ActivSpace

Moved in here for our first office and wow was that a mistake. Management company was a joke, and only wanted money. Never fixed anything when asked too, power would go off and on all the time. Richard Painter was one of the property managers who seemed like a nice British fella until it was time to move out and all they wanted was money. These guys are jokes and makes me happy that I am now in my own building and not having to deal with these people on a day-​day basis. My advice would be to not move into the ActivSpace Ballard building and just work from home. All the units get horrible airflow, are very tight and uncomfortable and only have one toilet for the entire floor. If you want a nice desk space you should check out Makers in Downtown Seattle. I have heard really good things about them and wished I used them for my first office space.

The building may be funky but the residents are too. This is a terrific space for the artist, or craftsman. We’ve been in our little unit for over 4 years and have come to love the atmosphere and our space-​neighbors. The folks in charge seem to really get their residents. Richard, the space manager has been a gem.

Well, i guess this place has some great little spaces with sinks and everything. but while i was there they underwent a new on site manager and i think the owners changed some things.
The downside to all of this? i feel like they ripped me off on my $ 600 deposit.
i spent a bunch of money buying everything i was told to buy and a bunch of my time painting and cleaning and doing everything i was told to do and they still took A LOT out of my deposit. The invoice said it was for «painting, cleaning & maintenance» What a load of crap! The on-​site guy told me i was going to get my full deposit back the day i finished cleaning and painting!
I swear, i made the place look better than it did when i first started renting there! but because there was a new manager, he didnt know how bad it looked to begin with. it took months for them to send me my deposit check. when it did arrive i was very disappointed.
This place needs to realize that artists talk. I could have told many friends about it and written a good review on here. But i wont be speaking highly at all of Activspace. Not anymore.
I dont have a whole lot of money to burn so for me, this is very hard. I’m going to call tomorrow and ask about all of this but i dont expect to get much help.
wish me luck.

Great space, but guess what? they really cheated me out of my deposit.
i spent $ 100 and 11 hours re-​painting, cleaning, and making the place look better than it did when i first arrived there. The on site manager told me i was going to be getting my full deposit back. — it took them 2 months to get my deposit check back to me and they took $ 200 out for «maint. cleaning, painting»
its really not right. sad.

I have been a tenant for a few years in both the Fremont and Ballard buildings, and can’t believe my great good fortune in finding a space big enough and cheap enough for me — The spaces are well maintained — LOVE the large windows with tons of light. My one and only complaint is the industrial noise in Ballard building, but that is made up for by the unique marine/​industrial/​convenient to Fremont AND Burke Gilman trail — so location so still a great location, despite. And, the manager being so super helpful is great — he manages everything — that is his job — and, even better, fixes stuff he doesn’t even have to fix — beyond the call of duty — super helpful. He fixes stuff quickly, and is also really nice about it. Can’t say enough about renting here, at either building because I’ve rented in both (And, Fremont building has great visibility with huge sign for people with clients stopping by.) Lucky. Awesome. Universe smiling down on me. All that good stuff. And, management built into the deal to handle stuff, the kind of stuff that always comes up everywhere — because wherever you go, there you are — and there you have it –ActivSpace rocks.

I don’t have any previous experience renting work space but this location was great!
Last winter my best friend and I started working together out of these offices to get out of the house and brainstorm on some business ideas. We had a blast here and although it gets a little chilly in winter, these spaces are faboosh. Whether you’re into welding, painting, or even just looking for a space to hold a desk, a computer and a chair, this is the right place to come!
Being in a block of office/​work spaces helps keep you creative and although the quarters are somewhat cramped, I never heard the offices neighboring ours. With the exception of the occasional hello while walking around, everyone pretty much kept to themselves.
In our office unit we had a sink and then there were shared bathrooms down at the end of the hall. The women’s restroom was always spotless. If I had a need to rent a space here again, I wouldn’t hesitate.