jm1fd

I went for the first time recently. We parked in the lot down next to Katz's lot...no towing, short walk. As for the food...it was rather good, but the portions can't be considered generous.

I haven't noticed 88 anywhere either. I have, however, seen 92 instead of 93 before.

The black is probably ABS plastic, not iron...

If a neighbor reports you to the city, the city will come after you and enforce the deed restrictions....only takes one with a stick up their ass.

Hi from a first-time poster, long-time lurker,

Just wanted to say this forum is amazing. I came here looking for info on an amusement park that was at Westpark and the Southwest Fwy and have been lurking ever since

Being such a Houston history buff and a bit of data junkie, I recently stumbled across HCAD's public data site where you can download their data files in bulk. Wow!

I've always been interested in old houses in the Houston area. I even remember driving around when I was a kid and being interested in who lived near Westheimer and Hwy 6 in that white old 2-story house. (Yes, I was a strange kid

Anyway, I've posted (as an Excel file) a little query I made re: houses built before 1900. Of over 900,000 A1 (single, family residential) properties only about 200 were built before 1900!

Keep up the good work!

bees-knees

HCAD's year built info is notoriously inaccurate for houses built before ~1950 or so. I mean come on....does 200 sound like a reasonable answer? No.

So my question. Is it to be assumed that all 5 neighborhoods have active deed restrictions.

No. Depends on the individual property....espescially in ELCA....they've gone around to homeowners through the years, trying to get them to sign up for restrictions on a property by property basis.

Also.. i found 2 properties for sale on HAR in the civic association's domain that say there are No restrictions on the property. I don't know if that was wrong information or if one of the neighborhoods they cover no longer has deed restrictions.. but if it is correct, then what authority would the Civic Association and their review committee have if i snatched up that property and built a house completely out of character from the rest of the neighborhood ?

No restrictions on the parcel, then they have no authority. Simple as that.

gotcha.. so there would never be an instance where there is a restricted property in an older neighborhood if the deed restrictions for the neighborhood expired ?

I have seen instances of restricted lots in older neighborhoods that were largely un-restricted. This was not due to a replat but rather individual property owners signing up to bind their land to the restrictions. I would think the same process would apply for properties where the restrictions have expired.

A more aggressive sander such as a belt sander or an angle grinder would probably make things go faster, espescially when it comes to getting things more or less even. You can follow up with the hand sander for the final pass.

This building is such a stunner! Gorgeous! I can't wait until they've completed restoring it. I also hope they get a bit more organization to the museum side of things...the exhibits are pretty disjointed, and lacking context.

Finally got to drive the Volkswagen CC (VR6), and I have to say it's a fantastic car. It's big, at least for me, but the ride is great--softer than the BMW, and about the same as the Lexus. Controls feel good, and the interior is top quality.

The dealer let me take one home for the night, a pleasant surprise, and the extended test drive is having its intended effect! If the price is right, it might be a contender.

Be sure to test drive a Sebring 'cause that's what you're going to be spending a lot of quality time in while the VW is broke down.

My trusty 'Downtowner' map from 1940 shows 'Inside Parking' at that corner.

Inside parking? Like a parking garage? How odd.

Speaking of near-luxury Japanese cars, I drove a 2008 Lexus IS350 today. Loaded up with navigation, backup camera, bluetooth, and a luscious 306 HP engine. I wasn't sure what to expect, as Lexus isn't my cup of tea. But in my short test drive, I came away very impressed. For me, it has a nice combination of luxury and sport. Unlike the BMW 335, which is sport, then luxury, the IS350 is more the opposite. The interior materials felt terrific, and the acceleration was strong. Not too firm. The only thing I didn't care for was the back seat. It was very comfortable, but the gun slit rear windows combined with a black interior, makes for some claustrophobia. A tan interior would help.

This car has moved up to the top of my list, with the 335i second, and the C350 a distant third.

Just get the Lexus. You won't regret it. I positively ADORED my SC 400...it was such an endearing car.

They've unearthed what appears to be the basement of a building at the corner of Caroline and Franklin. Anybody know what building used to be at that corner?

Does anyone know how they go about changing out the meter? We were leaving our driveway gate open during the day to allow them easier access. However, when it is open, the gate blocks the breaker box (though not the meter, which is above it). I am not sure how they actually shut off the power to work on the meter and want to make it as easy as possible for them.

The meter sits in a socket, it is plug and play. They just cut the seal, pop the lock-ring off, pull the old meter out of the socket (cutting power to your house), pop the new one into the socket and put the lockring & a new seal back on.

SF is definitely an attractive option from a home size standpoint, but I'm a little leery of the area. There's an awful lot of traffic noise from 610, and many homes appear to have seen better days.

The noise from the loop isn't bad. Have you looked at the section between Shepherd and Ella? The houses are in better condition in that section, and a few McMansions have popped up in that section.

We lived in Lazybrook and liked it but didn't want to pay for a larger house, so we moved to Brookwoods Estates. It's like a two street neighborhood between Dacoma and 34th on TC Jester. Pros are MUCH bigger houses, MUCH bigger lots (most of them min. 14,600), nice active neighbors and many of the houses are remodeled or about to be. Buying and selling has been good around here, one just came on and sold like in a week. Con is the street that some of the houses (on Brookwoods Dr) back up to, Sherwood, which has a lot of apartments. I would pick Ascot if I had it to do again because they lack backing up to that or any sort of thru traffic. Ridiculously easy access to 290 and 610. It's a nice alternative to some of the closer areas

http://search.har.co...=Y&Address=3909 Ascot Ln

http://search.har.co...=Y&Address=3918 Ascot Ln

http://search.har.co...=Y&Address=2709 Helberg Rd

Brookwoods Estates is so pretty, although overpriced considering most of it is in the floodplain, there are several houses in the neighborhood that have been turned into businesses, and as mentioned, there are numerous large, ghetto apartment complexes just a block away....that means CRIME CRIME CRIME!

What about BURGERS, WINGS and THINGS on Pinemont? Anybody ever gone there?

AKA Little Bitty Burger Barn? Their sliders are DAMN tasty. The burgers are pretty good but the sliders are where its at!

I always love going to Roznovsky's Hamburgers when I'm in that area (T.C. Jester and 34th). I'm surprised that no one has mentioned this place yet. They always make consistently good food.

Roznovsky's is BLAND BLAND BLAND. I'd rather have Wendy's....faster and better tasting.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned The Petrol Station on Wakefield. I hadn't been in almost 3 years and stopped by one night to meet some friends who live on the area. GREAT lamb burgers and a huge draft beer selection. Good coffee too.

The PeeTroll Station had lousy coffee when they started out as a coffee house, and it felt like the owners were living in the place.

So my questions are:

1) How can I prevent wood rot in the future? I didn't see paint peeling or holes in the exterior siding. Did the original installer not prime both sides and the ends?

Keep it painted, and keep it as dry as possible.

Google makes them and an internet connection is built in to the thing so that your utility company can eventually start selling you internet service (or just upgrade big brother)

Google makes what? The meters? Really? Cite your source.

The more competition for AT&T and Comcrap, the better.

Anybody heard about these townhomes?

http://search.har.co...Westcross%20101

Yes. They're on the wrong side of Shepherd.

I guess I ought to take that as a compliment.

I think he/she/it was confusing you with me....

Just saw this... I'm with you. I drive a Mazda Protege and love it. If I were buying a new car I'd get the Mazda 5 (microvan), since it would have room for a friend or two of the two rugrats already occupying the backseat. We were just talking last night about what car we would get if we won a million bucks. We agreed we'd still get the Mazda. Or maybe go wild and get a little Volvo 5-door. We are wild, wild, wild people.

Mazda builds great cars that have PERSONALITY. Best of all they're a better deal when used than a Honda/Toyota since they're just as reliable but don't quite retain their resale value as well.

• View New Content link is now under the user drop-down box.
• View New Content now shows all content since the user's last visit, not just strictly new content.

I would suggest you put #1 back out in the open where it is obvious. Noticing that feature sitting out in the open one day made HAIF infinitely more useful and interactive for me.

Thanks for fixing #2.