BWSchultz

I don't think you are listening.

Sometimes it's not just as easy as stakcing more bricks up a two story wall.

You have to take other measure to ensure the bricks actually stay in place.

Are you in construction or an architect? As an engineer, I have a natural curiousity. Best I can tell from this discussion, the builders don't believe they can make a good enough profit on an all brick house without pricing out their target demographic.

I guess I'll tack on an extra 30 minutes wait time for my flight to LGA tomorrow. Excellent. Even earlier I have to wake up.

It is very ugly, and yes, they are doing to to save money for the home buyer and it is easier since it is less brick to lay by hand.

Yes, but builders would rather make more money. Like I said, I bet many homeowners would take the option if it were offered, even if their house was the only one on the block that was full brick or full hardi-plank instead of a hybrid. It's amazing because almost every new house in Houston between 150k and 300k (most homes) is done in this ugly fashion. I think people don't complain because, well, that's what everything looks like.

Why the aversion to Hardie-Plank?

My entire two-story house is Hardie-Plank. Fire resistant, weather resistant, termite-proof, lasts forever.

One of my favorite characteristics of Hardie-Plank is that it can be PAINTED! That means that houses in our neighborhood can actually be different colors! Imagine that! Instead of an entire subdivision consisting of 2 shades of brick and 3 shades of paint (beige, gray, and off-beige), we get a bright, beautiful colorful neighborhood!

I hear it from people at work all the time, complaining about people with Hardie-Plank on their houses. They can't believe their boss owns one.

You missed the point. I have no aversion to hardi-plank. I have an aversion to hardi-plank/brick hybrids. Imagine if you took your beautiful two-story house and randomly made a section on the second floor brick veneer. Not the entire second story, not an entire side. Maybe just half of a wall on one side of the house. Would that flow correctly? Would that look right? Nope. The same is true in reverse.

I don't think termites eat brick either.

Ultimately it is money. Some homebuilders will let the "new" homeowner pay more to get a fully bricked structure. But some homebuilders are against it because the homeowners who don't have it will start questioning why one home does and another doesn't.

Well, the builders are certainly not offering it as an option. There are different elevations but they typically have the same rear and sides. I bet if it showed up on the option list as "Full brick, no hardi-plank: $5000" at least 50% of the people would do it.

That makes me grind my teeth. My dentist told me to avert my eyes but it's everywhere!

What's the deal with that? Let the rant begin...

Most middle range new homes in suburban Houston (and maybe elsewhere around the country) are about 75% brick and then about 25% hardi-plank. This usually happens on the 2nd story of homes on the sides and rear. I just don't get it. OBVIOUSLY, it costs less, but it doesn't look good at all. There is typically some kind of cutout on the sides, sometimes at an angle for crying out loud, where the brick stops and faux-wood begins. How much more could it cost to brick that remaining 10%-25%? $5000? Wouldn't a lot of people do this? That's not much over 30 years.

Note, this is not an anti-suburban housing rant. I own a suburban home in Pearland. However, my fiancee and I deliberately picked a one-story design so we would have ALL brick, save a little bit of hardi-plank in the entry patio area, maybe 6'x10' on either side of the front door. And what's wrong with a brick chimney? Those are all hardi-plank or something else, too. One of my neighbors just built a house that is stone/stucco on the front and half brick/ half "siding" on the side of the house. The house looks great if you're looking straight at it... but from any angle, I just want to cry out "WHYYYYYY!!!"

Ok, I'm done ranting. Can anyone else explain why (other than saving a few bucks and a few days in construction)?

I just wanted to say that I wished our streets lined up like that. Beautiful north-south alignment. I always have a hard time describing a side of downtown to someone. Because I used to come up the Gulf Fwy all the time, I typically said the theater district and Chase were the "backside" of downtown and MMP/GRB/Toyota were the "near" side of downtown.

But maybe it's just me.

As I've previously mentioned in other posts, I'm leaving town soon to get married and go on my honeymoon. Since I'll be out of town for about three weeks, I was looking at hiring some service for mowing/trimming my lawn and watering plants/trees as needed. Watering may not be an issue but three weeks without rain could be a bad thing. I've already lost one tree and had it replaced by the builder and now the second one is dying/dead. I spoke with an arborist and he said that the original trees (live oak) were planted much too deep and buried under soil and mulch. I don't know if they'll replace this second tree but I certainly don't want to lose the other tree. If I need to put in a new tree, it's not going in until November, that's for sure.

I've only been living there for a couple of months so I don't really feel comfortable asking neighbors to do anything. Anyone have any suggestions and pricing for such a task?

thanks!

It's just a drawing but...

http://www.shadowcreekranch.net/images/com...chure_Final.pdf

MINIMUM of two main lanes with wider spots near 288. Looks like 8 lanes wide from 288 to Business Center Drive (5 west, 3 east).

I can't say for sure what's going on, but it look like they are clearing land on the south side of 518 west of 288 in anticipation for the widening of 518. The diagrams I've seen show minimum four lanes divided from 288 to 521, with more lanes designated for turning, particularly into the new shopping complexes centered around Business Center Drive and 518. In fact, if you look at the Shadow Creek Ranch Town Center pdf, you'll see how big they think this road will actually be. At 518/Business Center Drive, there are four eastbound lanes (2 left turn into SCR TC). Westbound, there are 5 lanes (2 left turn into Pearland TC).

The area I've seen being cleared is roughly from where the new Business Center Dr. hooks up with 518 to somewhere near Kirby. It looks like they knocked down a bunch of trees.

This is a KEY step in Pearland development, both residential and commercial. I would imagine they would pave two lanes on the south side of the existing 518 from 288 to 521 and then rip out the old 518 there and redo it. I hope they can bury the unsightly powerlines going down 518 right now. I'm so tired of passing F350s and contruction trucks on that tiny road.

This is the kind of progress I can get excited about!

The rain we have had has been really concentrated. I think the Hobby Airport area had around 22 inches in a three day span a few weeks ago. Big ol' buckets of rain.

I'm not sure that is true, at least in this election cycle. Delay would have never resigned his office and quit the race if he thought he could win. I'm sure he polled and studied on this and came to the conclusion he can't win this one. Tom Delay is a lot of things but being politically naive aint one of them. I think he actually knew this was a lost cause before the primary but he stuck that out to raise more money for his defense fund.

I'd give Delay better odds if this were a Presidential election cycle. I'm a Dem in TX-22 and I give Lampson about 60% chance against Delay. If Delay would have simply continued to campaign and never tried to move to VA, I would have given Delay a slight edge. I believe his Sugarland support to be unconditional.

i doubt it gets razed...

i mean the entire east and southeast side would only have Baybrook Mall??

too many consumers inside the beltway off 45 either side IMO for both Almeda and Pasadena to be scrapped...

Blah. Scrap them and build 4 Home Depots, 3 Bed Bath and Beyonds, 22 Starbucks, 8 Cold Stones, 2 IHOPs, 3 Marshalls, 3 Linens and Things, 2 HobbyLobbys, and an Old Navy for good measure. That's what we need there.

Seriously, Almeda is a pretty valuable chunk of land. Something will be have to be done there.

Oh absolutely. How many new stores/restaurants will be opening in Pearland west of 288 in the next three years? Anyone want to take a stab at it? I would say 100. Right now, there is CVS. I would guess that the vast majority of SCR residents, maybe 85%, don't work in Pearland right now. With this enormous influx of commercial construction, that will change. And the need for apartments will go way up.

You got that right. In my SCR subdivision, it's pretty much doctors and me (engineer). Granted, buying a home and living in an apartment are vastly different. I think Pearland should be careful about adding too many apartments. Apartments work best when people have to fight to the death for them. I used to live in an apartment in Clear Lake, where there are about 50,000 units. Some great, some ghetto. I like to think that old ones were just built bad instead of becoming bad but that's just me. The benefit Clear Lake has over Pearland is that there are a lot more jobs (ahem NASA). If I'm living in an apartment, it better be for convenience to job and entertainment. Pearland doesn't have that as much. At least not yet. Sounds like many tech jobs could be going into the Spectrum project. That could change the apartment landscape around 288/B8.

Yeah..sorry about the experience but I don't really see what the problem could have been.

It has big green signs for the turns. The only turns should have been at Lufkin (loop), Nacodoches (loop), Tenaha (cosigned US84 - goes straight), and Carthage (loop). and they are more like merging exit ramps - than 90 degree turns.

I am curious what places she wanted to stop for as well??

Lufkin, Nacodoches, and Marshall have all the typical retail/restaurants you would expect. Most of the other towns have modern gas and fast food establishments.

How about this route option?

One summer I drove home from Minneapolis (near wisconsin - of course!). We took I-35 all the way to Dallas. Looks like you could pick up I-35 in Des Moines by doing a sw jog from Madison on US151 and I-80, then it would be the same interstate all the way to dallas. no confusion, stop lights, etc.

you'd go through Kansas City and Oklahoma City. I don't remember any problems.

This doesnt do you any good if you want to go to Memphis, though.

Gnu, I've thought about that way, too. It's considerably longer and the main thing I'm looking for is how quickly I can do it. That way probably does make sense from Minneapolis seeing as Houston is about directly south from the Minnesota-Dakota border. And it's not that I WANT to go to Memphis; it just seems to be the quickest way.

I think she was just frustrated by the stoplights in the small towns and then having to constantly look for 59 N signs to make sure she was still on the correct road. And of course, whenever you go through a small town, the name changes to main street or first street or temple road or whatever else. With a dog in the car, she was looking for some places where she could take him for a walk and have lunch (she brought her own). I guess compared to an interstate, it took a lot more watching of signs. For instance, if you do a google search of pearland to texarkana and it lists 61 steps! Wow. Now, I know many of those are superflous but for someone dealing with a hyper dog in the back seat on unfamiliar roads, that can be a lot to handle. Would I have had the same trouble? Maybe, maybe not. Easier would have been the better choice here, even if 59 did end up being quicker than going through Dallas.

If you are traveling on a heavy traffic weekend (like a holiday), I'd avoid I-10. It's pretty much totally under construction from Lake Charles to Beaumont (about a 60-mile stretch). And like someone else said, Baton Rouge in the afternoon is a nightmare. However, I rather enjoy the swamp section between Red Stick and Lafayette.

We'll be doing Wisconsin to Memphis (roughly) on September 8 and then Memphis to Houston on September 9 (Saturday).

That's a second for choice #1. Don't stop in Arkansas! There's one nice hotel that I've found over the years at the airport exit in Little Rock. And now I forget the name. Use it only as a last resort. (Mostly because it's next to the parking garage for TSA employees, and security makes rounds there every hour.)

She stayed in a Best Western about 30 miles west of Memphis last night. It was just kind of how it ended up. Also, the feeder roads there messed her up big time after being used to Houston feeders. They are two way feeders on both sides of the freeway. Now picture this:

The interstate runs north/south. You are on the east side feeder traveling south so you are in the inside feeder lane. Car on interstate traveling north would like to exit the main lanes to the feeder. Where will he be exiting to?

Can you see it??

Yes, it's a head-on collision waiting to happen at every single exit. So what they do is, they have Yield signs so you allow the 65 mph exiting vehicles to clear before you can continue on the feeder. That is messed up. Take a look...

Arkansas feeder example

Remember those feeder roads are TWO-WAY! Maybe it's just me, but they couldn't make that more confusing if they had you driving on the left hand side of the road.

Enough about that. As for the two routes, it's a little hard to determine, but it looks like the MS/LA route is about 45 miles shorter. I've driven to NOLA once before and do remember I-10 being not so good in LA. And the bugs. And the swamps.

I should have clarified in my initital post that my fiancee is making the drive by herself (actually "made") with my dog. She left Sunday morning and ... I sent her up 59 per all the online direction sites. She likes to follow along with mapquest's directions. Now she hates me.

There are, in fact, no places to stop. There are stoplights galore. Speed traps. Multiple turns to find 59 N again in the small cities. For a direct route, it wasn't very direct at all. She was not happy at all with me after this debacle. Yes, debacle. But, the wedding is still on.

I'm still here in Houston. I'm flying up one-way in three weeks and then we're driving (dog included) back to Houston after the honeymoon. So when we drive back, 59 will NOT be part of the equation at all.

Here are the NEW options:

1) Memphis to Little Rock to Texarkana to Dallas to Houston

2) Memphis to Jackson to Baton Rouge to Houston

Votes? My guess is that after this terrible Texas experience, she's going to vote for the Mississippi/Louisiana route.

For the northern leg, I planned on taking 39/90/hwy51 to Rockford, 39/hwy51 to Bloomington/Normal, 55 to St. Louis, 55 to Memphis.

59 is a limited access 4 lane divided highway for most of the way. think 45 between houston and dallas but with crossovers. there are loops around the major cities. corrigan is probably the only bottleneck but shouldn't be too bad. you could probably do it in 5 hours

Great, that's all I really wanted to know. So long as there are no major slowdowns expected. And I'm always up for seeing new areas of Texas!

I am making my first long distance drive out of Houston and Texas soon. When I moved, I took a one-way flight. But now I'm driving home for my wedding in Madison, WI.

My question is... what's the best way to get out of Texas (no jokes there). I'm coming from near 288/B8 in Pearland. Some of the mapping sites suggest taking 59 north through Cleveland, Lufkin, Texarkana, Little Rock, Memphis. Others say head east to Baton Rouge and head north to Memphis through Jackson, MS.

I've never been north of IAH on 59 so I don't know what the road is like from there on through Texarkana. It seems to be a shorter distance than going through Mississippi but I've never driven it. Any suggestions?

Starbucks -- asked and answered. For Asian, there are at least two pho places and an "Indian Fusion" place in Silverlake and a new Tokyo Bowl sushi place a little farther east down 518. Moving even farther east are a couple of very good Asian places: Pearl Dynasty in the Kroger center at Cullen and Thanh Phuong across the street from the Kroger at Barry Rose.

Marty

Pearl Dynasty is good... but they don't deliver to SCR. I really like their eggrolls. Some of the best I've had.

Thinking about it, who DOES deliver to SCR? Seeing as there are currently no restaurants over there. Sometimes I just feel lazy.

I havent been in the tunnels either, but riding downtown tourist always ask where they are. Funny that its such a point of interest

I've been to the tunnels once, ate at one of the Treebeards. I think there is some interest in the tunnels because you pretty much have to work in a building connected to them to ever make use of it. If you work anywhere else, it's a special trip during normal work hours to see it. Which is what I did. My fiancee was working downtown at the time so I took a long lunch and checked it out from Clear Lake.

I think of the Chase observation deck in the same way. Only open during business hours??? Huh?

No we won't. The insanity statute in Texas is an almost impossible burden to meet. It is rare that the facts of a case merit even putting on that defense, much less having a jury act on it.

Now, if you are saying that conditions are ripe for a lot of people to go insane and kill their kids in the future, that's another issue.

Heard it.

My fiancee is taking the BAR as we speak so I consider myself an expert my proximity. Apparently, Texas is one of the strictest in the nation in terms of insanity rules. I don't know why but there is a lot of law in Texas that differs from the rest of the country. My fiancee went to law school in Virginia and said that Texas was routinely used as a minority example.

I'm looking into moving into Shadow Creek. Could someone tell me if there is a Starbucks in the 518/288 area? I imagine there must be one going in at one of these new shopping centers on the west side.

Is there any asian food to be found in this area?

Of course there is a Starbucks! It's east of 288 along 518. I think it's along 518 in front of Kohl's. Maybe a half mile from 288.

There are a few Vietamese restaurants along 518 E of 288 but I've never been. There are ZERO restaurants of any type in the SCR development area west of 288... currently. I don't know what will all be built (besides La Madeline) but there will be several on the SCR side within a year, I would guess. Construction has started at the Spectrum project, the Pearland Town Center on the NW corner of 518/288, and all along 2234 on the north edge of SCR.