sjetexas

I am looking to do a pretty extensive remodel on my master bath in Sugar Land (counters, fixtures, shower enclosure, all floor and shower tile, changing a window to glass block, lighting). Does anyone have a contractor/company they recommend? Would need to be an established company (BBB record, website, other reviews I can find on the internet/angie's list, accepts credit cards, etc). Thanks!

ah, totally missed the job loc in the original post...

My personal objection to most of First Colony is that the housing stock is older and location isn't as good as Telfair. Yeah, all of the schools are great, but it's not like the alternative to Clements High School is Worthing or North Forest, either.

And from what I understand, traffic is really bad in the mornings getting to and from the schools and to 59 via Hwy 6 or Sweetwater Blvd and that seems to defeat the purpose of moving closer to my wife's office if she is still dealing with traffic, even if it's just a different kind of traffic.

I can't really understand how you would think Telfair is more conveniently located than FC. It's further out and it's on the north side of 59. Anything commercial of interest is going to be south of 59 (mall, town center, etc) and those 59 intersections, 6 in particular, are brutal. First Colony, aside from the easiest access to the mall area, has another good, nearby shopping area in Missouri City's Riverstone area.

Anyway, I live in the Plantation subdivisions, which is east of 6 and just south of Sugar Creek. We love the location, even though it may be under your price range...homes in the area seem to top out in the high 200s. The ease to local shopping can't be beat, schools are good (no Clements though), and the area seems pretty stable, safe, and quiet. And I can get to 59 with no traffic backup in the mornings within 5-8 min. From First Colony, there is pretty much no traffic if you take the Williams Trace (I think, don't go this way often), Sugar Creek (use as a cut through sometimes, which I'm sure those residents don't appreciate), and 90A entrances to 59.

I used an outfit called Allways Fencing (http://www.allwaysfencing.com). He can sometimes be difficult to initially contact (think he's on-site a lot and has only 1-2 crews), but once you're booked (1-2 weeks out usually, and this was a month or two back when the Ike rush was probably worse) the service and quality is amazing. He uses type 1 cedar (no bad knots or holes) for the pickets and the posts are treated pine. I am no fence/wood expert, but I think cedar is considered better for pickets because they don't warp/split and look nicer, but treated pine is better for the heavy 4X4 posts since they are in the ground and are less prone than cedar to rot. He uses a rot board standard so the pickets don't make contact with the ground. What made their fences stand out is they really take extra care to make sure everything is level on top by adjusting the height of the rot board. My neighbor got a fence by what is likely the biggest fence co in town and the quality difference is very apparent.

Anyway, they charge 22/ft for 6ft (6.5 with rot board) and provide free written estimates. The price includes tear down of old fence, haul away, installation of new, and cleanup (left the site spotless). Not cheap, but not out of line from the million estimates I got. Usually all the outfits that were significantly cheaper either had inferior materials (pine pickets, no rot board, or only 2 rails) or were questionable outfits that I doubt would provide any sort of support later on.

Not to bump an ancient thread, but I noticed they're finally actually building along HI6 on this plot. Seen construction signs for a 9ers Grill, Spring Creek BBQ, and a bank I think. Anyone have more info on this site? Is Olive Garden not happening I guess?

You are aware that installing a down draft vent system on an island will require jackhammering out enough concrete so that an 8" vent pipe can be run to the exterior wall. Granted you'll have to run gas or 220V wire to the island. To your original question, I do not believe that there actually is a requirement to have a vent system installed for a cooktop. If you have 12' ceilings, it probably wont bother you that much. But there is no height requirement for the vent. So you could mount it flush to the ceiling and it would still pull the hot air out of the room.

I had a downdraft already along with the necessary hole in the foundation for it (even though it didn't turn on), it was built with the house.

Anyway, I landed up just getting another downdraft...it severely limited our purchase options, but it was cheap and works well enough.

Thanks all for the advice. Bought the 1/2hp disposal myself for $75 and had a licensed independent a friend recommended do the work for about $300.

My first reaction is that it is on the high end...are there any parts of the work you can do yourself?

No, I am pretty worthless when doing anything handy!

I got a quote from an independent plumber a friend has used...he stated $125 to hook up the disposal, $150 for the sink/faucet. Need to buy the disposal, but seems cheaper. Not sure if its enough to use someone new vs a company I trust.

Just finishing up getting new granite countertops put in and also just got an undermount sink put in.

Sink is in place, just need a plumber to come hook it up. Pipes may need to be reconfigured since the sink is deeper than the old one, hook everything up (dishwasher probably needs to be reconnected as well), replace my lousy garbage disposal (don't have the replacement), and install a new stainless faucet we bought (hole already drilled in granite). Also need drains for the sink.

Anyway, just got a quote from the outfit I usually use (who is usually reasonable) and they quoted me $695 w/the disposal. After picking my jaw off the floor I said I'd call them. Does this sound a bit absurd? If it's about right, I'll schedule it. Or if anyone has any recommendations of another outfit to try I am all ears (Sugar Land area). I need this done tomorrow though, as being without a kitchen sink and dishwasher is not fun.

Thanks for any input.

Well, maybe we don't notice since we usually don't do anything either than boil water or cook ground beef on our range. Ventilation from above isn't feasible since it's on an island and the kitchen ceiling is very high and not setup for it at all. Guess I will look for a cooktop with a downflow vent on it.

I am redoing my counters with granite and figured this was a good time to also replace our poorly functioning coil cooktop.

QUESTION...is it necessary, to be in code or whatever, to have some sort of venting on an electric cooktop in Texas? This is going on an island and there is no hood above it. Most of the cooktops I see at Sears/HD/Lowe's, and all the cheaper ones, don't seem to have downflow venting. Our current cooktop has a downflow vent, but it's never worked since we've owned the house and we haven't seen the need for it. Are we going to have a problem with getting it installed or selling our house someday if we just buy a normal cooktop with no downflow vent?

Also, any thoughts on the induction style cooktops? They worth the extra money over standard radiant electric?

Thanks

Hmm, anyone know where to buy the pole? Definitely need a new one that is not brass/gold in color. Looked around HD last time I was there but couldn't find one. Guess I could have just missed it...

thanks for the replies.

My wife and I are wanting to replace the hanging ceiling fan in our living room. It's one of those hanging 8ft or so down in a tall 2 story open living area. It's a little old fashioned (brass pole and fan), so we want to replace it all. Anyone know where to go to find both the fan and installation services? Seems like home depot/lowe's only have standard fans from what I see. I think a lift would be required (would this be safe on our hardwood floors?), as the ceiling seems too tall for a stepladder.

Any recommendations for an outfit would be great, I am in the Sugar Land area.

Thanks for any advice.

http://www.sugarlandtx.gov/tools/np/progra...ew.asp?ID=11504

Looks good to me and the trend is improving.

Whatever happened to the idea of Mo City changing the name of the city completely? Figured they would come up with something-Land be like the other burbs.

Is there still an Olive Garden coming up at HI-6 and Colonial Lakes? Read that on here awhile back, but don't see anything being done on that lot. I thought I also read something about a Fuddruckers in the area...any truth to that?

2500sq ft (open two story plan, single pane windows, decent amount of tree cover), keep 72 night/77 daytime when occupied (off during the work week hours), Gexa - $215

Finding a home in Sugar Land that is both under 260k and less than 3 years old is going to be a frustrating experience. I tried it last year, and gave that idea up pretty quick. Your only option will be Greatwood (freaking BFE, IMO...and technically not even Sugar Land yet (not FBISD if you have kids)) or maybe the Glen Laurel area. We finally decided on getting an older house (early 90s) in First Colony. I've done the new construction thing before I got my current home, and it does not compare to being in a great location in a slightly older home.

I honestly think First Colony is the most convenient. Obviously, not an option if you want to build. Mature trees, homes are not quite as cookie cutter, and awesome shopping access. It's the most convenient to both the Sugar Land towncenter/mall area, all the commercial along 6, and Missouri City's Riverstone shopping area (we go here more so than anywhere else, really). I am not sure how long it would take to get to the med center, but I get to and from the Galleria area in 35-40 minutes during peak rush hour (much of that is dealing with traffic on 610 and not on 59). The only problem is finding a house for sale. Took us awhile to find one we liked. The good ones that go on the market sell FAST.

We shopped around a lot before choosing First Colony this past fall. New Territory and Greatwood are very nice, but seemed too far out and we did not want to wait a few years for the freeway expansion to complete. Sienna just seems like it's out in the middle of nowhere. Gotta drive 4-8 miles to get to certain shopping or restaurants, and the Ft Bend toll road is almost a requirement vs using 59.

What is Raising Canes?

Raising Canes is a chicken finger joint...chicken fingers are pretty much the only thing they serve.

Is the Hardy really all that utilized outside of rush hour? I thought it was a money loser overall (compared to the beltway which is heavily used 24/7).

Not sure if this is the right forum for this. I am moving into a home I think in a few weeks. Its 15 years old or so and needs some work.

I need to rip out all the carpet (the whole house other than the foyer, kitchen, bathrooms, and family room) and get it replaced with a high quality replacement.

I need to repaint much of the interior. Many of the rooms will need to have wallpaper taken down and the walls properly textured before being painted.

The laminate wood floors in the family room look like they need a good buffing/cleaning (sanding? waxing? heck if I know).

I am lazy and plan to hire all this work out. Anyone have companies they can recommend that service the Sugar Land area for each of these items? Being insured and a BBB member would be a must. Efficiency is key as well, as I will be living with in-laws until the home gets done.

Much thanks!

Very helpful, thank you

Thanks, that was helpful . Anyone able to eliminate the ones on this list that are not east of 99? I can eliminate some, but a few have no listings. I deleted the ones that I could confirm were west of 99, and put "**"s next to the ones that are east of 99.

Preston Forest **

Blakely Bend

Brandon's Pointe

River Glenn

Cambridge Park

Robinson's Landing

Cias Ridge

Sander's Ridge

Clayton's Bend

Spencer's Glen

Crescent Ridge

Spinnaker Cove

Curran Place

Sterling Chase

Easton Lakes

Sterling Heights **

Foster's Green

Stone Creek

Greystone Place **

Stonehaven

Lake Pointe **

Sunset Cove

Lakewind **

Tessa Lakes **

Thompson's Landing

Meadow Crest

Walker's Station

Meadowvale

Watermill **

Morningside **

West Meadow

Pecan Park Estates ***

Pecan Pointe

Wilkin's Crossing

Pointe Royale

In the spirit of the other topic regarding First Colony, does anyone know where I can get a list of New Territory neighborhoods? Especially those on the east side of 99? Searching on HAR is difficult, and I know some of these homes are listed by their neighborhood in the subdivision search field instead of "New Territory".

Thank you!