ldogg

so I'm a Timbergrove resident... at our civic association meeting on Tuesday one of the board members mentioned that the county is raising the taxes signifigantly on the warehouses in this area... she mentioned that properties previously valued around $1-2million were being reappraised closer to $9million... no doubt this has something to do with Mr. Gross' purchase and subsequent development... the claim is that the land is more valuable as residential than industrial, and they now have a couple of sales in the area for making this change... we'll see what really happens, but it definitely seems like a positive move... the senior citizens in Timbergrove all groaned as they don't want the increased land values, but this is great for the area..

they started clearing the lot on 18th and 610 a couple weeks ago... there is a construction trailer there now... this project is supposed to be an apartment complex and small retail to either be a bank or restaurant or both... the Metro-nexus project is the one being developed by Jenard Gross... they have been doing demolition on this area all week.... his project is to be some single family homes with some townhouses and also an apartment complex....

my sister just sold her house using forsalebyowner.com .... cost her $1000... she claims it was no problem and that the transaction went smoothly... of course her BF had to be able to show the house, but otherwise it worked out well for them and the $7,000 they didn't pay a realtor allowed them to sell their house for what they needed to...

as for the wiring... take a look at most of the things you plug in... hardly any have a ground, so I'd say you can leave the 2 prongs alone.... however, it might be a good idea to have an electrician run grounds to the areas where the things you plug in DO have a ground... we did our house where the tvs, computer and appliances were going.. everything else stayed without the ground... I'll 2nd Buchanan's for plants... decent prices but what you get there is a very knowledgeable staff... and they will special order things for you as well... SW is good for paint ideas with the little cards they have... my office is actually a 1925 Victorian in the Montrose area and we went out and bought some books on Victorian homes and architecture to help us decide on colors... these books were also helpful in deciding how to make an elegant crown moulding for these 11' cielings... call some fence companies to get a competitve bid.... then go to a lumber yard and price the materials yourself... what I did was called a bunch of the carpenter/handymen/remodelers who leave their cards at HD and Lowes... got them to bid on labor only for putting up the fence and saved myself about $1000 over calling an actual fence company... my fence came out beautiful... of course that $1000 means you have to be there for the delivery from the lumber yard as well as supervise the contractor like a hawk because those guys aren't exactly the type you will get warranty work from... the guy I used didn't ask for any $$ until the job was totally done, plus I speak spanish fluently so we had no problems and they did a great job..

looking at Houston coming north on 288 is something special.... from the Galleria to the west then over to Greenway to the Med Center to Downtown you get a real good feel of just how many skyscrapers we have and how huge the place really is.... there is no doubt that if everything were just a little closer together that we would have a massive city center..

gasp all you want... 90% of the original bathrooms in Timbergrove look like crap... I know since I not only live in the neighborhood but also shop it to find homes to remodel... cheap, cheap, cheap... I only hope in 40 years that people aren't trying to copy the styles of KB Homes and Lennar and Perry etc..etc... that is what you get in Timbergrove... some houses were actually well designed, but most were tract homes.. as for the longevity of it... my neighbors had theirs done nearly 4 years ago... it still looks like brand new white ceramic tiles... so maintain whatever bias you want, it is a cost effective solution that does actually work... fine.. live in an Eichler and try to maintain it... no problem with good design... live in the Perry homes equivalent of the 50s-60s and try to maintain that look and I'd say you've lost your mind... too many people on this site equate old to quality and/or good design...

not the panels of stuff, but rather that coating... at any rate with a good scrubbing and bleaching before they spray? it on it should be safe..

no.... all the bathrooms in Timbergrove look practically the same... either mint green or pink or if you were lucky tan tile... 1/2 way up the walls and about 18" short of the cieling in the shower.... there is usually a little wall built up at the end of the job built vanity that is 3' tall... the sink is white porcelein undermount and rectangular in shape.... there is nothing cool about the designs of these bathrooms... they were tract homes from the late 50s-60s.... in 40 years do you think people should look at the designs of bathrooms being built in the cheap master communities out in the burbs? save yourself the hassle... just get on the MLS and do a search for homes for sale in Timbergrove and look at the pictures online... if you want a cheaper solution, my neighbors had their bathroom refinished with that stuff that goes over the existing tile... they did it in white and it looks pretty good considering the cost...

they aren't permanent..... the coasters are designed and shipped in sections... the sections are then bolted together on the site... foundations are poured for the ride and the tracks are attached to the foundation using huge bolts.... basically all they'll have to do is unbolt the rides and take the pieces apart...

I'll just add that I have been inside this building and it is already set up to be a museum quite easily.... there would not be much build out necessary... obviously the issue is that as a museum it wouldn't be a big moneymaker thus for the price tag it probably won't happen...

Take a look in Timbergrove Manor... inside the loop in the NW corner... a lot of development happening in the area with excellent potential for continued increases in valuation... the neighborhood is a very quiet and family oriented place with an active civic association that protects everyone's interest.... the only downfall are the schools you are zoned to, but being HISD the kids are free to go to the other schools... the neighborhood was built in the 50's and 60's and the majority of the homes are very well cared for... there is very little in the way of teardowns and McMansions, instead people have opted to remodel the homes and update them... oh yeah.. let me add that you won't find many 4 bedrooms in this area, and the ones that are that big are really expensive.... 3 bed 2 baths 2 car garage will be about 1700-1900 sq ft and cost $200-$250k depending upon level of updating... you can find some nicely updated homes for around $275-300k.... building an addition isn't that expensive if you can get a handle on the costs by being your own GC or hiring one that isn't going to gouge you... we added 230 sq ft on the back of our house to have a full master bath and giant closet and I was my own GC.... you could possibly get away with some minor reconfirguring of the interior of a home to obtain the 4 bedrooms... it all depends on the floorplan... our house was originally 3 bed 2 bath and 1860 sq ft, now it is 3/2 with a study and 2090 sq ft with the large master bath...

frankly I think it is a very cool building that sort of fits for the area.... perhaps it could be gutted and turned into another museum?

I'd like to see Uptown get a little monorail loop... something simple not unlike the People Mover in Detroit... just a loop from the shops where Champps is down Post Oak to the Galleria and back down the other side of Post Oak... this would relieve a lot of the congestion as you'd be able to park at any store/area you want and still hit all the shops... the most asinine thing about the area is that you park at the Galleria.. then wind up getting back in your car to drive over to Oshman's/Storehouse, then back in the car again to head over to Marshalls/Old Navy... then once again to hit up the stores/restaurants around Champps... (don't know the formal name for this shopping center)...

Scharpe... Alamo Drafthouse does do rentals for corporate events/seminars, and with the tables provided at every row it is ideal for that purpose as business people can put their papers on there and laptops etc... I graduated from UT back in '98 when there was only 1 Alamo Drafthouse in Austin... now there are 3 there I think and the one here at West Oaks Mall... I believe they have one coming soon to Deerbrook Mall as well... from talking to one of the managers the reason they haven't invested yet inside Houston is that land is expensive and there aren't any old theaters to purchase and convert... call me crazy, but I think their business model fits in perfectly with the downtown crowd... fun campy and cult films during the week with drink specials to attract the nearest residents and your mainstream releases all week long to keep people coming in... anyone have access to some venture capitalists? if the AD people aren't in on this deal I should be!

the original plan for HSPVA was to put it in Timbergrove Manor... the HOA shot that down successfully.... the neighborhood doesn't plan on letting HISD build anything there anytime soon... they will fight tooth and nail to keep their unofficial woodland park..

try calling the permit office.... 713-535-7800... also check the website www.houstonpermits.com and put in the address of the development to see what the permit/project # is.... if they are in Houston then there should be the 3' setback rule unless granted an exception... I would tell the builder that you will not allow them on your property until you have discussed the situation with the permiting office and your attourney... can you post pictures of what they are doing?? and no way should you accept "shaving" a couple of inches if they are still encroaching on the 3' setback....

as for the movie theater discussion.... I don't think your run of the mill cinema concept would be good for downtown nor economically viable... I do think that a theater like the Alamo Drafthouse would be ideal either in midtown or in the Pavillions...

Do you honestly think that all the different areas of Houston will wind up looking the same?? Development would have to happen super fast for that to occur, and that is not even close to likely.... The Heights has a lot of restricitions on what you can build there.... Timbergrove and Meyerland both are similar neighborhoods and the majority of homes are in good enough condition to be rehabed and/or updated without having to tear the house down and rebuild.... Montrose was and is a very eclectic mix and I don't see that changing.... further, at least for me, I can certainly tell the difference between being in West U or Bellaire or Southampton.... each neighborhood has it's own unique characteristics even though they've all been infiltrated with McMansions... so I don't think it is as uniform and bland as you seem to allude to... it takes time to develop things... even if all the homes in Timbergrove are levelled one day to make room for mansions, how long with that take??? what style of architecture will be popular at that time?? point is, the neighborhoods will always be different from each other and unique in their own ways...

what is funny is to go back and read the first few posts on this thread.... someone predicted $3 a gallon to happen in a couple of years!!

"We've lost our only oil import terminal in South LA, and a lot of refining capacity. " Wrong..... reported today in Fairplay (shipping news) that LOOP survived... the ability to import is not affected... the LOOP provides about 11% of crude for the US... there were 9 platforms lost out in the Gulf however..

I really don't understand how anyone can like Lupe Tortillas.... their fajitas seriously taste like spoiled overcooked beef that they are masking the flavor with lime juice... bllleeeccchhhh.... the point of beef is to taste it, not the seasonings... my favorite places for different reasons: 1. La Jaliscience - the salsa is to die for... the rest of the food is good, but I could eat that salsa till I am full 2. Tony's (Ella at 610) - there are some excellent chicken dishes here and the shrimp quesadillas are top notch 3. Berryhill - fish tacos or fish burrito.. super yummy... and the reason Mexican don't eat there is that they aren't marketing to Mexicans and the locations are in their neighborhoods 4. El Meson - fresh cool salads and zesty salsa are great before a well prepared meal... I prefer the Cuban fare here, but nothing wrong with the Mexican food at all... 5. Cafe Adobe - the avodado is fabulous and their chicken dishes are good as well.. 6. El Tiempo (dinero) - the only thing I'll ever eat at this overpriced establishment is the beef fajitas... but oh my they are the best...

I guess by now some of you know that the Astrodome is going to be taking in the evacuees from NOLA.... I believe starting today there are 400 buses or so that will be shuttling the 25,000 people to Houston along with supplies and other equipment... it's not quite the 'Aints, but this certainly is a major thing..

you need a picture of your kitchen on the listing... especially since it is mentioned that you have upgraded there...

do every staging trick in the book when trying to sell your house.... hell buy some candles that smell like cookies to keep the house smelling that way and always leave some cookies out when it is shown... it took me a long time to sell my townhouse in Cottage Grove even though we had 3-4 showings per week, sometimes more.... our house was beautiful inside and was more interesting than most townhouses, but we just couldn't compete with the psyche that buyers would prefer new construction even if it costs more... my sister is STILL trying to sell her townhouse in the Museum District... she is priced $25-40k less than the new construction near her and still can't get an offer... my main worry for Houston in the near future is that all this rampant construction of townhomes is going to kill the market... these builders are cannibalizing their own profits and long term stability... it is madness...