Memorial Bend Mod - 12839 Butterfly

[hugoks]

those of you who keep an eye on real-estate listings in memorial bend may be interested in seeing the before pictures of 12839 butterfly.

listing: http://search.har.com/engine/12839-Butterfly-Ln-Houston-TX-77024_HAR32270941.htm

before (1956): http://memorialbendarchitecture.com/12839but_hcad.jpg

[sevfiv]

Oh dear!

[rbarz]

What a nightmare...

[gto250us]

Gee, the place looks good to me. What am i missing?

[sevfiv]

Oh also, here is the full memorialbendarchitecture.com page for 12839 Butterfly:

http://memorialbendarchitecture.com/12839but.htm

[Willowisp]

You must not visit the Houston Mod forum very often. This house is a classic case of trying to turn a house into something it isn't and stripping it of it's original architectural intent. Most people may not think that's a big deal, but those who love the 50s modern ranch style like to see houses stay in that style. Once that style is gone, it's pretty tough to get it back, or at least it's cost prohibitive. It's not my taste to try to turn a traditional house into a modern house or vice versa, though I've seen a few nice examples of traditional houses being made "modern".

Furthermore, there's an especially sensitive component here because it's in Memorial Bend, a neighborhood which has been taken apart lately.

Gee, the place looks good to me. What am i missing?

[domus48]

Key to the topic at hand is architectural integrity. That is to say that at home's inception, there existed a design intent which in turn was echoed within the neighborhood at large. By reducing the original look to that of a "decorated shed', what remains is a shell of the former edifice. And as "Willowisp" points out, such is problematic to restore once stripped away. The issue here is more about rendering correct, informed decisions rather than those of style over all else.

What's to be gained by reducing a Modern home to old world, neo-colonial pastiche? While such may make the current homeowner pleased, it is not true to the nature of the home as it was intended. Nor for that matter is such true to the neighborhood -- which has unfortunately, suffered at the hands of both ill informed renovators and context oblivious builders (as if) of late.

Nothing new, it just is.

Edited February 11, 2010 by domus48

[names]

I'm intrigued by the idea of restoring a home like this, not to it's original design but to it's original design intent. The colonial pastiche may be decoration but there are some rather momentous programmatic shifts in owners and their valuations. The facade is the most glaring example of programmatic shifts, and if I were to redesign the home I would have to seriously consider the based assumptions of the programmatic shifts as part of the home's evolution; even if those changes may have been on the surface ill informed. Beautiful home before, average home after, & perhaps beautiful again with the proper vision.

Edited February 11, 2010 by names

[sevfiv]

I tried to see if I could get a more clear 1956 picture of the house but the paper still didn't reproduce that well. Here's a little bit larger image, though:

[Willowisp]

I would thank you and wish you the best in restoring this house, but I don't have that kind of energy or patience. I would look for a house that's not nearly as far gone as this and save a lot of money and time. ...Coming from someone who spent too much money on a restoration and can still look around his house and see a hundred other things that need doing.

I'm intrigued by the idea of restoring a home like this, not to it's original design but to it's original design intent. The colonial pastiche may be decoration but there are some rather momentous programmatic shifts in owners and their valuations. The facade is the most glaring example of programmatic shifts, and if I were to redesign the home I would have to seriously consider the based assumptions of the programmatic shifts as part of the home's evolution; even if those changes may have been on the surface ill informed. Beautiful home before, average home after, & perhaps beautiful again with the proper vision.

[Willowisp]

Look at this as an example of a house I would consider. It's about the same price, though a completely different area. Willow Meadows is more traditional than Memorial Bend, but there are a lot less tear downs so far. Unless you work in the energy corridor/Westchase, I would consider Willow Meadows a more convenient location. I'm biased though, it's my area.

Take a long look at that kitchen because unless someone who "GETS IT" buys this house, the kitchen is a goner.

http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cfm?MLNUM=35918594

[sevfiv]

^I love the kitchen!

And that front door would be too easy to replace!

[sevfiv]

Also, just on the other side of the architectural bad decision coin, are the lot value listings. Here are three on Butterfly (the third a nicely worded "live in now build later crap):

http://search.har.com/engine/12915-Butterfly-Ln-Houston-TX-77024_HAR72572424.htm

http://search.har.com/engine/12851-Butterfly-Ln-Houston-TX-77024_HAR82473158.htm

http://search.har.com/engine/12906-Butterfly-Ln-Houston-TX-77024_HAR85190423.htm

[NenaE]

Ohhhh, that first post is painful, they painted the wooden ceiling beam.

Nice original pic of the design. IMO - sadly, many home owners down have a clue what architectural integrity means.

I don't think I can even bear to drive through Memorial Bend, anymore.

Edited February 13, 2010 by NenaE

[NekoCase]

I thought I won the MCM jackpot when I bought my incredible patio set from the Wigton house. It is a really neat house and the family selling it had said they wanted someone to buy it and love it as much as they had. The window in the front was worth buying the house IMO. Hope someone buys it and loves it for what it is.