Perry Homes Midtown Developments Article

[midtown_resident]

Check out the article...it's too long to cut and paste, so try this link:

http://www.houstonpress.com/issues/current/feature.html

This link will be outdated after next wednesday, 3/2/05

[bachanon]

great link! i wish we had our discussions from the old site on this very subject.

i realize that the houston press has political motives behind this article, anti-republican motives. however, as a republican i'm deeply offended by someone like perry being unconcerned with the homeowners who have made him wealthy. i'm disgusted with the lack of care, style, attention to detail, neighborhood considerations, etc. these slums of tomorrow are a reality happening much sooner than anyone expected.

[Lowbrow]

Yeah, I forwarded that to all my friends living in Perry Townhomes Thanks.

"we're building tomorrow's slums today" Spot on.

[Guest danax]

great link!  i wish we had our discussions from the old site on this very subject.

i realize that the houston press has political motives behind this article, anti-republican motives.  however, as a republican i'm deeply offended by someone like perry being unconcerned with the homeowners who have made him wealthy.  i'm disgusted with the lack of care, style, attention to detail, neighborhood considerations, etc.  these slums of tomorrow are a reality happening much sooner than anyone expected.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Buying his own pet committee really makes the guy look like a jefe-head. Time will tell on how well those townhomes hold up but it's hard to imagine the areas that they're building them in "ever" becoming slums since their locations should only become more desireable with time. However, their "useful life" might just be shorter than average and, in the next few waves of revitalizing, could end up being torn down for the McMansions of the future.

[jtmbin]

As a graduate of UH's Hines College of Architecture, I was not at all suprised by the comments of the instructers that were interviewed. What Perry builds is the antithesis of EVERYTHING students are taught at the college. Perry's products are and have always been substandard. Perry sells amentities (granite countertops, whirlpool tubs), not design, and definitely not architecture. It's all so incredibly poorly designed and built, I do not know anyone who would buy one.

As a partner in the community, Perry has for years been the enemy. Thier developments all over Montrose have desecrated entire blocks. It took them more than 10 years to "discover" that a garage doors didn't have to line the streetscape.

I used to pity people who bought Perry Homes, people who moved into Montrose in townhouses behind "security gates" as if they needed protection from us -thier neighbors, people who still are trying to recreate the suburbs inside the loop. I no longer pity these people. A home is the biggest investment most people make and it wouldn't take much research to uncover the questionable history of Perry in Neartown.

A realtor took me to see a particular townhome a few weeks ago. It sounded good, but upon arrival I immediately recognized it as a Perry product and told the realtor that I was not interested. She remarked that I was not the first client to refuse to view a Perry resale.

Perry's political patronage is just another reason for me not to even consider the purchase of one of his products. Furthermore, I agree that his developments, because they are so poorly designed and lack any "community" value are destined to be the slums of tomorrow. Drive around Sutton Place, where Perry overbuilt to such a degree that there is practically no greenspace, no street parking (driveways negate most street space), and what seems like thousands of utility poles and wires. Perhaps Perry thinks the poles are a good substitute for trees. Ugly and depressing are the two most applicable terms that come to mind.

Townhouses vs. homes is not the issue. Lovett, City Construction, mgdi, and others build more responsibly, more genuinely, and better designed townhouses that are certainly better investments for the homebuyer and for the community than Perry's.

[Talbot]

In the article, the actions of Perry anger me, and the actions of people who are moving into the inner-city that still want their suburban lifestyles anger me. If you want the suburban lifestyle, stay in the burbs! Don't ruin everyones hardwork and the look of the whole city, just so you can leave your McMansion 20 miles from the city and come and build a new one in the innercity. It goes against everything urbanity stands for.

[HtownTX]

Interesting posts - does anyone (especially involved with the architecture school) have any info/opinion about HHN?

[UrbaNerd]

Yeah, I've heard that HHN homes are pretty good, and are fairly priced.

www.hhnhomes.com

[H-Town]

Check out the article...it's too long to cut and paste, so try this link:

http://www.houstonpress.com/issues/current/feature.html

This link will be outdated after next wednesday, 3/2/05

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I posted a permanent link in a related thread here.

Also in that post are links to 2 sidebars from the article; one about Perry's political donations, and one about alternatives to Perry-type homes.

Informative and interesting reads!

[The Great Hizzy!]

Townhouses vs. homes is not the issue. Lovett, City Construction, mgdi, and others build more responsibly, more genuinely, and better designed townhouses that are certainly better investments for the homebuyer and for the community than Perry's.

I too have heard good things about Lovett. It's good to see that they're developing more of a presence along the Washington Avenue corridor. Hopefully, they'll start to make an impact in Midtown and east of downtown.

[MidtownCoog]

We never had a single problem with our Perry townhome.

The Houston Press is the most negative rag in the world. A glorified Futon and cell phone add, with a dash of rage journalism.

Don't belive their hype.

And if we want to talk about bad design, how about Urban Lofts and their slash and burn architecture?

[suzerain]

We never had a single problem with our Perry townhome.

The Houston Press is the most negative rag in the world.  A glorified Futon and cell phone add, with a dash of rage journalism.

Don't belive their hype. 

And if we want to talk about bad design, how about Urban Lofts and their slash and burn architecture?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think you are probably one of the lucky ones. I know someone whoworks for Perry Homes and witnesses the construction first hand. All I know is after talking with him I would never purchase a Perry Home. He told us that he we ever considered buying a home that Perry was building then tell him because he would make sure that they built it right.

He told us it was about the numbers. It was about taking shortcuts and using shoddy materials to increase profits and decreasing the amount of time from start to finish.

[midtown_resident]

We never had a single problem with our Perry townhome.

The Houston Press is the most negative rag in the world.  A glorified Futon and cell phone add, with a dash of rage journalism.

Don't belive their hype. 

And if we want to talk about bad design, how about Urban Lofts and their slash and burn architecture?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i do think the article was a bit over the top - the truth of the matter is that there are many that are very happy with their purchases - but these horror stories are tough to stomach. I do wish perry was a better partner for midtown and didn't just homogenize block after block...but i hold the MMD/MRA accountable more for that fact.

[Trophy Property]

We never had a single problem with our Perry townhome.

The Houston Press is the most negative rag in the world.  A glorified Futon and cell phone add, with a dash of rage journalism.

Don't belive their hype. 

And if we want to talk about bad design, how about Urban Lofts and their slash and burn architecture?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What is funny is that I have had only one problem with Midtown Perry Townhouse (5 years old) and Perry was amazing at fixing the problem. The outer staircase (built on a seperate slab) had shifted a tad bit from the house and there was a quarter inch gap between the house and the staircase. They came out, dug a hole under the mini slab and stabilized the staircase. In the process they ripped out some of my landscaping. Without me even asking they replaced with similar (and actually nicer) planters. All this work was completed within a week of my initial request free of charge. 12 months later I have seen no shifting of the slab.

I am not even the original owner and I had little paper work. They could have fought it a little while, but they chose to fix the problem ASAP.

My only problem with our home is the plain vanilla interior. But I am upgraging so that problem will soon be fixed. I am also concerned with Re-sale as it pertains to Perry Homes.

[MidtownCoog]

You can't blame Perry homogenizing block after block.

Until we have guidlines on property use, or some form of zoing, we will get what we deserve.

Speaking of homogenizing, check out the hoods east of Sheppard (Hazard, Driscol, Morse). Those town homes look like a ship's butt, are built out the the curb, and really add nothing to the hood.

But I don't hear anyone griping about those eyesores.

[travelguy_73]

Speaking of homogenizing, check out the hoods east of Sheppard (Hazard, Driscol, Morse).  Those town homes look like a ship's butt, are built out the the curb, and really add nothing to the hood.

But I don't hear anyone griping about those eyesores.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The reason you don't hear people compain about the other builders is because, with the exception of Urban Lofts, they are only building here and there--in much smaller numbers. I can stomach offensive architecture in small doses. With Perry, as with Urban Lofts, the sheer number of townhomes exacerbates the problem.

[MidtownCoog]

small doses is debatable.....that hood is ruined forever.

Anyway, one problem Perry does have is all their green behind the ear Aggie Construction Management graduates.

Seems like they graduate with a tooth pick between their teeth and an attitude.

We did have to shut one down a copule of times.

It's hell arguing with a 24 y/o PM.

[barracuda]

Yeah, I've heard that HHN homes are pretty good, and are fairly priced.

www.hhnhomes.com

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'd like to point out that Perry townhomes tend to be more affordable than those from HHN, Lovett, etc. Not everyone can afford $300-500K townhomes. It would be great to have nothing but world-class architecture in Midtown, but most of us would be priced out of the market.

With that said, it would be nice if Perry would vary their designs beyond vanilla and brick, include more green space, and make them more neighborhood-friendly.

[travelguy_73]

With that said, it would be nice if Perry would vary their designs beyond vanilla and brick, include more green space,  and make them more neighborhood-friendly.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I am part of my area's SuperNeighborhood group, and for a time Perry was planning on putting in a large development in the 'dead zone' between Idylwood and Eastwood (it would have been their largest to date). Representatives from Perry approached us and attempted to work to create townhomes that weren't so cookie-cutter, and most of us appreciated that. What I thought was interesting, however, was how they plan their large developments: Picture single family, semi-attached, and fully-attached homes as puzzle pieces, all stock floorplans identical to every other Perry development. Then arrange these on various-sized lots until you find the right combination that (1) puts as many homes as possible in the development all while (2) meeting the demographics of the market area (fully-attached all-hardiplank=$; full brick, single family=$$$). It was pretty amazing, and shows why the company is so successful.

Ultimately they decided that this part of the East End wasn't ready for $200k townhomes (you can get a single family home for that) so they put the property on the market.

[Guest danax]

I am part of my area's SuperNeighborhood group, and for a time Perry was planning on putting in a large development in the 'dead zone' between Idylwood and Eastwood (it would have been their largest to date).  Representatives from Perry approached us and attempted to work to create townhomes that weren't so cookie-cutter, and most of us appreciated that.  What I thought was interesting, however, was how they plan their large developments:  Picture single family, semi-attached, and fully-attached homes as puzzle pieces, all stock floorplans identical to every other Perry development.  Then arrange these on various-sized lots until you find the right combination that (1) puts as many homes as possible in the development all while (2) meeting the demographics of the market area (fully-attached all-hardiplank=$; full brick, single family=$$$).  It was pretty amazing, and shows why the company is so successful.

Ultimately they decided that this part of the East End wasn't ready for $200k townhomes (you can get a single family home for that) so they put the property on the market.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's too bad that project got scrapped as it would've really helped jump start the area. At least you guys let them know that there are alert, active residents on the East End that care. I also wonder if the railroad tracks that border that land had them second-guessing that location. Hopefully, it won't turn into a pile of apartments.

As far as the 200K townhomes, the Perrys at Woodridge (Gulfgate) go for more than the homes in that area and they are selling, albeit slowly.

[travelguy_73]

Perry reps said that Woodrige had been a big disappointment and that was the main reason they didn't want to develop the Telephone/Lawndale property.

[midtownguy]

This is a complicated issue. Clearly, Perry homes are bland and look like crap. Whether they're poorly-constructed, I have no idea.

However, they are offering some semblence of affordability in the Inner loop area. One of my co-workers just bought a perry townhome (weeks ago, before the article) and I teased her for "selling out."

But, as she pointed out, if you are a single person with one income, you will soon be priced out of living within 610. So she felt like she didn't have many options.

She's right.

The Inner Loop of Houston is getting more and more exclusive. Within 3 years, we will all be priced out. It's depressing. I live in Midtown, and like it, but if I don't buy something soon, I'm screwed. Soon inner loop houston will be filled with 300k townhomes.

And yes, I agree with the poster who was angry and suburbanites who want to bring their blandness to the city. But that's another issue.

[ninjacop]

As a graduate of UH's Hines College of Architecture, I was not at all suprised by the comments of the instructers that were interviewed. What Perry builds is the antithesis of EVERYTHING students are taught at the college.  Perry's products are and have always been substandard.  Perry sells amentities (granite countertops, whirlpool tubs), not design, and definitely not architecture. It's all so incredibly poorly designed and built, I do not know anyone who would buy one.

As a partner in the community, Perry has for years been the enemy. Thier developments all over Montrose have desecrated entire blocks. It took them more than 10 years to "discover" that a garage doors didn't have to line the streetscape.

I used to pity people who bought Perry Homes, people who moved into Montrose in townhouses behind "security gates" as if they needed protection from us -thier neighbors, people who still are trying to recreate the suburbs inside the loop. I no longer pity these people. A home is the biggest investment most people make and it wouldn't take much research to uncover the questionable history of Perry in Neartown. 

A realtor took me to see a particular townhome a few weeks ago. It sounded good, but upon arrival I immediately recognized it as a Perry product and told the realtor that I was not interested. She remarked that I was not the first client to refuse to view a Perry resale.

Perry's political patronage is just another reason for me not to even consider the purchase of one of his products. Furthermore, I agree that his developments, because they are so poorly designed and lack any "community" value are destined to be the slums of tomorrow.  Drive around Sutton Place, where Perry overbuilt to such a degree that there is practically no greenspace, no street parking (driveways negate most street space), and what seems like thousands of utility poles and wires. Perhaps Perry thinks the poles are a good substitute for trees.  Ugly and depressing are the two most applicable terms that come to mind.

Townhouses vs. homes is not the issue. Lovett, City Construction, mgdi, and others build more responsibly, more genuinely, and better designed townhouses that are certainly better investments for the homebuyer and for the community than Perry's.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Funny thing though, every ward left neglected all these years, and people careless what happens to the inner city neighborhood. suddenly after develpers get their hands on these lands and start redevelopment, people cares? OMG.squaking about historical significance. I see nothing historical before when left neglected and uncared for. you see streets full of trash, roads ruined, homes falling apart. Give me a break.

[MidtownCoog]

Houston Press has their own agenda, to be sure.

[largeTEXAS]

Regardless if the Press has an agenda or not, Perry Homes are terrible. Their cheap quality and design are remarkably pathetic, even in a city like Houston. I lived in one for four years and had a number of problems. The customer service was a joke. When I had a major leak due to poor craftsmanship it took a couple of weeks for them to respond. When I look back I cannot believe I bought into the hype. Believe me, if Perry wants to go and build quality townhomes with quality designs I'll be 100% behind them. Until then I wouldn't even reccomend them to a homeless person.

[jtmbin]

Funny thing though, every ward left neglected all these years, and people careless what happens to the inner city neighborhood. suddenly after develpers get their hands on these lands and start redevelopment, people cares? OMG.squaking about historical significance. I see nothing historical before when left neglected and uncared for. you see streets full of trash, roads ruined, homes falling apart. Give me a break.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You see nothing historical because you don't have any knowledge of this history of the area. You probably don't know how developers got thier hands on so much property in the area. You probably don'y know the scandals that resulted from the waste (theft) of millions of dollars of tax-dollars to agencies that were tasked with rebuilding and preserving key parts of the area in the 70's and 80's. I'm not going to give you a history lesson, but before you declare that some of us who do know the history, who were there, are just "squaking", you should educate yourself on the subject matter.

[MidtownCoog]

Give us a history lesson, jtmbin. Please.

Otherwise, you just sound like any other old huffed-up troll.

Seriously

[jtmbin]

Houston Press has their own agenda, to be sure.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thank goodness, some media in this developer-controlled city has the guts to disclose issues that others will not. The Houston Press's agenda is disclosure at the very least. I suppose that people who have invested money in Perry Homes will surely want to find fault with the message and the messenger of the story that this topic is about.

I stated earlier that no one I know would buy a Perry Home. Wrong. I good friend announced this weekend that he was planning to purchase a Perry Home, despite all he's read and heard, especially from me. His reason; he can get 2000 sq. ft. for the same price as other builders in the area charge for only 1600-1800 sq. ft.

This brings up other subjects, such as Americans obsession with size, but I can't argue with that particular fact. Perry provides more quantity than some other builders for the dollar. The question many of us are posing is the degree of quality that is provided. Everyone has different values and different needs. Perry clearly meets the needs of many buyers.

Those of us who dream of a time and place when consumers value quality over quantity in buildings can only keep trying to educate those that we can. Afterall why does my single friend with no children, and no plans for children - ever, believe that he needs 2000+ sq. ft. of space in his residence.

Architecture has the responsibilty of educating consumers of design and construction to understand that a properly designed facility can meet their needs and desires in ways other than forever increasing the size of the space.

[N Judah]

Houston Press has their own agenda, to be sure.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, yeah. They wouldn't be an alt-weekly if they didn't

[jtmbin]

Well, yeah.  They wouldn't be an alt-weekly if they didn't 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Brilliant.