sonic0boom

There's a "your tax dollars at work" sign catercorner from Lola that says that $2-3 million has been funded for 11th St renovation btw Heights and Studemont. I would imagine all of this is related to that project.

How do these new rules impact small businesses that are within the historic district?

Hey, maybe they'll force half the bars and restaurants on White Oak to shut down and become gas stations and auto shops again.

Oh please. I live in a bungalow that cost less than 300k and I have a say yes sign in my yard. The real elitism is coming from the builders/realtors/architects that want to destroy what is left of Houston's historic homes just for a quick buck. They think that if you have enough money, you should not have to be subject to any democratic process. That is elitism.

A couple things here:

1. A realtor would be happy to sell a renovated $500K bungalow just as soon as a $500K new build. In fact, they would much prefer the former because a neighborhood of renovated homes is much more desirable. Take a look on HAR, and you'll see that nice, restored bungalows don't go for that much less than a newer house in the neighborhood that has twice the square footage.

2. "... destroy what is left of Houston's historic homes...". In context of most of the older homes in the Heights, this is like saying that the homes in Cinco Ranch will be historic 60-70 years from now. I won't go in to differences with build quality or the look/character of the home, but most of the homes in the Heights were built with the same idea in mind -- cheaper, working class single family homes in the 'burbs.

And just another observation, I am amazed at how much the Heights has kept its character over the past 10 years despite all these evil, elitist builders/realtors/architects. We're talking about one of the hottest neighborhoods in one of the nation's largest cities and yet in the main Heights area, you are more likely to see a smaller, older home than a McVic. All this without the proposed changes.

Makes sense. All i know is that i just booked a massage at $45/hr and it's about a block and half away. Very dangerous .... sort of like living next to the new WalMart and needing a car battery at 2AM. I mean, what's to stop you from going all the time? (If that doesn't make sense, Angie, feel free to wade through the WalMart thread here. Also, welcome to the Heights and to HAIF)

Nothing wrong with self promotion for a new business! Thanks for the update ... I found the site after i posted my msg, but it didn't have any info.

Does anyone have the scoop for We Heart Massage on White Oak in the old Sew Crafty location? I'm not exactly sure what a massage co-op is, but the thought of walking two blocks to grab a massage sounds a-ok to me, especially if the prices are good.

I think the one at Carter & Cooley on 19th is surprisingly good.

I second that.

For something that, as far as I know, isn't a done deal, there's been a lot of activity on the lot recently. Looks like they are doing some clearing and leveling of the land. Not what i would consider "breaking ground", though (as compared to what the new Whole Foods site looks like).

Someone said Mango Beach is "by Stude Park", but where? 'Cos that might be walking distance...

I believe you saw the signs for Washington Grill, which will be behind the clothing store across the street from Sunbeam.

I trust Scott McLellan absolutely.

Not the Bush II press secretary Scott McLellan, I'm talking about the HEB guy. He's on TV all the time telling me how I can save money shopping at HEB, so he's got to be trustworthy.

All i can think of whenever I see him in those commercials is that he should be making enough money to afford a better cut suit. Not the intent of the commercials, I'm sure, but I shop at Kroger, anyway.

Hey Niche, i think the customer service counter at a grocery store will sell you a single stamp. And if the line is long, you can at least buy some ice cream and eat it while waiting....

Back to the original poster re: Les Givrals. It opened last week, i believe, complete with beer and liquor license (unlike the other locations). Well, it is Washington Ave, after all.

If this is the case then I'm afraid they're at a competitive disadvantage. Big Time.

Hrm ... well, i could totally be making that up. Or it could have been the case way back in nineteen dickety six when they originally opened. The location next to Freebirds on Shepherd/Richmond never seems to have an issue with bare shelves come Sunday/Monday.

My wife and I went with Allied since they are based in Houston. We figured that being local might ensure that they have a better relationship with the contractors they use here. Whether or not that is the case vs. other non-Houston based home warranty services, they have been really responsive, and the service has been good. Their deductible is $60 per occurrence. Among the list of things they've taken care of so far: topping off the freon in the AC, putting in a new garbage disposal, and fixing the exhaust on an over the range microwave. All for $60 a pop, so we can't complain since we also got our warranty as part of the closing on this house. We haven't decided yet if we will renew once the initial year is up, but i would certainly renew with them if we do.

I am curious -- which warranty service did your agent not recommend?

Tuesday Morning is sort of like Marshalls and TJ Max in that they sell overstock items and the like at a discount. It can be hit or miss, obviously, but some good finds can be found, especially in the bath and bedding department. I think the name comes from the fact that their weekly shipments of new stuff come in Tuesday mornings.

Hey Mark, I'll drop you a line.

Does anyone have any experience obtaining a lot loan? I'm looking to purchase a lot with the hopes of building in 3-5 years. I figure that land will only continue to get more expensive (looking in the Heights area), and I would be best off getting the land now rather than waiting for when I'm ready to build. I talked to one broker and the company they work with that handles lot loans requires that the loan be converted to a construction loan or be paid off after 2 years ... no if's, and's, or but's. I'm looking for something more like 5 years (or no such terms like that). It seems that lenders are being more strict with these types of loans, but surely some place is more flexible than a 2 year call. Thanks!

My wife and I recently volunteered as docents for the Heights home tour and were at the McIntyre house. I really liked the house -- modern and very livable. The owner was also the architect, so I grabbed some cards on the way out.

McIntyire + Robinowitz Architects

713.520.9336

And the builder was Kerry Galvin Homes, Inc at 713.683.9642

Mr McIntyre was there and I overheard a number of conversations he had with visitors and believe i heard him say that $150-200 sq/ft is what he typically works with.

On a side note, what do these firms typically charge to design a house. Let's say we are building a 3,000 sq/ft house at $150 sq/ft .... so that's 450K + how much for the design aspect? Or does that avg sq/ft cost typically roll in the design costs, too?

Was that post supposed to be sarcastic? Not to mention that I don't think that Kroger shopping center has any historical merit (I assume in being lumped in with the Main St feel of 19th St).

Anyway, if I'm confused about anything in that statement, it's the part about courting Lesley Pool Supply. I guess i need a pool to get it.

Airline Seafood is great (especially when i lived around the corner), and i know that a number of cooks (the restaurant kind) shop there.

As to Heights-area places, I believe there are some on Airline in the vicinity of Canino's. Hopefully someone can confirm...

Well, we went on Friday night and had a great dinner. We showed up a little past 5 and were the first ones there, which was great since we could pick the corner table and sit next to each other. Seating is mostly a long bench along two walls with 2 tops set close to each other. When it's busy, you can probably expect to get to know your neighbors a bit. I had the soup de jour, a vegetable and beef soup in an herb broth, and a rare tuna salad with ginger slaw. Both were excellent and the salad was quite spicy. My wife had the fried chicken with polenta rather than the normal mashed potatoes. The chicken appeared to be pan fried rather than deep fried. I, of course, had to sample it, and it was all very good. I don't know if this was the cheddar polenta Heights_yankee had (my wife told our server that she is trying to cut down on her dairy intake) or if it was just a plain polenta, but I also felt it was one of the highlights of dinner. For dessert, we had funnel cake with fresh fruit and a chocolate pecan pie. Add a nice bottle of pinot noir for $30, and our total check came out to a bit over $70. Looking for a cheaper experience? No problem ... you can stick to a couple entrees and a couple glasses of wine for under $40.

We will definitely be coming back here. I'm not sure that I would compare this directly to Lola, except that they are new, mid-priced Heights eateries. Lola, though, has sort of been our standard casual dinner fare recently, but I never felt that it lived up to its prices (i think they could stand to lower them about 25%). Bistro Zelko, drinks aside, runs about the same price, but it is a much, much nicer experience and the food is a big step up. And ... they will also do takeout!

The house is 9 years old, so it'll be PVC.

I ended up calling Roto Rooter, mostly because they do not charge to come out and make an estimate (they also had mostly positive reviews and there's the shout out here). We have 7 houses all clustered together with a shared courtyard, and he thought the leak was on the line next to ours, anyway, so it's good that i didn't have to pay anyone $50 to come out and tell me that. He estimated $290 for the job. Dunno if that's high, low, or average, but it's not as much as I was afraid it could cost.

Thanks for the updates. It's my anniversary today, and I was thinking of taking my wife here tonight. Sounds like we'll do just fine!

I believe the soft opening was yesterday .... come on, let's get some first impressions!