am relaying info from others on the board...

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9-F4QEybats/TvVviY1XVYI/AAAAAAAABEI/Oy7GqdQgtbk/s320/2011-12-23%2B17.41.33.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5aA9wFowruQ/TvVviGztHrI/AAAAAAAABD8/vgfDeNSu5CU/s320/2011-12-23%2B17.41.10.jpg

Just took these with my phone camera so not as sharp as catch22's, but a different vantage point nonetheless.

That view will disappear in the coming months!

Nah, it will only get even better! By the way, just saw the gray brick added along Walnut. Wow, that brick looks sharp. We can already see the minor details coming together very nicely on this project.

Way to go, McKowns.

It doesn't have slats and wire mesh. It looked like they first put up concrete board or something like it. But they were definitely applying stucco with a trowel this morning.

I am sure this is just fine, but the stucco out there also generally has board backing, vapor barrier, slat spacers, wire mesh and stucco material over. This looks like fewer steps,but I am not a stucco expert. I am always concerned about the cheapening up that doesn't show up until years later. Downtown buildings should be expected to be better construction for long term viability so we don't create urban slums in 20 yrs or a scrape and replace mentality.

Nah, it will only get even better! By the way, just saw the gray brick added along Walnut. Wow, that brick looks sharp. We can already see the minor details coming together very nicely on this project.

Way to go, McKowns.

YEAH IT WILL!!!! The A-Loft Hotel will block it. Another petty arguement

YEAH IT WILL!!!! The A-Loft Hotel will block it. Another petty arguement

If you're talking about OKCisOK4me's comment (That view will disappear in the coming months!), he wasn't making a petty argument, he meant it as an excited argument. LOL

If you're talking about OKCisOK4me's comment (That view will disappear in the coming months!), he wasn't making a petty argument, he meant it as an excited argument. LOL

Thank you, Mdot. Its as if people are confused by the simple meaning being that Aloft will build up 7 stories and Level will disappear behind it... SMH.

EIFS has a troweled-on "plaster" surface. It is a styrofoam-like board product that is then usually covered with fiberglass mesh and then 100% skimmed over with a plaster-like product.

I was kidding as the midtown thread has repeating "petty arguements" AND yes this is very exciting. I did not understand why that view would soon disappear at first read either.

I agree, it is exciting.

I was kidding as the midtown thread has repeating "petty arguements" AND yes this is very exciting. I did not understand why that view would soon disappear at first read either.

Its ok, wschnitt. I forgive you ;-)

Soooooooo we all cool?

Yes. Other than Native Roots, has any other restaurant/food option been rumored to be leasing space in LeveL?

Great new pictures up on LEVEL's website: http://www.levelokc.com/build

The grey bricks are nice for a change. Is that the final color for the stucco?

I think it is. It looks grey at time, but white when the sun is shining. And now I'm wondering if it's really stucco, as there are seams that I didn't see originally. Richard McKeown said it would be stucco, but he might have thought we wouldn't know what he was talking about if he said EIFS. The layer beneath is not styrofoam, however.

Stucco is a pretty generic term and can be applied a number of ways and like everything, in different quality styles. Generally stucco just means natural materials. EIFS can be applied similarly with backing board but generally is over a type of styrofoam board. Typically though stucco has more layers and finishes over wire mesh. Interestingly, some better homes here now stucco directly over solid brick walls.

I drove by and looked at it the other day. The material they are using is called ezwall/ezcryl ( website (http://www.ezwallstucco.com/) -- doesn't open in Chrome ). The acrylic-based plaster product looks like it's formulated for EIFS installation (foam board) but can also be used for a more traditional stucco application. The way they are going about it is to first place what appears to be a cement board (didn't get a close look; I was driving by), then putting a mesh over it and applying the ezcryl stucco.

The appearance will be indistinguishable from EIFS, but it should be much more durable AND should deaden sound far better. So it DOES look like they are going above and beyond the typical EIFS standard, quality-wise.

I think it is. It looks grey at time, but white when the sun is shining. And now I'm wondering if it's really stucco, as there are seams that I didn't see originally. Richard McKeown said it would be stucco, but he might have thought we wouldn't know what he was talking about if he said EIFS. The layer beneath is not styrofoam, however.

He answered a lot of very pointed questions on EIFS, including a response from him that was put up on OKC Central.

Down here in Austin most projects with "stucco" are similar to the process that Rover described, Portland Cement Plaster over mesh and most of them that we have done have a color acrylic coat over it similar to the coating of EIFS but with stucco it usually on a bit thicker. The acrylic coat acts as a weather barrier helping to seal the stucco, we also use it on concrete tilt-wall panels as the finish coat. It does have to be re-coated every so often (usually 10 years or so in Austin) and if they cement isn't completely dry you can get some efflorescence showing up, which can happen to raw concrete or stucco as well. In large areas the coating way of doing it can much much cheaper than integral color stucco or concrete and usually renders a more consistent color since concrete/cement batches can vary quite a bit affecting some integral colors more than others. Most integral color that I have done around here was white which tends to be a bit more forgiving than darker colors.

From today:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/level010512.jpg

Wow.

Wow.

Precisely.

That pic looks like a model...kinda weird!

That pic looks like a model...kinda weird!

Haha it does, I didn't notice that.

Yes. Other than Native Roots, has any other restaurant/food option been rumored to be leasing space in LeveL?

Anyone heard anything? You'd think they'd have an idea by now. This area is going to do awesome... I'd think a lot of restaurants/bars would want in...

the glass is now going up at the native roots store front

From today:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/level010512.jpg

I like the idea of the parking in the middle for construction crews to park.

That pic looks like a model...kinda weird!

Reminds me of Mr. Rogers neighborhood

I like the idea of the parking in the middle for construction crews to park.

What, no mysterious white van?

Level just uploaded some new construction pics.

The ground-level interior shots are of the Native Roots space.

Love the emerging urban scene shown from the DD pocket park, with Level, the Brownstones, the sculpture, Maywood Lofts and Devon rising in the background.

Also, looks like they are committed to using some bright bits of color in the parking garage and probably beyond.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/level12612a.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/level12612b.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/level12612c.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/level12612d.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/level12612f.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/level12612g.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/level12612e.jpg

Yuck! Those cabinets are very cheap looking... and white appliances, with white tile? So freaking boring for an urban apartment in my opinion.

The lower cabinets and granite countertops will be all black:

http://www.ahmm.co.uk/resources/res.aspx?p=/FCF175F18A83EC9F832D303E3393C083C234259939195E305C 7FF29A89201C2E/007_view_kitchen_101203_lowercabinets.jpg

Yeah maybe once it is all done it will look better, that picture just really made it look cheap.

None of the fixtures seem all that different from the renderings, however.

Rendering of room:

http://www.ahmm.co.uk/resources/res.aspx?p=/FCF175F18A83EC9F832D303E3393C083C234259939195E305C 7FF29A89201C2E/007_view_kitchen_101203_lowercabinets.jpg