Parrothead Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Just wondering if anyone has lived or lives in a Life Forms home from the 80's. I have been in love with their architectural style for a long time, and have always felt the homes sort of "melt" into the landscape of the Woodlands. The homes' styles seem to be a part of the woods, rather than looking like they're fighting it. We almost bought one three years ago, but the sellers didn't accept our offer. Now we are thinking of making an offer on another one. I have never seen any homes quite like these anywhere in the Houston area. I believe Life Forms is exclusive to The Woodlands, but it's interesting that no one has copied their signature details and styles elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston1stWordOnTheMoon Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Post a picture. Im not familiar with this name for homes. My home in the 1980's was a ballistic missle submarine, so please educate me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 (edited) lifeforms is a company that one of george mitchell's sons either created or had some influence on.i live in a lifeforms home built in 1978. outside of the small bathrooms, the open floorplan is very livable. i believe that when renovations are completed, it would be easy to sell (not that i'm planning on it). there are several things to consider when buying any 20-30 year old home; however, the timber used to build these older homes is a far cry from what is being used in new homes today. one other consideration, many of the lifeforms homes were built within feet, sometimes inches, from young trees. if those same trees remain, they are 20-30 years older. i made the mistake of not hiring a foundation guy (as well as an ac/heat guy, a roofing guy and so on) for an inspection before i closed. fortunately, the foundation is sound. i was lucky. there were other considerations i could have used as a bargaining tool if i had hired inspectors for each part of the house i was concerned about.feel free to IM any questions you have. Edited July 22, 2006 by bachanon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted July 22, 2006 Author Share Posted July 22, 2006 Here are some former listings that you can see. I apologize that the pics are smaller than the ones in more current listings. I guess they do that for storage purposes. http://www.har.com/solddata/solddetail.cfm...&cid=&siteType= http://www.har.com/solddata/solddetail.cfm...&cid=&siteType= http://www.har.com/solddata/solddetail.cfm...&cid=&siteType= http://www.har.com/solddata/solddetail.cfm...&cid=&siteType= Hey, wow, thanks bachanon. Will do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston1stWordOnTheMoon Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Thanks for the info and the pics Im a big lover of trees and greenery, but i have to say, trees that close to the house would raise a red flag for me. Leaves on the roof, tree limbs growing over the roof, brushing against it and causing damage....not so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfootball Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 (edited) Thanks for the info and the pics Im a big lover of trees and greenery, but i have to say, trees that close to the house would raise a red flag for me. Leaves on the roof, tree limbs growing over the roof, brushing against it and causing damage....not so good. We backed off from a really neat house in Champions due to the trees too close to the house issue. As for Lifeforms homes, we looked at several in The Woodlands when home shopping back in 2004. Didn't like them much. If I'm not mistaken, there was an entire section of homes in The Woodlands built in the early to mid 1990's that's having to have major mods/rebuilds done due to some structural issue. I prefer more classic looking homes, so I have a natural aversion to Lifeforms-style homes, but to each his own. They are synonomous with The Woodlands, and my Uncle who was one of the original Woodlands residents had one. Edited July 23, 2006 by mrfootball Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted July 22, 2006 Author Share Posted July 22, 2006 That was a mold issue due to the stucco fronts they were using. Unfortunately there were many builders around Texas that were caught up in that issue, as they were all using the same stucco (or faux stucco, as it were). The homes to which I refer are not the stucco kind. I grew up in Kingwood and we had several large trees close to the house, and never had a problem. I will be sure to check, though, with whatever home we choose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PureAuteur Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 Those Life Forms homes look awesome. They have dimension and character/substance unlike most of the cheaper non-custom homes found all over suburban Houston that feature gables, those little accent things, arched windows, and lots of brick all over the front of the house. My house is a great example of this sort of thing, only it's not as bad as most of the others, because the brick is an unusual peach color, and the design is unique, with a super high single-columned arch front porch and windows making up most of the house's front side. Of course, once I move to the Woodlands, I'll either try to get a Life Forms house, or if I can't find one on the market, I'll just do the urban living thing and get an apartment or condo/townhome close to Town Center. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 the lifeforms homes lend themselves to tasteful upgrades. there are a couple i've seen that have added stone and beveled glass to the entries and front facades, completely updating and "upscaling" (hate that word) the property. update the front facade, bathrooms and kitchen, then the 20-30 foot high entries, open living areas and split floor plans will do the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfootball Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 (edited) Homeowners Protest Life Forms Homes during Rainbow Tour of Homes Last December. Edited July 23, 2006 by mrfootball Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 is that the neighborhood with the stucco issue? has it been resolved? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted July 23, 2006 Author Share Posted July 23, 2006 Yeah, I've seen that (note my above post), I understand they were being sued at one point. I also understand Life Forms, along with Ryland, Lennar, and Trendmaker are suing the stucco company that sold them the horrible stuff....so what can I tell you? Almost every home builder in this country has been sued for one thing or another. BTW, ALL homes have mold. Life Forms has tried very hard to help anyone out that was affected by the issue, but like everything else, some people just aren't going to be happy. Pure Auteur, right on! That is EXACTLY how I feel. Bachanon's right, with a little savvy one can bring the 21st century in quite easily in an earlier Life Forms home. Below are pics of the one Matt and I almost bought. Oh, how I was in love with this adorable abode! Alas, it was back when we had no little baby or big ol' dog, just two cats...now it's too small for us. BTW, when you do move to the Woodlands, let me know! I can name almost every street that has these little gems on 'em. Part of my obsession Not a whole lot done to this house, some slate and paint! That's the beauty of their earlier stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 Yeah, I've seen that (note my above post), I understand they were being sued at one point. I also understand Life Forms, along with Ryland, Lennar, and Trendmaker are suing the stucco company that sold them the horrible stuff....so what can I tell you? Almost every home builder in this country has been sued for one thing or another. BTW, ALL homes have mold. Life Forms has tried very hard to help anyone out that was affected by the issue, but like everything else, some people just aren't going to be happy.Pure Auteur, right on! That is EXACTLY how I feel. Bachanon's right, with a little savvy one can bring the 21st century in quite easily in an earlier Life Forms home. Below are pics of the one Matt and I almost bought. Oh, how I was in love with this adorable abode! Alas, it was back when we had no little baby or big ol' dog, just two cats...now it's too small for us. BTW, when you do move to the Woodlands, let me know! I can name almost every street that has these little gems on 'em. Part of my obsession Not a whole lot done to this house, some slate and paint! That's the beauty of their earlier stuff. They're very period. These kinds of things will be highly valued one day when vintage 80's architecture comes into vogue. There's something about them that I don't quite care for...but they're certainly better than 90% of the homes built in that era. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston1stWordOnTheMoon Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 I like the look of those houses. Very 1980's Looking at the photos, it makes me think of the movie Poltergeist :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 i'm so glad to know i'm not the only one who likes these houses. i feel so at home in them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmancuso Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 @ parrothead: what do you mean by affordable? that is a cool house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danax Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 Just wondering if anyone has lived or lives in a Life Forms home from the 80's. I have been in love with their architectural style for a long time, and have always felt the homes sort of "melt" into the landscape of the Woodlands. The homes' styles seem to be a part of the woods, rather than looking like they're fighting it. I really like that house you've posted, Parrothead. I could see myself living in that. especially with the woodsy setting. It reminds me of a modern version of the Craftsman/Arts & Crafts bungalows that were built 90-100 years ago; the "melting" into the landscape and a floor plan and styling designed for simple living and high thinking. I agree with Niche that these could end up being desirable as collector homes many years from now, especially if there are continous neighborhoods with them. Of course, that means the "tasteful upgrades" that Bachanon mentioned will be regarded as butchering and remuddling and those cheesy bathroom vanities might be highly valuable . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted July 23, 2006 Author Share Posted July 23, 2006 (edited) @ parrothead: what do you mean by affordable? that is a cool house. That house sold for around $129K if I remember correctly, that was in 2003. It was a little under 1700 sq ft. They vary in size, anywhere from a bungalow-like 1200 sq ft to a nice 2800 sq ft. Newer Life Forms homes (1995 +) are MUCH larger, but much different. The thing with Life Forms that I find so appealing is, you feel as if you are in a larger home than what it really is. The high, high ceilings and openness, and AMAZING use of space, makes square footage almost seem pointless. You end up just looking at the space and saying, "Yep, this is great!" Plus, most of the Life Forms homes (like the Treehouse, which is one of my favorite plans) have one or more screened porches on the back. It creates more livable square footage instantly. Many of the homeowners have extended that by building multi-level decking outside. It's wonderful and so appealing if you enjoy that lifestyle. One of my favorite things about growing up in Kingwood was that I had the woods right in my backyard; my imagination went into overdrive when it was time to go out and play. I loved it! I would very much like my daughter to have that too. I also like that the older Life Forms are in the front part of The Woodlands; very close to both Park & Rides, and of course all the wonderful new shopping and restaurants. The neighborhoods almost have a woodsy, deep tropics feel, if that's possible...lots of philodendron, sagos, ferns, agapanthus, etc, plants that thrive in low-to-medium filtered light. They're done very informally, but very well, and it all seems to work. It makes for a pretty drive, that's for sure. I really like that house you've posted, Parrothead. I could see myself living in that. especially with the woodsy setting.It reminds me of a modern version of the Craftsman/Arts & Crafts bungalows that were built 90-100 years ago; the "melting" into the landscape and a floor plan and styling designed for simple living and high thinking. I agree with Niche that these could end up being desirable as collector homes many years from now, especially if there are continous neighborhoods with them. Of course, that means the "tasteful upgrades" that Bachanon mentioned will be regarded as butchering and remuddling and those cheesy bathroom vanities might be highly valuable . Boy, I cried when they rejected our offer (and I am not a "crier"). It's the first time I thought that this was MY house. I'd looked at several and I knew that this was just IT. Apparently the owners didn't think so What's sad is, that house sold for less, 3 months later, than what we offered with a 60-day contingency. All's well that ends well, eh? But I knew I was on to something...that this was the kind of house I wanted. I think that you all are spot-on when you say these will become "collector" homes. I really feel that has already begun. Two years ago, you could find 20+ Life Forms homes on the market like these at any given time. Not this year--it's been almost impossible. Newer ones, yes, but it seems owners of the older ones are beginning to realize just what gems they have. I like the Craftsman analogy, definitely true in this case. I am hoping we will be able to get up there today to see this house! I will report back if we do. It's on Trace Creek (a great neighborhood in Indian Springs) and is a FANTASTIC price. They are looking to move quickly and the house needs some work...so we'll see how much! Edited July 23, 2006 by Parrothead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 indian springs is beautiful! it has rolling hills. it's quieter than grogan's mill.i've sat quietly, listening to fans of googie architecture and ranch style homes circa nineteen fifty somthing, wondering if they knew of the "loft-like" homes lifeforms had built in the woodlands. these homes can be outfitted with DWR furnishings, craftsman or prairie style elements and look great. you aren't "remuddling" the floor plan or ideals if you stick within these boundaries. these are solid homes with "timeless" floorplans. that is simply an opinion to some. me thinks it is a big secret. you can't ruin these homes with the type of interior design i've mentioned above. you can "upscale" them (again, i hate that word) easily.of course, the current "upgrades" to these homes tend to include ugly wallpaper, traditional colors and style not really appropriate for these floor plans. fortunately, this is changing.parrothead gets it. i get it. it is becoming clear to me that others........."get it".by the way.......there are now TWO (not one) houses that have sold off of north millbend that were under $115k three years ago that have sold for $135K to $140K. the "town center" effect is in full swing. there are less than 100 houses (not all on the market) in this price range near north millbend and town center. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PureAuteur Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 Did Life Forms ever build inside the loop? The houses on Diane Street around Old Timbergrove and Heights Annex look similar to the one in the photo. I'd like to see some homes built in the late 1970s to see how the style compares to my old neighborhood, Woodland Trails West, off Fairbanks White Oak. Many of these homes, including my old home, have been bought out by the county and removed. They got hit with three big floods in a 6 year period, which forced many of the homeowners to move. Now there are many cleared lots where houses used to be. The entire neighborhood was custom homes, and each one seemed to be unique. When I was a kid, I always knew exactly where I was just from looking at the houses. You can't do that in neighorhoods built in the 90s/00s, where the houses all seem to look the same, no matter how different the floor plan. They re-routed the White Oak Bayou over there, and did some things to where the flooding shouldn't be as bad in the future. Does anyone familiar with that area know if they'll ever rebuild the subdivision? Or will all the homes eventually get taken down? It's really a shame, because it was good land with lots of tall pine trees. I wasn't sure if I should go to "Great Northwest" or "Other Houston Neighborhoods" to post something about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfootball Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 indian springs is beautiful! it has rolling hills. it's quieter than grogan's mill.Agree. I liked this area a lot when we were home shopping back '04.Is this where Landsdowne is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark324 Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 BTW, when you do move to the Woodlands, let me know! I can name almost every street that has these little gems on 'em. Part of my obsession Hi Parrothead, I really like these early Life Forms homes too. My aunt was an interior designer for Life Forms in the mid-90s and I always thought they had great designs. Would you mind posting the streets with the early Life Forms homes? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 article on lifeforms homes.link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 I really like that house you've posted, Parrothead. I could see myself living in that. especially with the woodsy setting.It reminds me of a modern version of the Craftsman/Arts & Crafts bungalows that were built 90-100 years ago; the "melting" into the landscape and a floor plan and styling designed for simple living and high thinking. I agree with Niche that these could end up being desirable as collector homes many years from now, especially if there are continous neighborhoods with them. Of course, that means the "tasteful upgrades" that Bachanon mentioned will be regarded as butchering and remuddling and those cheesy bathroom vanities might be highly valuable . they still sell those "cheesy bathroom" vanities at home depot. they will never be highly regarded. a stylish cabinet vanity uprade will not only update the home but politely nod to the woodsy craftsman or 70ish contemporary style. again, there are so many options for updating these homes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted July 24, 2006 Author Share Posted July 24, 2006 (edited) Hi Parrothead,I really like these early Life Forms homes too. My aunt was an interior designer for Life Forms in the mid-90s and I always thought they had great designs. Would you mind posting the streets with the early Life Forms homes?Thanks!No problem! These are what I know of, certainly not a comprehensive list; I bet bachanon knows of more from that era and maybe even some that are older. I suspect many that I like in Grogan's Mill are pre-1980 Life Forms, but I can't say for certain. There are also some that are early-mid 1990's in Alden Bridge that are nifty, but totally different. I am listing them to make it easy for you to drive around in each area, should you wish to do that.Village of Grogan's MillN. MossrockS. MossrockVillage of Indian SpringsSandpebble Dr.Reedy PondShallow PondFire FlickerBreezy PointLeaf Trace Ct.Twisting Birch Place Ct.Sandprint Ct.Trace CreekWilde YauponLeaf Point Ct.Village of Cochran's CrossingOtter PondGannet HollowSong SparrowSand Piper PlaceVillage of Panther CreekLehigh Springs Edited July 24, 2006 by Parrothead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 (edited) No problem! These are what I know of, certainly not a comprehensive list; I bet bachanon knows of more from that era and maybe even some that are older. I suspect many that I like in Grogan's Mill are pre-1980 Life Forms, but I can't say for certain. There are also some that are early-mid 1990's in Alden Bridge that are nifty, but totally different. Village of Grogan's MillN. MossrockS. MossrockVillage of Indian SpringsSandpebble Dr.Shallow PondFire FlickerBreezy PointLeaf Trace Ct.Twisting Birch Place Ct.Trace CreekWilde YauponLeaf Point Ct.Village of Cochran's CrossingOtter PondGannet HollowSong Sparrown. timber top. these homes were built as a kind of corporate housing. they are all the same. there are like three floor plans for the whole neighborhod. there are million dollar homes across the golf course and 200k and up homes across grogan' mill. buy, buy, BUY! Edited July 29, 2006 by bachanon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfinke Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 This may be off topic but...does anyone know what happened to Life Forms? It seems like they just disappeared. I can't find their website, and according to a random PDF I found while searching for them, the last neighborhoods they built in were Summerlyn Waye/Summerlyn Layne (Alden Bridge), Beckonvale, Sterling Pointe and Ashbury Square (Sterling Ridge) which closed out a couple of years ago. Since they played such a large role in building in the earlier villages, I find it odd that there aren't any more Life Forms neighborhoods (they did, after all, call themselves the "Neighborhood Builder") in some newer parts of The Woodlands. Another nice thing about them...it seems like all of their neighborhoods have small parks or tot-lots in them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpringTX Posted July 30, 2006 Share Posted July 30, 2006 When we were looking for a house in The Woodlands last year, I fell in love with several Life Forms houses in our price range in Panther Creek and Cochran's Crossing which were built in the late 1980's and early 1990's. The "woodsy craftsman" style as described here, and the way it "melds into the landscape" is just awesome. But after long study and consideration, here's what we found: * If you like the "woodsy craftsman" style on the exterior, then you're going to be very disappointed to find bland, undstinguished interiors. You'd almost expect to find wood paneling, wood beams, and other craftsman touches on the interior - but you'll find no such thing. The properties we looked at didn't even have wood floors. * As noted earlier, Life Forms have been dogged by a terrible reputation for being poorly-built homes. One of our criteria was a well-built home. While a Life Forms wasn't right for us, I still think they're awesome. Now, if you want to talk about Jerry Kirkpatrick custom homes (if anyone knows what those are)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted July 30, 2006 Author Share Posted July 30, 2006 Spring, that's too bad! Many of them have just that, wood paneling, wood floors. I am sorry you did not get a chance to see them! I wouldn't call their houses poorly-built. I understand they had issues as noted above, but also noted was that it affected a particular group of houses in a particular neighborhood that used a particular stucco. I particularly like the word "particular". Did you end up moving to a Jerry Kirkpatrick home? I am not familiar with him. Are they like Life Forms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieDidIt Posted July 30, 2006 Share Posted July 30, 2006 Spring, that's too bad! Many of them have just that, wood paneling, wood floors. I am sorry you did not get a chance to see them! I wouldn't call their houses poorly-built. I understand they had issues as noted above, but also noted was that it affected a particular group of houses in a particular neighborhood that used a particular stucco. I particularly like the word "particular". Did you end up moving to a Jerry Kirkpatrick home? I am not familiar with him. Are they like Life Forms? Real Estate Agents really rag on Life Forms, even the newer ones, to this day. We went with George Weaver. Great family and company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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