toadfroggy

This is so my house. Well, my wiring is updated and I don't think I have foundation problems, but I appreciate the sentiment. It took a while for me before the flaws quit sticking out so much. Ike made a big difference in that regard. My house went through it like a champ. Just keep reminding yourself that only a really good house would still be here.

I drove home via Cortlandt yesterday. The one at 25th looks complete (it's not taped off anymore), and they put something of a retaining wall there to handle the grade change. Perhaps that was an issue that wasn't addressed the first time around. I didn't really notice the "before", but the "after" looks pretty well done.

I've been meaning to ask about this for weeks. Until now, there had only been the signs in the nabe. But today, I noticed half a dozen HAR listings. A couple of them are for remodels, a couple of them are for new construction on vacant lots, at least one is for construction on a lot with an existing house. The agent for all is Ashton Martini, who is part of Derr's group, but other than that does anyone know anything about them? Just a small development outfit, aiming mainly at rehab? Who's the money? Are they strictly in Heights/Sunset Heights, or are they elsewhere as well?

Everyone should make at least one trip to C & D just for the novelty of the experience.

I've been scoping ceramic tile for my kitchen. You can look at what Daltile has available at their website: www.daltile.com You can't buy online, but they have a showroom on Richmond. I haven't been to the showroom, so I don't know what they have available to show, but I'd be willing to bet they have at least a sample of everything the website shows you, and would certainly be able to sell you anything the manufacturer offers. The navigation on the website can be a little confusing. The kind of thing you're probably looking for is the "Natural Hues" series, so make sure you see that before you decide they don't have what you're looking for.

I find the used car lots along that stretch of Shepherd much more palatable to my taste than the abandoned properties you may find elsewhere in the Heights. No matter how junky or rundown a place looks, there's an optimism to the neighborhood businesses that I find appealing. BTW, I like that Fiesta; it's like a quick trip to Mexico. But I do find it puzzling that there seems to be so little interest in more upscale commercial development in the area.

That Washington Mutual is closed. Last I knew, the building was empty. I don't know what the crime scene tape was about, but pretty sure it wasn't a bank robbery. BTW, that Kroger is my main store. It sucks except for the location, but unless and until there's something both better and closer, it will remain my main store. I shop at the Walgreens too.

I was able to build a new garage with only a 3 ft setback on the side. I actually increased the rear setback from where it was originally, because it related to the house better that way, but I shifted it (and the driveway) over a few feet toward my neighbor. Anyway, I can't imagine that your rear setback would need to be any greater than the side setback. I'm sorta in Sunset Heights (Milroy Place) and my project was fully permitted and inspected with that 3 ft. setback.

For me, it was also a process of elimination. I was ready to give up apartment life for a yard, but I didn't need or want a lot of house. It had to be close in because I'm a city girl, but in a somewhat safe area because I live alone. Heights, because it still has some tiny, not-completely-redone houses was what I could afford given the other criteria. I didn't really target the Heights area. It was just where I found the house that was right for me. As it is I'm not in Heights proper, but the distinction doesn't really mean anything to me. To me, Heights is quintessential Houston. If you like Houston, you'd like the Heights. If you just can't bring yourself to embrace Houston in all its messiness, then you'd probably not like the Heights much either. To me, it feels like home.

FYI...423 Isolde is for sale. http://search.har.com/engine/doSearch.cfm?...&FOR_SALE=1

I agree. It would be like taking your own popcorn to the movies. Some folks do it, but I think it's the definition of cheapskate. That said, I think Aramark is the Mafia. Seriously.

I've never known anyone who has used them for anything less than a complete install, but English Sheet Metal is owned by an old friend of the family. www.englishsheetmetal.com

I don't know anything about its performance over time, but I think the Silestone that looks like terrazzo is very pretty. I'm still thinking I'll be going with tile when I redo my countertops, though. Part of my problem with granite is that it just wouldn't look right in my old house, but a big part is that I'm commitment phobic. All that expense and then you decide you don't like the look anymore, and you can't just send it back to the quarry and I don't know what kind of aftermarket or recycling options it affords.

Yeah, I think those lanterns are ugly and they don't go with the house, but it's a small negative.

I don't know whether this house would appeal to purists, and don't know if the architect is of any note, but I'm in love

But the white appliances are in the garage apartment/guest house. The main house's kitchen does have stainless and granite.

Cool? Nifty? It's good to be able to access the information, but honestly, all such websites make me feel like I need a shower after viewing.

I think a lot of the newer houses in the Heights are quite lovely. Some of them sit their lots quite gracefully and fit in well with their neighbors. And some of the older houses aren't really worth saving. I don't really like the house that started this discussion. I'm not a huge fan of the Craftsman style and to me that house has a lot of the things I don't like about the style and few of the things I do. It seems to me that vernacular elements such as the clipped gables don't belong on a house of that size. It just looks "off" to me. Just because much of the Heights was originally Craftsman style, doesn't mean anything that's describable as Craftsman is going to fit in. Some of them do, but it's not a given. That particular house looks huge in person and I don't think it's worth the money, but it will probably find a buyer at or near that price. Most of the properties in the immediate vicinity have already turned over into new builds and besides, it's within walking distance of Starbucks. It's also not one I would characterize as a McMansion. It's too big and I think it's ugly, but since it lacks a turret, I'll spare it that label. Part of what bugs me about all the new builds in the neighborhood is that my little house is starting to look pretty shabby by comparison. I'm virtually certain my house won't survive its next change of ownership. That makes me kinda sad. It also means I look at improvements differently. Improvements really have to enhance liveability because they don't add anything to resale value (even if I was planning on ever moving and I'm not), but the increased value of the dirt it sits on just means my taxes go up. I get why folks are attracted to new. Some of the funky things about my house I could do without. At the same time, I don't think folks realize that part of what gives the Heights its "feel" comes from those funky old places and the kind of people that are OK with a little funk.

I think it depends on how far west you're talking about. I'm on E 25th and my house and my street has always been high and dry, but I'm not in the floodplain. I wasn't living there during Allison, but there was a bad day of street flooding in 2007, when I had to wade home because Yale, Heights, and Harvard were both knee high at 20th St. The streets were impassable for several blocks around, but once I got to 25th, it was clear. I think it helps that it's not a curbed street, so water pools in the ditches rather than the street. The flooding that occurred immediately post-Ike was a problem north of the Loop around Main and Yale. I remember not being able to exit Yale westbound due to high water, but at Shepherd it was OK. I also walked around a lot after Ike just checking things out and I didn't notice any evidence that anyone had had water in their houses, but I didn't wander west of Shepherd. I heard from my next-door neighbor that areas "on the other side of Yale" didn't fare well during Allison, but she may have been referring to Shady Acres or Timbergrove rather than that part of Heights.

Nothing wrong with any of it per se....just expressing my disdain for anything trendy and a little added disdain for trendiness in general, especially as regards a house you conceivably will still be living in thirty years from now.

Surely the term arose to describe a "mansion" built for the mass market--a rather oxymoronic thing. Some houses seem to be built by formula or to conform to a flow chart, as if someone did a marketing survey that told them that folks paying n for a house expect it to have x, y, and z, so they set out to build within those parameters but with little understanding of the value of the intangibles about a house that can't be listed on a brochure. They are the housing equivalent of "two all beef patties..." They may meet someone's needs, particularly if that's all that's available where they want to live, but I can't help but think that those neighborhoods have just been Supersized. Houses are bigger, but not better. There's little recognition of the value of a smaller, but well-designed space, and building to the lot line seems to totally negate the value of some space outside the walls that's also part of your home. This is starting to sound like a rant, sorry. I'll stop now.

If you're going to be reselling at some point, go single-family. A residential lot inside the loop will appreciate or hold its value much better than any structure that sits on it. If, on the other hand, you like the idea of renting out, then a townhouse is probably a better idea.

Since you'll be here only a short time and, I'm assuming, you'll need a furnished unit, you may not have a great many choices. I'd suggest you look into one of the corporate stay services like Marriott Execustay. I got into that recently in a work-related situation. We didn't end up going with anyone because the guy cancelled on us, but I remember several promising things came up when I included "short-term" and "furnished" in my Googling. But to echo others here, Rice Lofts would be an excellent choice. Post Midtown another one. Both pricey, but you didn't indicate any budgetary restrictions.

When I was little, my mother would take me and my sister downtown every Christmas to see the Christmas displays and do a little shopping. We'd go listen to the choir at the bank (National Bank of Commerce, IIRC) and get wassail and gingerbread, and we'd make the rounds of all the stores to see their decorations. Sakowitz had cages of live white doves; Foley's had the Calico Angels.

Well, I see I was imprecise in my rumormongering. The rumor I heard was that the newly redone sections had flooded badly, while the un-redone sections fared much better. I only ask because my street doesn't have curbs/gutters and if my neighbors get it in their minds that we should petition the city to change it (there's been talk), I want to be informed about what might result. We're high and dry right now, even though I did have to wade home once about a year and a half ago when my block became an island. I hate my ditch, but the aesthetics don't matter much to me if the drainage is compromised.