Garden Villas Neighborhood Real Estate & Developments

[GREASER]

i am not sure which house this was/is (link seems dead) - but if it backs up to sims bayou then the lot sqft numbers on the tax rolls are not the "useable" sq. footage. This is a result of the very large flood control easements that were put in when they re-did the bayou in the 90's (i believe the easement is on the HCAD maps with a dashed line) .

They probably got tired of telling prospective buyers that you can't really use the back half of your property.

thats correct, but a realtor had told me half the property had a lien on it. The back yard is now half of what the neighbors are...and thats half the useable area. I am sure this very cool house will loose and be torn down.

also the har listing was taken down the day the barrier was put up in the back.

[gnu]

thats correct, but a realtor had told me half the property had a lien on it. The back yard is now half of what the neighbors are...and thats half the useable area. I am sure this very cool house will loose and be torn down.

also the har listing was taken down the day the barrier was put up in the back.

that IS crazy.

is the new separate lot even big enough for another house??

[WVK]

Newly renovated Garden Villas website: http://www.gardenvillas.org/outside_home.asp

[WVK]

The Five Most Underrated Neighborhoods

Everyone knows THE places to be in Houston. It's just a question of which one fits your taste (and wallet).

River Oaks, the Heights, Montrose, Bellaire -- everyone knows those places. But Houston is so vast, so unpredictable, that little bubbles of terrific neighborhoods pop up in the weirdest places.

Here are five of the most underrated neighborhoods in Houston, not ranked, just listed:

1.<a href="http://idylwood.org/photo-gallery/">Idylwood

Inside the loop, but southeast of downtown instead of the more fashionable west, Idylwood was developed in the 1930s and, like most of these underrated places, watched helplessly as development trended elsewhere.

Left behind were affordable classic homes, winding lanes covered by perfect trees, with parks and open space that takes advantage of Brays Bayou and the Villa de Matel convent, pictured above.

2. Oak Forest

Even though its homeowners association's webpage is as intimidating as you'd want -- full of bossy announcements about parking and permits -- Oak Forest itself is a less prominent little sister to Garden Oaks, which used to be an underrated neighborhood but now is on everyone's radar. Oak Forest offers everything Garden Oaks does, more or less, but at cheaper prices. On the northwest side of town, it's outside the Loop but if traffic disaster strikes on the mainlanes there are plenty of alternative ways to get home.

3. Garden Villas

Let's get the bad news out of the way upfront -- you're near Hobby Airport. Planes will be a part of your life. But so will great old houses from the `30s and `40s, lots of pecan trees, and reasonable prices. You get used to the planes, we're told.

4. Robindell

Hey, the guys at Swamplot voted it the city's most underappreciated neighborhood, so who are we to argue? Robindell is a small neighborhood on the borders of Bellaire and Meyerland. It's got the trees those areas have, but instead of McMansions it's been able to keep its older homes from being uprooted. Like many of these neighborhoods, you don't have to travel far to find trouble, but it's worth the occasional siren going by in the night.

5. Glenbrook Valley

Hey, the guys at Houston Press (that's us!!) named it the city's "Best Hidden Neighborhood," so who are we to argue? (It'd be a little schizophrenic, really.)

Our description from last year: "it reminds us of a much more stylish Sharpstown, with houses that would do a Mad Men character proud set on lots practically the size of small farms."

The neighborhood's webpage embraces the `60s feeling, and residents there have been resolute in preserving the history of the place.

[Specwriter]

The Five Most Underrated Neighborhoods

Well, WVK, you've "let the cat out of the bag." Seriously, Glenbrook Valley has received some positive recognition lately because of its location which is convenient to downtown and the Greenway Plaza area. Skip the 45-610 interchange by taking Reveille to get on the freeway and you avoid the worst of the traffic. If you look at real estate prices in Oak Forest you see that it too has been "discovered." Maybe I'm just more aware of it, being a Houston native, but Idylwood seems to be a secret everyone knows. I know a professor at U of H who chose to buy in Idlywood instead of University Oaks (larger houses and closer to campus) because the terrain near the bayou reminded him of his home town in Pennsylvania.

I owned a house in Garden Villas in the 1990s. It was a "livable teardown" - a previous-owner-designed-and-built mess. But the lot was glorious. It had a total of over 30 trees including about a half dozen well producing pecan trees (paper shell). I think it's fair to say my house was directly under the landing path to Hobby. I could stand in my driveway and see the rivets on the belly of the planes flying overhead. The 737s weren't too bad. The newer series were quieter still than those with the engines that looked like an old Electrolux vacuum cleaner. Sometimes an ancient 727 would fly over and those could really be HEARD. When I was inside the house the noise was no bother and it seemed flights stopped for the most part by 11:00pm and, if planes were taking off that way, I never noticed any earlier than about 7:00am.

What was my reason for leaving apart from the realization that I was never going to get around to building my "dream house" on the lot? Schools or lack thereof. In the late 90's I was just hearing too much negative stuff about the junior high in particular. My son did attend GV Elem. in kindergarten and 1st grade and I could see, even at that level, some things that didn't seem right. The situation may have changed by now. For less than what I would have spent sending my son and daughter to a private school across town (not to mention the hassle of getting them there) I got a very nice house in the Clear Lake area and a school system with which I am totally satisfied. Both are in college now and doing well.

The good news in my story is I realized a very nice profit on my investment in a Garden Villas property. I bought in 1995 (we had leased from the previous owners estate for two years prior to that) and sold in the summer of 2000 before the dot-com bust and 9/11. As someone else wrote previously, I could see several new, large houses being built in the neighborhood and was able to take advantage of the opportunity.

Would I move back to Garden Villas today? With no children in school and the improvements (or at least lack of decline) I have seen in the neighborhood to this point I would consider it except that I no longer have the desire to keep up a yard, especially a large one. I'm presently looking for a good townhouse inside the loop but one which won't cost more than the house I have near Clear Lake. For convenience, tranquility (air planes considered), and reasonable price per sq. ft. of land Garden Villas is hard to beat.

[WVK]

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd244/WEVK/DSC07757.jpg

One bedroom one bath apartment with 2 car garage for $525.00 month (includes water & gas).

New carpeting and fresh paint. No pets or smoking. Private, fully fenced.

713-641-6413

[5th Gen]

I rented an adorable green shack with a red corrugated roof in Garden Villas during grad school for $375 all bills paid. The planes didn't bother me a bit, but the roosters in the neighborhood often woke me up. People would come from outside the neighborhood to harvest the glut of pecans produced by the trees lining the streets. The neighborhood itself felt like the country, but driving down Telephone Rd. to get there was depressing. The crime problem is very real there- I was almost taken by two men when I got out of my car to rescue a puppy. The lots are beautiful, but if I were to live in the area again I would choose Glenbrook Valley hands down.

[NenaE]

I love Glenbrook Valley, Idylwood & Houston Country Club, but I think Forest Hill is a special space, as well. Some of the lots are very large. Beautiful trees, nicely laid out. Garden Villas is unique, as well.

[msteele6]

5th Gen,

Forget the roosters, the real noisemakers in Garden Villas are the peacocks, there must be at least 100 of them and they can really make the noise. The sound exactly like a woman crying.

[Texasepies]

5th Gen,

Forget the roosters, the real noisemakers in Garden Villas are the peacocks, there must be at least 100 of them and they can really make the noise. The sound exactly like a woman crying.

More Garden Villas photos, and a little history. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.451193691372.242257.71454851372&type=1

[NenaE]

That's funny...a peacock trotting across the road. lol. They're beautiful, but really do have that extremely haunting call, or cry, it seems.

Can't imagine so many. They're breeding like rabbits? Garden Villas oka Peacock Villa.

BTW - State Representative Ralph Wallace grew up in a house in Garden Villas, one of those formal-looking, rectangle, 2 story houses w/ sun porch.

He played the piano, had a grand piano in his living room.

I saw the house when he was running his campaign for office, he won.

[Specwriter]

That's funny...a peacock trotting across the road. lol. They're beautiful, but really do have that extremely haunting call, or cry, it seems.

Can't imagine so many. They're breeding like rabbits? Garden Villas oka Peacock Villa.

BTW - State Representative Ralph Wallace grew up in a house in Garden Villas, one of those formal-looking, rectangle, 2 story houses w/ sun porch.

He played the piano, had a grand piano in his living room.

I saw the house when he was running his campaign for office, he won.

Other famous Garden Villagers, or is it Garden Villains? (Hey, I'm just making a joke. I don't think either of these are bad people.): Jordy Tollet, former President of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau; and the late Houston city councilman (and baseball player) Frank Mancuso. Both, I believe, lived on Sims Drive and I understand Mr. Tollet grew up there in his parents' home. I don't believe he lived in Garden Villas as an adult.

And yes, I did hear and see the peacocks. They do sound like someone crying out in distress.

[NenaE]

http://www.texasfreeway.com/Houston/historic/freeway_planning_maps/images/1942_houston_major_street_plan.jpg

I think this map is wrong, it lists Garden Villas (st. or neighborhood name, or both?) located where Meadowbrook, and more specifically where Sam Houston Gardens neighborhoods are actually placed. Howard Dr. was/ is the name of the major street through Meadowbrook. Garden Villas, on this map, is actually located where Santa Fe & Fauna streets are shown. Maps are labeled wrong, sometimes.

Maybe the map designers got confused by the similar triangle shapes of the neighborhoods.

1942 Map -w/ proposed streets in red.

Or, was Howard Dr.originally called Garden Villas?

[gnu]

http://www.texasfreeway.com/Houston/historic/freeway_planning_maps/images/1942_houston_major_street_plan.jpg

I think this map is wrong, it lists Garden Villas (st. or neighborhood name, or both?) located where Meadowbrook, and more specifically where Sam Houston Gardens neighborhoods are actually placed. Howard Dr. was/ is the name of the major street through Meadowbrook. Garden Villas, on this map, is actually located where Santa Fe & Fauna streets are shown. Maps are labeled wrong, sometimes.

Maybe the map designers got confused by the similar triangle shapes of the neighborhoods.

1942 Map -w/ proposed streets in red.

Or, was Howard Dr.originally called Garden Villas?

NenaE,

Yep it does look confusing but

Airport/College used to be South Houston - Garden Villas Road.

You can make out the hyphen just over the top of Easthaven Rd.

Edit: And I just noticed it is written very tiny just above the words Municipal Airport.

In the airport cross-hatching.

[NenaE]

Ah, yes. I was looking at the map wrong. The Fauna st. connects to South Houston, even in proposed dotted area, not unlike all the other town-street names, for example Allen-Genoa (Allen Ranch, Genoa city).

Santa Fe lines up with Howard Dr. It makes sense now, thanks Gnu.

Garden Villas was in place long before "through streets" we now know.

[NenaE]

Garden Villa is a beautiful looking neighborhood. I love the way the trees canopy over the streets, and as for being in the flightplan of Hobby traffic thundering hundreds of feet above, that's not so bad, I'd actually love it, being the aviation fan that I am. One issue I had with the neighborhood was missing street signs. Some intersections had no street signs at all, no concrete street signs or white on green signs (the absence of curbs didn't help either, no tile signs). I was leading a group of cars looking for a certain street to turn down once and we ended up all the way at Airport because we missed the turnoff. We found the street we were looking for, but I imagined how bad that would be for an ambulance drivers or police department if something happened and they had a hard time finding the house because of that.

 

Those pecan tree lined streets are still lovely. But some of those street signs are still missing. It was a nice drive this morning, seeing such a variety of home styles on such large lots, in close proximity to downtown. I was trying to figure out which house Ralph Wallace, State Representative grew up in... my friend thinks it is 7545 Santa Fe...anyone know for sure?  it had a grand piano in the living room and a back sun porch that left an impression on me, as a teen.  

[JLWM8609]

Those pecan tree lined streets are still lovely. But some of those street signs are still missing. It was a nice drive this morning, seeing such a variety of home styles on such large lots, in close proximity to downtown. I was trying to figure out which house Ralph Wallace, State Representative grew up in... my friend thinks it is 7545 Santa Fe...anyone know for sure?  it had a grand piano in the living room and a back sun porch that left an impression on me, as a teen.  

 

Wow! You'd think after six, going on seven plus years, they'd have the signs replaced by now. I guess nobody in the neighborhood is calling 311 to report the signs. I wonder if they're being stolen or if something else like wind damage or car accidents took them out?

[NenaE]

yeah, I thought it was rather odd, when I pulled up to the intersection, not having a clue what street I was on. I had recently studied the street layout on GoogleEarth, was somewhat familiar, and still, easily got turned around. 

 

GV -Garden Villas & GV - Glenbrook Valley - is that a coincidence, or what?

 

...on a side note, there is one street of homes across from GV - 1920's, one large brick house faces Telephone Rd. I always wondered about that house, never realizing that there are a few behind it, as well. They all sit on pretty large lots. I guess at one time they sat isolated, somewhat in the country. See GoogleEarth. I only realized they were there after looking at the 77061 area on HAR, neighborhood -past sales section, recently. The street name is Broadview.