Joule

I had a lofted studio which had a nice amount of space in the loft, but the first floor was a tight fit. The closet space is also a bit of an issue, I would have purchased an armoire if I were going to here longer. I had two entrances, one to the hallway and one to the courtyard which was super convenient, the only problem bring the quantity of dog feces in the courtyard. I asked between 10 – 20 times for the feces to be removed and without fail they would remove it once and let it accumulate all over again. My only windows were to the courtyard so for the entire year — dog poop. Overall it’s pricey, a reasonably nice space, nice views from the roof, and a fairly nice gym. I’m moving after 1 year.

As a disclosure — I did not end up leasing with Joule. That said, the reasons for not doing so were related to my family affairs an not the property itself. I was given a tour by Chris and that was just wonderful. I was also very taken how he took interest in his staff.
The location is marvellous if one one wants to be in the centre. Connections are relatively easy to everywhere in the downtown area. The place has a gym which can save you some buck and more so, time. Apartments themselves are not bad at all and my experiences with the staff were pleasant as well. Common areas seemed nice too.
Reasons I did not choose to lease from Joule were basically family and location oriented. Wife wants to stay a bit more off the broadway and we did end up finding a bit more nicer layout. Rent is a bit on the high side, but that’s Capitol Hill for you.
Don’t think that my 4 stars is bad at all — I reserve 5 stars for something truly exceptional.

I lived in Joule for three years right after they opened. My review is for 4.5 stars, with the only downside being the high rents. However, even with it being extremely expensive, it’s still a 5 star experience living there. I believe the value matches the rents.
* Never heard my neighbors through any walls/​floors, not one single time.
* Maintenance is top notch, could not be better if they tried.
* Office staff was great when I lived there, and being a premium Essex property, I’m sure they still have a great team.
* Secure garage for residents was spacious and easy to park in, with guest/​public parking available as well.
* Everything is within walking distance. Seriously. Everything.
* Crowning jewel I still dream about at Joule; the rooftop. I have so many incredible memories spending time with company, or reading and sipping coffee by myself. Not to sound too sappy, but my years living at Joule were some of the best of my life so far.
Given a choice, try to get a courtyard-​facing unit. And as with any place in Seattle without A/​C, facing away from the west is wise, as the summer sun can be brutal. Prop your door to the hallway open a touch to get a cross-​breeze when you need it.
If you are fortunate enough to be in a position where the rent isn’t prohibitive, think about living at Joule. And toast the sunset from the roof for me.

Great location just minutes to downtown Seattle.

My experience living at Joule was fantastic! I’m leaving for a new job out of state, and I wish could bring this place with me. I’ve lived on the 4^th floor facing Broadway for 1.5 years, and everything has been top notch. I’ve seen reviews about the noise on Broadway, but just close the windows which keeps the sounds to a minimum and blackout drapes are perfect if you’re sensitive to the lights outside. The apartments are clean, with updates amenities, including a washer and dryer. Bonus! The building also has a rooftop lounge with bbqs and an absolutely amazing view. I went to watch the lunar eclipse and the city skyline.
The grounds are beautiful, and they feel like a community, even though they’re right on the main street in Capitol Hill. The location is perfect: close to shopping, restaurants, grocery store, and the 5 highway. I’ve maybe driven my car once a month, since I can walk to everything I need.
Management is amazing. They have always notified me via email when I have packages, which is great, as I don’t usually take calls during work. The office is even open until 7pm on Tues/​Thurs, which comes in handy a lot more than you’d expect. If you’re late coming home and you order Amazon, there’s an Amazon locker half a block away!
Maintenance is pretty impressive as well. I’ve had two requests for work done and they’ve come promptly to fix the issues within 24 hours. They leave a note confirming the fix.
With all these amenities, it makes sense the price is steeper than other places. I don’t mind paying for a bit more luxury and it also keeps out the riffraff. I’ve never been woken up to loud neighbors, and only occasionally do I hear the tenants walking around upstairs. If you’re looking for a well organized building with exceptional management and professional tenants, this is your new home!

I moved to the Joule after living in Manhattan for 8 years. With 24 hrs to look for an apartment, I didn’t have much time but definitely lucked out in getting Chris as my tour guide. I spent 10 months in my apartment but am moving tomorrow to explore another neighborhood. I highly recommend the Joule especially for recent transplants. The staff are extremely helpful and friendly. Every request was answered right away. I had some issues with my washer/​dryer which they ended up replacing but the whole experience wasn’t much of a hassle. The location is extremely convenient but also far enough away from the chaos. You’re a few blocks away from parts of Seattle that make you feel like you’ve entered a tony suburb. And the view from the roof deck made all my friends back East jealous. They occasionally have mixers on the roof or in the common area– where you’ll meet an eclectic, international group of people. All in all, I highly recommend the Joule.

My roommate and I are looking for an apartment for a year from now. We stopped by Joule and took a tour with Chris, who was extremely nice and helpful. He gave us plenty of good information about Joule, but was also honest/​transparent in giving us advice about the surrounding area and searching for apartments in the Seattle area in general. The Joule apartments were the nicest that we saw. The 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom floor plan was great for our needs because the two rooms and bathrooms were equal in size (most apartments have a master and regular bedroom – my roommate and I are looking for an apartment with equal rooms so that we can split the rent equally). There are also plenty of awesome amenities. Joule is certainly on the expensive end, but it seems fair for what the apartments offer – the area in general is just very expensive.
I would certainly recommend Joule!

I lived in Joule for a year and a half. My apartment was 1 bedroom at the second floor facing Broadway. I had to leave since I wanted an apartment with a working space.
Good:
Great service and maintenance.
Good location.
New apartments.
Amazing roof and good gym.
Bad:
Noise and light from Broadway.
Too many gates and halls: most of my visitors could not find my apartment.
Very difficult to find parking in the street.

I lived here for about a year and a half. I liked the apartment, the complex, and the location. The staff is really nice and I’ve never had a problem. The eco friendly construction essentially means thinner walls and pretty bad water heaters. Other than that I didn’t have too much of an issue with the apartment. I can only rate it at two stars because of the management. Management is all about making money and we had to move out because I was spending all of my money on rent. I believe we started around $ 1,500 and ended up close to $ 1,800 for a one bed room. This of course didn’t include parking which was hiked up as well. At move out, I think I only got a $ 100 back from my deposit. I think that’s normal for Seattle unfortunately.

Let me begin by saying that I do not live in the community but had such a wonderful experience touring with Chris that I wanted to leave a few comments.
Joule is a beautiful community in a fun area of Capitol Hill near lots of shops and restaurants, particularly a great little coffee shop right across the street. Ultimately our decision not to lease with Joule was because of a strong need to have closer proximity to work and not at all regarding the community.
Chris toured us around the community and was such a pleasure! He was kind and funny and made us feel so at home at Joule. The apartment complex itself was also extremely well maintained with some great apartment layouts and amenities. Everything was clean and inviting and my boyfriend is quick to note that it smelled very nice! It’s the little things sometimes that make you feel at home and we really had such a great experience in this place.
Again, had the Capitol Hill neighborhood been more accessible we would have loved to live at Joule! I opted not to give 5 stars because I do not actually live in the community but had a wonderful experience in my very stressful apartment search and felt it deserved some feedback!

Not sure what everyone’s complaining about, my experience has been fine.
It’s a little expensive but you pay for the location I guess, which is unbeatable, as is the view from the rooftop deck.
Aside from little yappy dogs and sound reverberating in the courtyard at night, no sound issues. The fire alarms are a little sensitive though.
The appliances aren’t top-​notch (the vent over the stove isn’t very powerful, the dishwasher is poorly designed) but everything’s nice enough.
Security hasn’t been an issue (one or two layers of locked doors/​callboxes, depending on the time of day)
Staff has been helpful/​friendly though they occasionally forget to e-​mail you when you have a package.
I fear my review may change drastically if I move out and they dock my security deposit like people have been saying… but for now I’m happy with my experience.

We lived in the Joule for two years, at the end of the 2^nd year, the rent went up to $ 3,050 a month, started out at $ 2400…you gotta be kidding .
The space was wonderful for the 2 bed 2 bath.
Now for the negatives. Don’t know what the upstairs people did, either a bowling alley, or a walking marathon. IT NEVER STOPPED, back and forth day and night.
The various fixtures. towel racks, were mid Walmart.
And the office staff? forget it except for Alex who cared, and now he has left.
Finally, my partner of 57 years is in a wheelchair, and at 85, it was impossible for him to get in and out of the building on his own. It was suggested we take it up with ADA, but it’s easier to move.

Super convenient location, great for a short commute to Amazon/​South Lake Union. Some pretty nifty restaurants nearby as well… just check out Unilocal!
The two bedroom places are pretty huge. We’re a 2 + 1 family and haven’t had much to complain about. There are heavy footsteps up above at times, but nothing to write home about. I’d also recommend springing for the apartments away from QFC (South side) and the construction (West side) — i.e. you want the North side — cheaper and quieter.
Would recommend to a friend (and had one move in). Their one was facing inwards towards the courtyard and was quiet.

I spent 13 months at the Joule. It’s a noisy location right on Broadway, but you expect that. To reduce street noise go with either an inner courtyard facing apartment, or one on Havard Ave. The apartments facing Mercer and Republican will be waking you up with the dump trucks and QFC delivery trucks. The apartments are over priced for what they are. They’re pretty basic. The rent for a 12 month lease on my one bedroom place went up 25.8% over the year. At the moment they’re asking somewhere around $ 2530 for it. I know Seattle has a problem, it was very hard for me to find a new place, but these apartments are not worth that. Take a shorter lease and move on as soon as you can.
The main problem was the response of the landlord to a new noisy neighbor. The first 10 months were fine, not a peep from my neighbors. The last three months were real hell. I began to loathe the idea of returning home. New tenants moved in upstairs that had no respect for their neighbors. There is no sound proofing between the floors, which are wooden. Normal people take off their shoes and are considerate to their downstairs neighbor. You don’t exercise in the apartment (that’s why there’s a gym), don’t use your subwoofer, don’t move furniture around and do loud things in the evening, etc. I never worked out what these guys upstairs were doing but it was an incredible continuous cacophony of banging, thumping, so on. FOR THREE MONTHS (until I was finally able to find a place to move on to). It shook my lights and cabinets and it would go on all night. Two bulbs blew that were caused by the shaking. (I should’ve installed a seismograph.) And then there were the loud parties with subwoofer they’d have multiple times a week. The landlord seemed incapable of doing anything, and every complaint they responded with «What, who me? We’re super nice. Must be someone else.» Followed by more noise from them.
I don’t know if this will help anyone, but DO NOT RENT apartment #556 until you confirm the noisy people in #656 have left. If you did rent it, I’m sorry, hopefully they’ll have gotten the message by the time you move in.

First things first — Capitol Hill is like Ellis Island of Seattle… pretty much everyone here is new to Seattle. That being said, if you are looking for that neighborhoody feel– I would not recommend this area of Cap Hill. Up on 15^th, definitely has this vibe.
Pros of Joule:
–location — you can walk, bus or über anywhere within minutes to downtown
–maintained grounds
–newish units, new appliances
–washer/​dryer in unit
–for the area, and how new the building is, the rent price is pretty competitive
–secure building
–gym on site
–parking (for a fee)
–rooftop patio with killer views
–dog friendly
Cons:
–it’s broadway, on Capitol Hill= loud. I would never live at this place if I didn’t have a courtyard facing unit
— No AC — why build a building that’s 4 years old without AC? It may not seem like a big deal but in the summer, it’s close to 8 hours of sunlight and it’s a sauna in unit. Oddly enough, the hallways do have AC
–it is pricey. But, you’re paying for the amenities and location
–Nickle and dime you at move out (oh and if you break your lease, you are looking at 2 months rent plus losing security deposit)
–there’s only 2 elevators per tower, which may not seem like a big deal, but I live on the 6^th floor with a dog and it gets old waiting on the elevator
–pay for parking, but it’s really not a choice in this area
–there is a MASSIVE amount of construction in this area and a huge tower going up on Harvard street directly behind the building. Every morning… jackhammers…7am…ya get my drift? The construction guys on site are super nice but it’s loud.
–there’s some shall we say «characters»…I’m not sure if this is a newly gentrified area, or maybe it’s just Seattle.

I have been living at the Joule for 11 months, and will be leaving at the end of my Lease. I had a good experience here, but the rent is just way too high for what you get. I also don’t think it’s a very safe neighborhood. All the bikes got jacked up from the cages in this huge hit, and all Joule did was send an e-​mail to tell people to file police reports. They do have a security who I see roaming around once in a while. If you’re rich enough to not want to save your money and give it to Joule, go for it! But charging a variable amount for Parking ranging from $ 160 to $ 190 (that’s what I pay) and the really high rent, makes me regret my decision. But being new to Seattle, I didn’t know any better. moving to a way cheaper place in an older building which has it’s suits completely renovated in a quieter street 3 blocks away, and super happy about it.

I’ve lived in 2 different joule apartments over the past 3 years. The grounds are nice the space and layouts are really good and the staff is very friendly and helpful. Yes the place is expensive, yes rent goes up generally every year. This is standard for the location, which is really what you are paying for. The neighborhood is not super quiet (it’s Broadway on Capitol hill what are you expecting?)but the convenience factor of walking out of the building to a ton of options for bars, restaurants, and shopping can’t really be beat. Overall I think the people who wrote poor reviews had somewhat unrealistic expectations of the place, if you live in a large building in sort of a party neighborhood odds are you will have to deal with some noise, and no contrary to one reviewers note replacing carpet after every tenant is not and never will be standard procedure (your rent would be significantly higher if that were the case).
As I said modern units in this neighborhood are always going to be a bit pricey but the many different layouts and fantastic community amenities (gym, roof deck, event space) make joule one of the better options.

I guess most of the people who write reviews have had bad experiences so I thought I would display a more accurate sentiment:
I moved here ¹⁄₂₀₁₄ and have been loving it ever since. Apartments like these are pricey because it’s Seattle, it’s Capitol Hill, it’s new and it has amenities. There is outside noise coming from the street but my unit is facing the courtyard and I only hear some noise on the weekends which is to be expected. Sometimes, I can hear washer/​dryers, dish washers and people walking upstairs but not always and that’s to be expected as well. I’ve never had any negative experiences with anyone in the office or the staff. I feel as though they notify me promptly when I have a package. They host monthly socials in the club room and there is a gym here with an added yoga room.
The people who live here are very nice: I’ve met and talked to at least 3 people on my floor since I’ve moved in.
Overall: I’m extremely satisfied.

Yes, the apartments and the grounds are gorgeous, the location is awesome, the yoga studio is a definite plus… If I could «Up» (as in the movie) my loft and just put it somewhere else (and magically add more cabinet and closet space because that is seriously lacking) I probably would.
But everything else is awful.
My girlfriend and I have lived here for seven months, and in those seven months, we have made 17 formally written noise complaints about the unit directly above us. I have lived in apartments before, but the volume at which these people walk is absurd. The walls in my unit physically shake when they move around their apartment. And not only is their stomping loud, it also happens at all hours of the night.
Literally.
My girlfriend generally works morning so early I would consider the time she wakes up night time. I work nights and get home hours before she gets up. She can sometimes hear them when she gets up for work in the morning, and definitely when she gets home at night. I hear them when I get home at night and they wake me up in the morning.
Last night for instance, I called the after hours security and wrote a formal noise complaint at 11pm because they were stomping loudly and had their dishwasher going (which isn’t allowed after 10pm). I was then woken up at 6:30 in the morning by their ridiculous noise.
And what has the office done about this?
Nothing.
Even with all the physical evidence I have provided them with regarding this matter, that person is still up there, keeping me up at night and waking me up in the morning. Whenever we call or write in a complaint, they always say they can’t hear anything from outside.
Hello, geniuses. If I’m calling about stomping, perhaps you should enter my unit to hear it, not stand in the hallway… Which we’ve offered to let them do, by the way. But had anyone taken us up on that offer? No.
The management here is awful. So awful, that we are leaving before our lease is up.
What should you know about Joule?
That the management doesn’t care that you haven’t been able to sleep uninterrupted for 7 months because of your neighbors. So essentially, you are paying an arm and a leg for a really big storage unit… Because you will not sleep if you live here.

I have been living here for almost 2 years. Overall, it has been very comfortable, convenient, and safe. I would recommend this place for those who don’t mind paying extra for location and comfort.
Pros:
Location — Best possible spot to live, in my opinion. 7 minute walk to the 8 bus stop, 2 minute walk to QFC and the 49 stop, tons of good restaurants around, the best bars are a 10 minute walk down Broadway (I see this as a pro, the noise level is much lower near Joule), Urgent Care, UPS, new Yoga Studio, bank, one of each kind of restaurant you’d want to casually pick up dinner from, and Eat Local all in the building. Joe Bar, Vivace, and Roy St. all nearby. Gas station around the corner.
Noise Insulation — My unit is top floor, facing the court yard. Unless a dog or someone is running by my door I hear NOTHING (not even white noise). It is dead silent at night, except when drunk residents are screaming in the courtyard (generally before midnight on Friday nights, no big deal). I often forget I have neighbors. However, I imagine it is different facing Broadway on a lower level.
Quality — the building is new, the facilities are really nice, everything always smells clean. My utility costs are pretty low, and I can generally control the temp in my apartment so that it’s always comfortable. Never had any issues with the apartment other than the occasional clogged drain or light bulb replacement. Nice fixtures, plain but modern design, etc.
Amenties — great roofdeck, gym, package reception (they will actually deliver it to your apartment if you request it), and maintenance is excellent about fulfilling requests immediately. Washer/​Dryer in unit a huge plus.
Garage — compared to the other garages I’ve been in, this one is actually quite roomy. Most parking spaces are decent sized (some are ‘compact’) and I’ve not once had trouble finding a spot.
Security — You have this electronic key faub that gets you in everywhere, which includes: a front gate after hours, the building door, the roofdeck, gym, and your unit. It’s convenient, and the place is pretty locked down. I feel extremely safe in the building.
Cons:
Price — it’s pricey, and I’m sure all the unnecessary stuff like the deodorizing scents they constantly swap out in the hallways to match the season, while nice, are a part of the reason for this. There is also a huge gap between a studio and 1 BR, expect a sizeable $ 800+ price difference.
Payment process — it costs $ 25+ a month to pay online. This is absurd. I just pay by check in person, it’s not that inconvenient. If you do happen to pay late, they will not only fine you (fair), but they will slap you with a super harsh notice of delinquency and an eviction threat. I get that it’s probably effective, but the language in the letter is really polarizing.
Space utilization/​Layout — I have a 500 sq ft studio which should be considered big. It is very comfortable, but the kitchen/​entry way is nearly half of that square footage and the bathroom is unnecessarily huge. Doesn’t leave much for the living area, which I prefer to be the largest space. I have seen a few other layouts, some are better, but the studios and open 1BRs seem to over index on a large galley kitchen configuration (not shown in the pictures below).
Undecided:
Staff — the person who ended up selling me my unit was lovely, and she always made a point to say hi to me by name whenever she saw me (even on the street). Most have been perfectly nice, some have been whatever, a few have bordered on rude. It seems like they go through a lot of turnover with staff, so this constantly changes.