A three part Series about the good, the bad the ugly and the pretty as told by our personal experience and other residents living in the wrap at the 2200 condos.

Part I –What we anticipated it would be like

Wrap 7Living in 2200, a condo building in South Lake Union, we have been anticipating, or dreading, what it would be like to live here once the repair work began and the wrap shrouding us for 8 months went up.  We decided to write a series about it so you can read firsthand how we got here and what we thought it would be like, our personal experiences with living in the wrap and what the after affects are.

To set the stage, our condominium was constructed in 2007 and, like most newly built buildings in Seattle, in accordance to the rules set out in the Washington State Condominium Act, our HOA decided to have an investigation done to determine if the construction of certain aspects of our building were done correctly by the Developer. Certain predetermined items are what are called warrantable and the Developer is required to warrant those construction items. Then under the Condo Act, buildings can in term file suit against the Developer to enforce the remediation (repair) of construction defects that fit into the state statute’s criteria. We determined many did and went forward into mediation with our Developer. A settlement was reached and we moved into the repair phase (for those attorneys and the like, please forgive my short explanation here as there are many more facets and layers, but I think everyone gets the gist).



Since our building is part of a three tower project, the settlement was significant and the work to be completed was as well. We were told that exterior work would need to be done so each tower was to be fully covered in non-transparent wrap and that each phase would take around 8 months to complete. The crews would also be in our actual unit for a period around 4-5 weeks every weekday from 8-4pm.

While we waded through the warranty investigation work, the mediation process and through to the solution, we knew the wrap was coming and our imagination went wild.

Here’s what our concerns were and things we anticipated feeling during the wrap:

  • Dark, very dark
  • Claustrophobic feeling because we can’t see our city and life happening outside
  • Loudness from construction noise
  • Smelly – there are many construction sealants that emit odors
  • Lacking the ambience and heat of the fireplace in winter would be sad
  • Little to no privacy while the workers were in our unit and outside our window on the scaffolding
  • Dusty and messy in our unit during our unit’s work
  • Building lacking in charm with the landscaping removed to support the scaffolding
  • What would the affects be on real estate values while the entire building are under wraps and could someone sell or refinance if they had too?
  • Would the repairs they make leave behind visible marks or damage within our unit?

We are now more than halfway through our buildings wrapping phase and halfway through our in-unit work.  Stay tuned for our next article to find out what it was like personally for us and others who lived through it.

Living in the Wrap Series
Part 1: Why we are wrapped and what we anticipated it would be like
Part 2: What it actually was like living in the wrap
Part 3: Benefits and costs of the wrap – post-wrap wrap-up

By Marco Kronen with Seattle Condo Review: A guide to Seattle downtown condos.