innerlooper

Some other things to consider, when comparing high rise to stick frame single family: high rise is built to a much higher engineering standard, both structure and mechanicals; extra allotted footprint for elevators, fire escapes, mail room, lobby with Dale Chihuly chandelier etc; has to be fire-sprinklered; parking deck also has to be engineered; exterior maintenance/ window-washing from scaffold; and manned security 24/7. Oh and the pool that nobody ever uses.

One in 17 chance of being a crime victim. http://www.telegraphtoday.com/10-most-dangerous-cities-in-texas/8/

Mahogany is probably the most stable of the regular woods out there. Watch out for dust irritation and toxicity. Cut outside if possible or get good dust control. Tropical wood in particular has some nasty all-natural toxins. Norm Abram built a bunch of tables in his run on New Yankee Workshop. Utubes got some of them. Good place to learn. Note that he has very nice expensive equipment.

This is Kozol's book from 1991 and a lot has changed in school spending, though segregation has not. Irontiger is on the mark. An interesting spending example from DC.... http://edexcellence.net/publications/metro-dc-school-spending-explorer

Yes arguably best adaptation ever from a movie soundtrack, for the Eyewitness News franchise, the "Tar Sequence" from Cool Hand Luke, 1967. Lalo Schifrin, who also wrote the Mission Impossible music.

Allen Pway to southbound 45 is one of the best heart-pounding, white-knuckle experiences to be had in our otherwise bland city. For best effect, make the trip when 45 traffic is light and really moving, and have a raging guy with doolies on your back bumper. Im gonna miss it.

Well a second set of sliders inside the first is a glazier working with a contractor job....will need a studwall to fill in the top and sides. Maybe ask at Heights Glass, they've been around for ages.

Don't know about the special glass. Maybe laminated? You could just use insulated glass, that would help with the noise. On the north side of 2016 Main (high rise) there is a lot of noise off the Pierce elevated and some residents have installed a second set of sliders inside the original ones. Some angle the new doors slightly (into a vee, with the center stile further away from the old doors) to create even better soundproofing performance.

Looks to me like 311 needs to be more proactive about all the new illegal "private" parking restrictions on public rights of way. Check out the front of Bacchus on Dunlavy and Missouri. Also seeing various lines of large rocks that sprout to prevent any parking at all. This one is in Shady Acres. Photo taken from the street. Note sidewalk location.

RE construction at corner of 17th and Yale. I take it this is the SE corner, 128 W 17th. The lot at one time had two two-story houses on it, built in the 80s, with hardboard siding. Apparently they had multiple mortgage liens on them, part of the whole Couch Mortgage fiasco. Dean Couch was convicted of fraud in 1992 and committed suicide in the Harris Co jail using one of those electric coffee cup heaters. Anyway the places stood empty for years, and it was a real study in how hardboard siding can and will deteriorate over time if not kept sealed and painted. It hung from studs like seaweed at low tide. None of the lienholders would compromise, and at some point the buildings were torn down and the lot was used as a garden for many years. Looks like it became valuable enough to satisfy all the interested parties and improvements can again be added.

W/o seeing elevation drawings and invoices: Couple of thoughts. Can you find the 1997 engineer and his documentation? Be aware that some Ft Bend developments are notorious for heaving soil problems, not just settlement, and hopefully that was taken into account or eliminated as a cause when work was done. The recent drought wreaked havoc in our area. Stuff moved that had not moved in decades. Even with underpinning you have to "water" the slab. I would skip the extra piers at this point but try to maintain soil moisture esp if the drought returns this summer. Good info from M Gray. His watering system is easy to install. Just have to pay that pesky water bill. Can provide some other PE names who do foundation assessments as needed.

It was Coral (or Carl) Eugene Watts who killed and left at least one body in a wooded area to the west of Houston Ave/ White Oak intersection. Back then it was heavy scrub and could easily conceal a victim. From one site: "April 16, 1982: Carrie Jefferson, 32, was strangled and then stabbed twice as she returned home from her job at Houston's downtown post office. Watts buried Jefferson's body along White Oak Bayou." General info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Eugene_Watts

Anyone know for sure whether they were rocked already or not?

Safer than 5% of US cities...... http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/tx/houston/crime/

I don't have a dog in this fight. Uber gouging during peak times? http://valleywag.gawker.com/uber-forced-driver-shortage-to-boost-surge-pricing-1531501176

Anyway what's with the soda machines at the sidewalk? Do they dispense? Can they be in the weather like that?

Yes, the obstruction can be removed. In the late 1980's many of the N-S sewer lines in the Harvard/ Arlington/ Cortlandt area were redone, by a very efficient (read: private contractor) crew using a laser, working its way down the alleys installing PVC and reconnecting each house as they went along. They were down 8'+ in some places. This required having complete access to the alleys, and it worked just fine. Re-lining technology today probably would not require this kind of effort. BTW I think the alleys are 15' wide. The wider alleys found in the "industrial" blocks (West 17th, 18th, 19th etc) have a lot more older encroachment going on, including by living space, not just garages and sheds. Alleys there are wider to allow for train track sidings. City seems to be pretty accommodating with these (older existing only) as long as their trucks can get through. Probably their thinking is that over time, as property is redeveloped, the encroaching improvements will be removed and not rebuilt. Sewer re-lines were done on 19th a couple of years ago without much trouble. Its good that the alleys are kept clear. There is power, phone, cable, sewer, sometimes gas, sometimes water there. In areas of the city where there is only a 6' easement for utilities at the back lot line, crews have problems with access, and utilities are sometimes moved to the street at great expense. Also open alleys mean back entrance to garage is possible. The big negative is probably the crime factor. Some folks install 10' cedar topped with concertina after the third invasion.

Heights alley access was litigated by Premier Victorian Homes in 1998-2002. The trial court found for Premier and the court of appeals affirmed. Its a very long case (crazy long), but the gist of it was, the city never gave up the alleys. If you have nothing better do do, Premier Victorian Homes vs. Universal Printing (et al), in Harris Co. District Courts, Cause # 98-13161 Some resident agitation before the case was filed can be found here: http://www.houstonpress.com/1998-07-23/news/alley-fighting/

I was here for the '84+ bust. Like a fool I didn't jingle-mail the keys to the mortgage co. IF and when the crash comes (oil at $32 or so), the higher end rentals will discount for folks with decent credit, and the lesser rentals will go Sec 8. Like Gulfton Ghetto was once swanky anglo. Traffic will improve. No longer will southbound Yale be backed up to White Oak during the morning rush. Also you will be able to park at the front door of the Galleria on a Sat afternoon, no problem. Expect wrist-slashing/ divorces galore as $400K bungalows fetch $275K at auction. Geologists driving taxis? Wouldn't be the first time. Ruling class and professional english-speaking zip codes will survive, but city will go largely brown, when the amnestied send for their cousins. Boy do I miss the Gemco (corner Gessner and I-10). Some real deals there. I still carry my Gemco card for ID.

Marksmu, I take it you don't have to live next to this free spirit. Location: about as far from the Heights as the new Walmart.

I think they (AC contractors) picked this up from hospital HVAC practice. Unfortunately its become one of their "upsell" gee-gaws that they get at the supply house for $79 and charge you $500 to install (in one hour, by taking 120v from the furnace without a switch). AC companies don't seem to make enough from ordinary service and need to pitch these things, like overflow switches, attic stair tents, compressor hard-start kits, Honeywell filters, and the like. Much like cars and trucks. I bet they could sell a basic pickup truck for $12000 if they only put 1994 features in, like manual window cranks and an AM radio. But there isn't any money in it. Bottom line: if you can get it relatively cheap, it might kill some bugs along the way.

When having an assessment of your block and beam house for out of levelness, I would strongly suggest that the person not just do an elevation survey of the floors, but actually go under the house. A lot of floor sloping can be attributed to (underbuilt) floor structure deflecting under wall loads, and not to pier movement. Perhaps the most common effect is when partition walls, say between the kitchen and dining room or bedroom and bathroom, push the floors down (this took 50+ years and original builders can't be be faulted). The floor joists under these walls are parallel to the wall and were not designed to take the load. Also sheetrock added later increased the load. A good B&B repair company will be familiar with this situation and might try placing a 4x6 under the joists affected.

thnx.

Can anyone figure out the HCAD account for 1015 heights (burned Hawkins House)? its like it aint there.

If the agent is actually a Realtor® then you can take a look at the HAR Code of Ethics and potentially submit a written complaint to HAR: http://www.har.com/MemberTraining/dispCodeOfEthics.cfm You can also submit a written complaint to the TREC. https://www.trec.state.tx.us/complaintsconsumer/default.asp IMHO the agent should have advised you to disclose the situation with the sewer line. Looks to me like she didn't want an "unknown" to potentially kill the deal. Agents and most sellers tend to not take disclosure seriously, and most of the time they get away with it. And when lack of disclosure causes problems down the road, the seller becomes the bagholder. Note that if there had been a lawsuit, the agent would probably have been named also. She is lucky that you paid up.