Marksmu

I will tell you what I bought...The way I see it is that you only need to be comfortable at night....during the day you can swim, drive to a mall or restaurant, or somewhere with power...without spending any money. I bought an 11.5KW bobcat 250 EFI Welder/Generator combo. 22 hp. When only partially loaded it is relatively efficient....14 hours on a 12 gallon tank. Its use is for the necessary items only and only at night...I abandon my house after the storm and relocate to the garage apartment...its much smaller (488sqft), though fully appointed and is quite comfortable for a few people. I will kick it up the generator about an hour before bed time, and plug the AC set to 50 into it...When the generator is on, so is the deep freeze, and the other two refrigerators....after about an hour the freezers and refrigerators will cycle off and I unplug them and turn the generator down to just the needed power level (because its a welder it has knobs for this)....it will come down to a much slower speed just for the AC because it has electric fuel injection. As to fuel, between my wife and I, and her parents who come to our house in storms since they live in Galveston, our cars are completely full....that will give us about 70 gallons of unleaded for the generator. My truck runs on diesel and I keep it full as well. I also have a 250 gallon fuel trailer that is normally on the ranch (that is evacuated in a storm) that comes home with me. We use my truck for driving, and if needed siphon fuel from the cars for the generator....I also have 5, 5gallon fuel cans of unleaded that I fill at the start of hurricane season and then put in my wife's car at the end of the season when nothing happened. I probably end up running the ac for about 5 hours total, and once we cool the apartment down and the fridges/freezers, there is no more in/out for the night....we stay inside. Items we use frequently like water, soda, beer, etc...go in the coolers which we use ice packs in. I cycle the ice packs out of the deep freeze once a day...the deep freeze holds -10F and after about 9 hours without power and without opening the door, it will still be about 25F....by night it reaches 30 and I plug it in, swap ice packs and refill the coolers for the next day. I think we can last about a month in this fashion if we had too....I had to have the genset for the freezer...I have 700+lbs of beef in it.

2721 Ashland is not what anyone who thinks about the heights proper considers the Heights. It may technically be in the Heights, but the area up there is significantly more undeveloped and surrounded by many undesirable elements... It is quite possibly the worst choice for a comparison property... A MUCH better comparison would be the properties located on the 1000 block of Tulane....Lets see what happens there...the seller REQUIRED one person purchase all of the lots. Your intellectually honesty is called to question with EVERY post as you deliberately pick an example that is not even remotely close to accurate.

You are not forced into binding arbitration. You can have a judicial appeal as well...you just have to file suit within 45 days of receipt of your notice from the ARB.

He can file suit in district court and pay the amount of money not in dispute now.....probably not worth it...however I bet hcad settles most of these rather than deal with the expense of litigating them....I just doubt most homeowners are willing to go through the trouble. From: http://www.hcad.org/Help/Process/Guide.asp Texas law requires you to comply with tax payment requirements before delinquency if you plan to file motions with the appraisal review board alleging failure of the appraisal district or ARB to send you a required notice, if you file a pre-delinquency motion asking correction of a substantial error (an over appraisal of at least 1/3), or if you plan to appeal an appraisal review board determination to district court. In these instances, you must pay the amount of taxes due on the portion of the taxable value of the property that is not in dispute or the amount of taxes imposed on the property in the preceding year, whichever is greater; or the amount of taxes due on the property under the order from which the appeal is taken.

Sadly, poorly educated morons in government has become the norm these days. Those who can do, those who cant... well they just take a government job.

Ive only been in front of the HCAD ARB board one time....I was very careful to follow 100% of the rules pertaining to copies of my evidence for each board member & the appraiser and I dressed in a suit/tie....I felt that by doing so they took me more seriously...I allowed the appraiser to make his case just like I knew he would, and then I destroyed it with my own particular evidence...I lowered my appraised value by more than $140,000 and was quite happy with the outcome. When it was over the ARB members thanked me for providing them each a copy of the evidence and for having an organized argument that made the process an easy decision. Regardless of my outcome - I have always believed that these people deal with a lot of people with alot of sour attitudes and a plethora of extremely poor arguments.....the only real way to win is to be polite and professional to the point of wanting to kill yourself, regardless of their attitude, and then to have superior evidence. The appraisal comparisons that HCAD uses are usually quite easy to pick apart differences on.

Mklultra25 and Niche are both correct. These guns are not illegal. You can buy them, usually special order, from any number of legitimate gun shops. I had thought about getting one, but I never figured I would ever have an occasion to carry one....why not? Well - its illegal to have a gun, even a conceal carry one, in a place that makes more than 51% of their income on booze - IE a bar...and bars are the only place I go that I may have to walk any real distance from the establishment to my car that I have a high likelihood of being mugged because I can not carry....every other time/place, a small concealed carry 9mm is a better choice b/c I can hold substantially more rounds or pack a more intimidating punch....the last gun Im going to pick up would be a .410 pistol if someone is in the house....Ill take my pump shotgun all day/every day in those close quarters....if nothing else, the sound of a pump shotgun chambering a round is enough to send 99% of the thugs and would be robbers running out the door....I will even choose my pump over my auto shotgun just for that sound.

1) Courts actually can tell a municipality what they did was not fair (see slew of cases on condemnation), and they absolutely can tell a municipality that an ordinance was not properly followed and therefore negate the effect of the municipalities actions - this is done daily. That is the precise function of the courts - to interpret and evenly enforce the law as it is written and approved by the municipality. 2) The city did not bend over backwards to allow opponents to do anything. Read the lawsuit. The timeline in the suit is accurate. The city crammed/rammed/obstructed/ignored throughout the process. If you think that the cities actions were bending over and being accommodating to an opposition view you are out of your mind. I have never witnessed a more hostile, disingenuous, deliberately one-sided action in my life. 3) The people who wanted the districts abolished nearly accomplished in less than 30 days what took the city and the HAHC nearly 10 years to accomplish. The opposition was able to get more individuals to agree with them than the city did. The only way the ordinances passed was through improper use of city owned property to get the necessary support... Im not just saying this to be argumentative, but your version of reality is seriously distorted and completely ignores what actually happened.

I dont have an answer to that question...I have read conflicting opinions on insulating the crawlspace...both from open cell and closed cell foam distributors.... I can tell you from experiences that I currently have batt insulation under my house and I have checked it frequently to see if it retains moisture that could cause wood rot....It is perfectly dry at all times....HOWEVER I will also say that I can not tell that it does anything. In the winter, my floors are ice cold, and the summer they are generally room temperature. Sorry I can't answer your question as to that issue...The house we are building is on slab so I have not spent the time to research foam in crawlspaces.

That house has an asking price of $895,000...which they have not gotten....its been on the market for nearly 6 months and has not sold therefore its a pretty basic conclusion that this property is not worth $895,000. Posting a house for $895,000 on HAR does not make the house worth $895,000. Any of us who own houses that are not ugly camelback remodels could post our houses for sale on HAR too for ridiculous amounts that we would never get....could we then use them to say that we are right...look the new homes are worth more!!! As a matter of fact I have a 2007 house on a 6600sq ft lot with a private pool that is now worth $1,200,000 because I have decided that $1,200,000 is the price I want to list it at. Does not matter to me if it doesnt sell....I made my point to you...new construction is obviously worth more...its a smaller house and it costs more!

Still not sold....148 days on the market....must not be quite the gem that everyone makes it out to be....most of the properties that don't suck are less than 40 days right now.

I read the complaint....its pretty well got the facts and timeline 100% correct, which is great... When you really lay out the method that was taken to shove this ordinance down our throat it reeks of bad politics....Without doing more research Im not sure about all of his causes of action, and I am far from up to speed on how/when you can sue the city...I know there is a level of immunity which has to be overcome and the complaint did not address that....but I could VERY easily be wrong, as I have done absolutely zero work in litigation against a city....I may have a couple other causes of action that I could think of...I wonder if they need more properties to join the suit to have additional COA's? Ive still got a house that would fit nicely into this timeline... I also think that the judge this case was assigned to is likely to have to recuse himself from the issue since he has taken a stand on historic preservation in his court bio. Just b/c it was assigned to his court does not mean that he will be the judge who ultimately hears the issue.

There are two types of foam insulation - open cell and closed cell....the closed cell is bad for our climate because it does not breathe at all, the open cell is not. The open cell actually allows moisture to migrate through the foam the same way it would through the batt insulation....Also dont confuse spray in foam with blown in insulation - the two are drastically different....I believe you probably know this, but if not here ya go. Blown in insulation is essentially newspaper that is sprayed into your wall wet. It does have the possibility of settling into the base of the wall cavity though there is so much of it blown in, that it is unlikely to settle substantially....it is mixed with a fire retardant and some form of a glue due to its high flammability. Spray foam insulation on the other hand is an adhesive expanding foam. The open cell is ideal for Houston's climate. It is non-toxic, contains a fungicide to prevent any mold or algae growth in the event of moisture problems from a leaky roof or window, and it allows water to pass through it.....The R Value is not significantly higher than batt insulation but its ability to seal the exterior of the home so tightly makes it a tremendously better choice. Foam insulation does not settle or fall to the bottom of the cavity ever....the adhesive used in the foam will not separate from the wall....even if you wanted it too. For pure insulation numbers spray foam vs batt is essentially a wash...however due to its sealing abilities, it drastically reduces drafts, insects and rodents and air leaks from windows/doors/corners etc. In regards to electrical issues and foam, I plan on placing all my exterior wall wiring in conduit....not because of the foam, but because its just a better practice and the cost is miniscule...With my wiring in conduit it becomes simple to address any electrical issues that may arise....especially new technology that may come with future electronics. Finally, the ERV system and the dehumidifier are not required for foam insulation, they are both things I want to install. My wife has severe allergies and the ERV system reduces dust/pollen and other allergen levels substantially better than a standard hvac system, and at a fraction of the cost of a home air purifier. The dehumidifier is for personal comfort and cost savings. If you have never felt the comfort difference between a 78 degree house with a dehumidifier and one without - it is drastic. At my current home 78 is uncomfortably hot even when your not moving....in the models that use the system we looked at - 78 was not nearly as uncomfortable. The system we are looking into reduced the humidity level from a 74% RH inside a home without it to a 42% RH inside the same model with it....the feeling was noticeable and the cost is negligible in the scope of a new build. Most of the whole home systems can be installed for less than $2500 if done during the initial construction phase. Electric savings alone will pay for it...but the home will be more comfortable. Long winded conclusion. Foam is not a solution for everyone, and it is usually a poor choice for a remodel or insulation upgrade in our climate. However, on new construction, when the entire home envelope is being designed to complement it, it becomes a superior product.

Foam insulation has come a long long way. Now the foam is non-toxic, they have fungicides mixed with them to prevent mold growth and they seal the house extremely efficiently with excellent R Vales....the one thing on new construction is that they seal so well that you can have built up pollution from household cleaners, dust, and just breathing to the point where the inside air is not actually clean. To counter this they now use fresh air exchange systems (ERV) that pull in fresh air and run it through a filter and per-conditioner to cool it off then mix it with the return line on the AC unit to provide clean outside air into the house. I have done extensive research on foam insulation as I am in the planning stages of a new home for myself and I intend to use it....My new house will have foam insulation, high efficiency windows, high seer hvac, an ERV fresh air system, and a whole house dehumidifier....couple all that with a North/South sun elevation and I hope to have about the same electric bill as I currently do with slightly less than double my current square footage.

some people just want to say something and dont care about grammar or spelling some people hate capitalizing words and some people hate punctuation while still others despise run on sentences with lots of mspelled wrds everywhre but me personally I dont care about any of those things as long as a walmart gets built and I can sit under the shade of beautiful brand new 2-3 caliper inch tree and bask in the glorious odors of taco cabana while I enjoy me some cheap queso

Paranoid or prepared? Its a perspective thing...Wife says Im paranoid, I say Im prepared...either way I have already gone and gotten everything I need to stick it out here in Houston for 6-7 days without power or services....fuel/food/water/booze - I hope it misses us though. I dont need anything else to clean up after....one 2 year old is plenty.

Last time I was in Calgary, I was amazed how little litter there was. It is one of the cleanest large cities I have ever seen....It was very clean....I really enjoyed Calgary too...I may have to go back.

Banning the bags will do little to stem the litter everywhere. Bags make up very little of the litter I see....unfortunately littering is culturally ingrained into many of the residents of Houston....some folks do not even realize that littering is ugly or illegal....the ban is not designed to stem littering its designed to cut down on the amount of plastic waste that goes into our landfills....at least that is my interpretation of it.

I also reuse them daily. I use them for trash in my house, I bring my lunch to work in them, I take diapers out with them, wet clothes get packed in them, dog food travels in them, you name it...I use them constantly....not only that, I take about 80% of them back to the store and dump them in the recycling for them at the store just because I get more than I can use. I admittedly am not a big recycler, but these bags get lots of use at my house and what is not used gets recycled when I get sick of seeing them on the floor of my pantry.

Old "bungalows" are almost always a Box, sometimes a perfect box, so it's even funnier when you complain of the new builds being boxy. Not only that these old boxes are not some incredible type of construction...they are nothing more than track homes that just happened to have been built a long time ago. Next your going to tell me we need to preserve the west side of Pearland....if we start now we can preserve the suburb exactly as it was built!

DING DING - I live on Waverly - I own a lot and a half which made my lot 50' wide. My neighbors on both sides, own old small homes that are on 33' lots.... S3MH cant be bothered to check facts. Furthermore it is not an optical illusion - its actually happening Areas to the West of Heights INSIDE the district which was not built up prior to the ordinance being passed are still being ignored....Areas to the West of Heights OUTSIDE the district are booming. New beautiful construction with every single one of them being sold PRIOR to completion....meanwhile you have "bungalows" that look like someone actually dropped another house on top of the old house sitting complete and unsold on HAR for months. Any realtor with half a brain can tell you, and prove to you, that the ordinance is having a negative effect on properties inside the district. You cant get all your information from HAR because the properties that people actually are fighting over never have to list on HAR - the builders can build them and save the 6% for themselves because people actually want them. Its not illusion, its not hyperbole, its not exaggeration. The historic district has improved the market for new construction in the areas outside of it. It is a fact; any argument to the contrary is non-factual opinion.

The biggest difference between zoning and what has happened here is that the zoning went into effect before construction started and homes existed....In this case a minority of owners were able to change the rules and force their beliefs on everyone retroactively......People had owned homes they planned to renovate as they saw fit for many years and had the rules changed overnight and without any form of compensation. Zoning does give predictability in an area knowing it will remain residential but it does not control the quality of the homes....this ordinance is bad all the way around for everyone who wanted to purchase property to live in and eventually sell at a premium, or upgrade to live in themselves. It only benefits those who have a small house they want to keep the property taxes down on. And as was stated above - 77008 is a large area code....but the properties that are selling like hot cakes are the $500,000-$650,000 new construction homes (not the faux McCamelbacks). Even though people have their own opinions, I know of nobody who actually believes a McCamelback is an improvement on a small well maintained shack. Drive down Waverly or Nicholson between 11th and 12th. Look at the quantity of new construction there...13 houses in less than a year...ALL sold. 2 currently under construction, 1 of which is owner building...then drive between 9th and 11th on Waverly and Nicholson....I have not counted but I believe its in the neighborhood of 11 houses completed & sold in the last year - and those have sold DESPITE being located across the street from and next door to an inpatient mental hospital. The areas West of Yale outside of the district are BOOMING - there is no comparison at all that can be made anywhere inside of the ordinance area. Its not an exaggeration, just drive the area- you will see it yourself. Half the properties never make HAR as the builder is able to sell them without a realtor listing just by putting his sign out front....most of these homes dont list until they are half complete and not already sold.

I agree with what you have said about the ordinance and the way it is enforced in principal...however the response I actually want to make requires a new thread - as my response to your voter id analogy would be the threadjacking of all threadjackings....much like this thread has devolved into a historic thread ordinance. Overly cumbersome and restrictive rules definitively lower participation in renovation and new construction. Not only does it lower the participation but it adds significant cost...S3MH, and her ilk, would have you believe the additional costs are negligible, and if the materials and builders who used them were plentiful, she may be right...but they are not. That materials are not plentiful, builders who work with them even less so, and in the end the homeowner who builds/renovates is the one who is stuck with the interest on a construction loan that never ends because they have not gotten the permission or approval from the glorious all knowing HAHC.

A mature tree? Yes - I agree. But no mature tree is worth $197,500 dollars. ONLY, and I do mean ONLY a government entity would ever spend that kind of money (other peoples) to save something like a tree.

Silver - stop using logic to arrive at logical conclusions.....What S3MH fails to see is that all of those properties are "for sale" while all but one of the 13 properties that she calls McVics or cheap faux boxes are SOLD (all for between $599,000 and $620,000)....I know, I know, its a tiny distinction, but it is a distinction most builders do care about! I live in a brand new historic home just outside of the historic district. What makes my brand new home historic you say? I reused the survey stakes that were placed in the 20s! Yes - I retained 100% of the original survey stakes! Every evening I can sit on my front porch and wave hi to my neighbors knowing that I have contributed to the history of the area by not removing or altering them....I mean, ya I did put new ones that do a better job in but I left the old ones there!