TforTx

I raced my go kart there once in the mid 80's.  It was a 1/8 mile oval and they raced go karts and what were called micro midgets then, now usually referred to as mini-sprints.  They were powered by 250cc 2-stroke engines.  I read that at some point the track was made into a 1/4 mile for full size cars and renamed (but I wasn't able to find out the name) and the go-karts and mini sprints moved to a new track also in Alvin called Gulf Coast Speedway.  I believe that track is still active.
 

About the site... have you tried www.HouseAlmanac.com ?

Thanks, that looks like the site I was thinking of.

Due to divorce, I will be buying a "re-starter" home in Katy to be close to my children. I found a web site a while back that listed percentage of possible rentals per neighborhood and/or street, but I can't remember the site. Can anyone help? I know I can get a rough idea from perusing HCAD.

Due to my price point, any neighborhood I choose will have a fair number of rentals, but if one neighborhood has much more, I would probably rule it out.

The survey done in 2003 clearly showed the encroachment, so all parties were aware. We couldn't get this resolved prior to closing so the buyers bailed. I now have a denial letter in hand from Centerpoint...so...what comes to mind is that removing the portion of the pool over the easement is the way to go. Guess we'll talk to the pool builder and hopefully can come to some sort of resolution.

We had a pool built about 15 years ago and, at the time, we agreed that the decking could enrcroach into the utility easement. During a survey done in 2003, it shows that the actual pool encroaches 8" x 6" or so in two places ( it's a freeform pool). I failed to notice the pool encroached.

Now, due to separation, we are selling the house. We have a contract on it. I filled a consent to encroach with Centerpoint and based on conversations with them, was hopeful that the pool encroachment (but not the decking) would be approved. I just found out that it is being denied based on the pool encroachment.

Obviously, this is a bad. Does anyone have any expericence with what options one has with this issue arises?. The pool company who built the pool is still around.

I need to add sensors to a new door that was installed where no door existed. The wiring exists in the wall. I had someone lined up to do the job for me but he said that the places he had in mind won't sell him any parts because he is unlicensed. I wouldn't mind hiring an alarm company however I have a contract on the house and I'm trying to get this done prior to inspections. (what's that about lack of planning not constituting an emergency )

The alarm is not monitored. Any suggestions where I could buy the parts?

I've been shopping at HEB almost exclusively but I can't say if they are cheaper than Kroger on everyday prices. I tend to buy a high percentage of ad items. HEB (and I imagine all their competitors) has different ads for different stores. Recently I stopped off at the store on 18th street by my office expecting to pick up a few items in my sale ad from the Chronicle, but alas, the same items weren't on sale there. I suspect the bigger bargains are fouind at stores with a viable competitor close by.

Normally I shop at the Fry Rd./Grand Parkway HEB which is a great store.

Thanks all for the feedback. I believe I could live with it until it became damaged, at which time I would definately replace with Hardie. Good stuff. I agree with the comments about Masonite. I had a house years ago with that stuff and one panel reminded me of a cardboard box that that gotten wet and then dried. When he sold the house I planned on replacing it but the buyers asked for an allowance. The new owners didn't re-side for about 5 years lol..

What drawbacks are there to vinyl siding in Houston, other than the fact that it's an environmental disaster and less visually appealing than other options? I was looking at a house that has a good bit of it. The house was built in the early 1980's by a tract home builder ( Versailles Homes, I believe) that actually used it on their new constructon featuring Victorian influenced elevations. This house appears to have had it replaced at one time.

Not being porus, does it promote mold growth? Poorer insulation? The seams look really weird, they run vertically and they look like air can get in, I wonder if that is an attempt to vent?

Ive had a few friends live here over the years. It is a GREAT place for the price! Let me repeat, for the price. Maybe a little light on the Yuppie clientele but you can't beat the location (if you work in the Energy Corridor), the schools (you can apply to SBISD from here), and the park (Terry Hershey is at your front door!!!). I've noticed over the years though, that the units are changing hands and much updating is being done by the previous or new landlords, so prices may be rising. But due to its location and proximity to local amenities (walking distance to the new Kendall branch library now) I can't see why more people don't live here.

The rent is still very reasonable for the ones available now. As expected, the updated units are a bit more but seem like a great value based on my search so far.

Who the hell robs a cyclist anyway? You're lucky if he is even carrying his wallet.

Yeah, I always figure I'm pretty safe from robbery because I'm not exactly the flashy type, but someone that would shoot you for an i-pod, well, that's scary.

Due to a change in maritial status I will be moving from Katy and have decided to rent for a year- and my budget will be limited. I work in the Heights and considered moving there (garage apt.) but I really want to be closer to Katy and my children. I found several townhomes for rent in the Meadows at Memorial. I really like the location next to Terry Hershey park, and it's equidistant from Katy and my office.

The complex is older that most in the area and does not have many amenities but it is such a great location. The apartment ratings are awful but there is nothing posted for the last 2 years. It appears that each 4 plex is now individually owned. I don't know if that's good or bad. . And yes, I know crime can happen anywhere but it does happen in some places more than others. Reading the reviews, I wonder if the reasonable rents are due to increased crime or simply a perception of increased crime. I've always thought of that general area as having little crime,figured mostly property crime, and I'm a 50 year old male who has lived in a few questionable areas in my time so I take the reviews with a grain of salt. But - I just noticed that a someone was shot during a robbery in Terry Hershey several months ago. Has the Westchase Katrina influx filtered west as some say?

I'm selling a Surveillance DVR Capture Card and software for a computer. It installs in a PCI slot and requires Windows XP. I purchased it last year on eBay for $80, played around with it and decided it was more than I needed. It has 16 video channels and 4 audio channels. I misplaced the connector for cameras 8-16 so you're limited to 8 cameras.

The PC must have an Intel chipset motherboard (no Via/AMD). I was running it with 3 cameras in a dedicated PC I built with ancient parts (Pentium III 933mhz) Although it does have 4 video chips built on the board it still taxed the computer - definitely requires a dedicated PC for best results.

Apparently, the card is a clone of a very expensive name brand, Geovision, and came with an older version of the software. There were a few similar ones on eBay recently. If you sign in and search for High End DVR CCTV 16Ch Camera-120fps 4 ch Audio GV 800 in completed listings, you should find an example of how it looks and the detailed specs.

I'm asking $40 for the card and will throw in the PIII motherboard and CPU for free if you desire. If you're willing to work a little you could have a very good surveillance system for much less than a standalone DVR.

While I enjoy the HAIF forums tremendously I am a lurker who seldom posts, and the last time I wished to post I couldn't log in - I had forgotten that the displayed user name is not necessarily the same as the login name. Perhaps my account had been deleted due to non-use, I thought. So I created a new account. Soon after that, the light bulb went off and I remembered how to log into the original account.

But the fun didn't end there. I am transitioning all my email addresses into one that is not ISP dependent and I used that email when I created the new account. Once I was back in my original HAIF user account, I attempted to change the email address to my preferred email but could not because that email already was associated with the new account. No problem, I thought, simply change the email in the new account to something else. No joy though, as I still get the duplicate email message. I assume that the email address at time of creation must be a unique indentifier.

If I could delete the newer account (it has no posts), I believe that would solve my problem. But I don't know how that can be accomplished.

I can understand the market for nail salons and cleaners more that I can understand all the flooring places, and mattress stores (think this was discussed in another thread) that are popping up. It's like, "Say honey, it's been 6 months, let's re-do the flooring and get a new matress.