TexasP

Brennans has updated their website. They're still saying "Early 2010" but don't get more specific than that. You can befriend them on Facebook...

http://www.brennansh....com/reopening/

We've go the answer: January 2010

from today's Chronicle: http://blogs.chron.c...ed_executi.html

[Danny] Trace has been named as the new executive chef for Brennan's of Houston, which is expected to open in January, co-owner Alex Brennan-Martin announced Tuesday.

... Like many in New Orleans, Trace lost everything in Hurricane Katrina in 2005. But the Louisiana native rebuilt his home and career. When the Commander's family opened Café Adelaide, it asked Trace to come in as executive chef. Trace earned good reviews at Café Adelaide, which led to his executive chef position with Commander's Palace & On the Rocks Bar.

...

According to Brennan-Martin, the Brennan's of Houston menu will marry modern Creole cooking with Texas Creole cuisine and Trace's own touches honed at Café Adelaide and a "Floribbean" flair from Destin.

I can see from the 527 Spur that the reconstruction of Brennan's restaurant is moving along now. I think they spent a long time stabilizing the bricks and are now reframing the interior, but there's still no roof.

Anyone know of a timeline for the grand re-opening?

Hmm... just found this thread.

I know the new owners of this property. They are Montrose residents and their plan is build 3 small modern houses on the lot. I haven't seen their architects plans, but I can guarantee they'll be really cool. Definitely not going to be cookie-cutter townhouses or faux-Italianate blech, and they're building 3 so as to keep the prices reasonable. Each one will be different from the others.

The old mansion had been open to the weather for years (decades?) and wasn't salvageable. Various good bits were collected by Architectural Salvage.

Cao, TexasP

The houses were built on "block-and-beam", usually meaning beams placed on top of above-ground pilings, usually built of brick. People will often call the houses pier-and-beam, but technically pier-and-beam means the footings have been sunk into the ground (ala piers on a boat dock).

This method of construction makes the home very easy to work on and build, nevermind the fact that no one was very adept at pouring concrete slabs before WW2. Today it means that replumbing/rewiring is a cinch compared to a 50s ranch house.

The walls in the older houses are usually lath, sometimes with plaster on top, and sometimes with just a wallpaper or a similar surface on top. Many have been drywalled over. The earliest houses may have what is known as "balloon framing", meaning there is a clear gap from the ground all the way to the roof. This is not ideal for either fire protection or keeping creatures out. Most people will close up the gaps between the studs on these types of houses. Very few of the houses have had insulation put between the studs in the walls. However, with cypress or brick siding + a layer of lath + plaster + drywall, most are insulated enough. The ceiling/attic is where you need to worry about insulating.

You will not have mosquitoes under your house unless you get standing water or lots of vines/debris under the house. Mosquitoes must have moisture to live. Water under the house will cause a whole host of other problems, so it is definitely something to address early on if you have it.

I have a MistAway mosquito misting system, but I am using a pyrethrin chemical. It works great. I never see a mosquito. From my research, the "natural oil" formulations just don't work. The oils will also leave a sticky build-up on lawn furniture etc. over time.

Thanks very much for the information. Are there are reference books available on the genre of 20s bungalows? The house we're looking at has some leaded glass windows and I'd like to find out if they are original and/or stylistically appropriate.

Are there any pitfalls to mounting heavy objects (say, for example, a big flat screen tv) on a lath wall? Will regular stud finders work?

I'll look into the MistAway system. About how much does it cost per month?

Patrick

Hello HAIF,

My wife and I are considering the purchase of a 1926 bungalow in Montrose and would like to find out more about exactly how these houses were constructed.

Does anyone know why the post 'n' beam foundation was used back then? Was it intended to increase ventilation, or to guard against flooding, or? Are these foundation types notorious for breeding mosquitoes? It seems to me that humid, shady places would guarantee a bumper crop, yet this style seems ubiquitous for homes of a certain age.

How were the walls constructed? Should they be plaster on lath?

Does anyone have experience with the "Nature's Pest Solution" organic mosquito mist system? As per http://naturespest.com/id5.html, they claim it contains only "Rosemary Oil, Cinnamon Oil, Lemon Grass Oil, and Wintergreen Oil". My instinctive reaction is to be skeptical, but if it works...