MovingSoon

Houstonist is hosting their annual (?) crawfish boil this Saturday evening at the Volcano (in Rice Village) beginning at 5pm:

http://houstonist.com/2008/06/24/houstonis...awfish_boil.php

It's a measly $5.00 for all-you-can-eat mudbugs. Can't beat that! Shove a few pounds of crawdads down your gullet before heading out to Miller Outdoor Theatre or the Pride Parade or whatever catches your fancy Saturday night.

Hope to see y'all there!

sounds to tempting too pass. Is it going to be crowded? What's the parking situation there?

Has anyone been to Danton's on Montrose at 59? I've passed by but never gone. That's pretty close to the district.

Have been there for happy-hour half-price oysters. Not bad. Other than that Goodes seafood is slightly better food a bit cheaper. But I like Danton's atmosphere better.

I like Thai Sticks Restaurant, across the street from CVS on montrose. Danton's is Ok though I prefer Goodes Seafood.

Stay away from Chineese made scooters. They are crap. They are also getting savy in the marketing dept. - giving their stuff Italian names. Say no to Vitaccis and Venutos and Ricardos

Taiwanese also make very good scooters.. Kymco, supposedly a very solid brand... pretty easy to maintain.

- Can you share the links for the Chinese scooter quality complaints?I've heard those are getting better but have no reliable links..

Which are Taiwaneese models except Kymho?

I think similar question was raised before but I appreciate an answer:

-the 2008 appraisal value for the house we bought in 2007 is up 1.7 times to a value very close the purchase price.

I assume:

1) Homestead exemption does not apply in this case

2) Protesting to lower the value below sales price will not work (do they know it?)

How about the things left in the house by previous owner - fridge, dishwasher, washer-drier, safe, TV, portable hot-tub - are these considered part of the taxable value of the house?

I hate to hijack the thread but I have a related question. What's the probability to get a permit to built a balcony (actually extending existing one) over the property line. I was assuming 0 and it brried my good idea. Am I right?

thanks you all for your suggestions! Went to Path of Tea - great place. Was not so much impressed with Te House of Tea but still not bad.

[sorry for off-topic remark] All these Starbucks talk reminded me of Peets coffee. If you guys are ever in CA or somewhere else they are having these - i highlye recommends stopping by. The coffees are so much better than SB and I think better priced. And their beens are roasted propertly not overburned as most of the ones in SB.

I need a present for a tea lover - was thinking of an assorted tea set. what is the good place in Houston (central) to get it. I know that there is Teavana in the Galeria but i laways felt it to be overpriced and "too chainy". I would rather go to soem local small shop with large tea selection.

Amazon Grille is my favorite happy hour spot - cheap drinks and apetizers.

So it would appear to me that you could answer NO to this question if you didn't pull permits but the modifications/additions/repairs/alterations, as far as you know, are up to code.

That's not how "OR" works. But you would be right if there was "AND" in its place.

Can anyone expalining how timing could work? It the light switching is timed in ne direction it would not work in the opposite - right? Is it for one-way streets only?

Or I could not agree more!!! Even when the syncronization is in place it often does not make sence whatsoever. For quite a while MacGregor and alameda intersection lights were time to ensure that starting on green on South you'd just miss green on the North no matter how fat you start. As much as I am for the lightrail I don't see why all directions have red in midtown when the train passes. And on top of that why no right turn on red?

As for dynamic lights its long overdue - it will not only save time but decrease traffic cogestion as well.

Bath tub and countertops in the bathroom are made of "pearl-blue" tiles. I kinda like the color and "original" feel but some places are in definite need of facelift. What can I do - any product techniques recommendations? I am definitely not it the budget to completeyly retile the area and would like to preserve the original look. Have seen something about tile restoration but that includes repainting, right?

Here is a picture (attached) red is already repainted to off-white greenish blue.

Thanks!The field tile in the backsplash is 4x4 botticino marble and the inserts are 1x1 glass.

- Where are you getting tiles from? I really like the glass line at the bottom by the counter top.

Looks great! Love your backsplash. What are the materials? may steal your design...

have you considering different colors for bedroom moldings - I am not a big fan of white trim...

Hardwood floors in my new place need a facelift, especially in the kitchen area. How much does it costs? How long is the job - how long is the area will be avoided? Any contractor recomendations?

If I only opt for doing kitchen area and leave living room as it is (it is pretty good as is) will the boundary be visible?

We are looking to make a Friday night revervation for 20-25 people dinner in a nice restaurant but not overly priced (say, about $50 pp or less). Churrascos&Kubos are booked, couple of others are booked as well. It has to be accomodating to wide variety of tastes an good. Would really prefer private rooms. Any suggestions? (it should be not too far from Rice/Med Center area)

Saw in my backyard these afternoon.

Who is that? Should I try to get rid of it - looked pretty cute and harmless.

Best material is by far clad wood, but it depends on your budget and configurations.

Ok. I've decided that I am doing three 36*24 windows. Now I need a contractor recommendation who can do it all - cut an opening do brick work and install the frames and windows or alternatively really good company to do part of the openings.

Feel free to PM me with referrals.

The second question is which brand of windows to go with. The only "window"in that room is a 8*9 3 panel patio door (original form 1978 I guess). It is single panel glass and looks very energy inefficient. Also the sunscreens on it block most of the light. I am considering to eventually replace it but not now. To match the door - I would have to go with aluminum. Are there any top brands for that? HD sells HR Windows but these are too cheap to be very good. Any experience with these?

Is Andersen really worth their price? What troubles me is that it won't be possible to get a matching patio door thru them. Any other wood-clad brands to consider? I am open to vinyl as well but will be looking for a brand that has variety of colors - I rally don't like white ones.

One thing I hope they do is build a better connection to campus. Maybe there will be a new path around the track stadium. As it is, you have to walk on Main to get there. While that isn't a big deal, it kind of makes it feel separated from campus. It would be really great if you could walk directly from campus to the new building.Interesting that it's being designed so they can add floors later. That seems to be the trend in the medical center.

There is a new Rice Master-plan that is suppose to turn campus main axis to be more in-line with Main st. The track field will be gone, there would be an alley leading to that building etc. But that's probably ain't gonna happen for another few years.link

Architecturally-wise it is a compromise between Rice and TMC style, compromise between need of high-teck labs and the the consistent outside looks. Overall I feel it is not too bad.

The inside plans are very cool.I don't think there is any plans to add floors later but there is a plan to add another "rectangular tower" to the round hub. However, this is going to be a commercial development (they are looking for investors) which will then lease this space to biotech/med-tech companies

Yeah, I think we pretty much sure some more windows are needed. Skylight is not an option.

But something like skylight but along the top of the wall might be excellent. However, it will have to cut thru many slabs and may make is cost-prohibitive. In any case is there any good software out there to help with remodeling design. I don't mean engineering aspect rather aesthetic part of it.

Thanks

he wants completely new openings which would add a few more challenges.

Yeah, new openings is the key... Otherwise I might go for it myself. As for materials advices are appreciated - clad wood looks nice and matches the style.

IMO there are just too many IFs to provide a number. you may have to move electrical/plumbing beyond the things i mentioned earlier. so what is a reasonable budget to you?

I would say about or under $2k per window would be reasonable. Plumbing is not going to be an issue and I think it is possibel to position windows to avoid any electrical work.

By the way for those who are considering switching here is a nice deal from Continental Onepass:

-Earn 4,000 bonus miles for switching to Gexa and signing up for Auto Bill Payment with AMEX card

-Earn two miles for every $1 spent on electricity each month.

The rates look competetive.