11 partly-elevated cabins off Deepwood Dr. are on the market for $69,499 to $89,499 each, or $680,000 for the whole set. The mini-neighborhood was built between 1955 and 1960, reportedly for members of the New York Fire Department who came to Friendswood (at that time, home only to a small community) for training exercises. Each house is partially, if not entirely, built on stilts.
The lowest address number, 1301, sits halfway down Deepwood, across from the Friendswood Public Works Department. From there, the complex extends southeast. 7 properties, including 1311 Deepwood, shown at top, front the road. The other 4 are accessible only by unpaved paths that branch off into the wooded area adjacent to and behind the street.
The largest, 1,300 sq. ft. at 1315 Deepwood, is one of those 4:
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Continuing southeast from the end of Deepwood Dr., the 3 remaining houses are stilted. 1321, pictured on the left, is entirely off the ground.
The front of 1321 is shown below, along with its 2 neighbors: 1323 on the left, and 1319 on the right.
Neat properties, but they appear to be beyond repair. The wooden pilons are leaning and original (thus probably rotten), so you start with replacing all of those, new decks, roofs and siding, and you’re at $50k/house before you’ve been able to make any other improvements – on a building in a flood plain. There is some charm here, but not worth $75k+ per structure to save them.
The proximity to Clear Creek and its tributary Cowart Creek pretty much rules out any permanent housing not on stilts. That would be a great place for a county park, with so-called primitive campsites. I love the wooded bottomland, but $680K is too much for 1-1/4 acres of unbuildable land in Friendswood.
Cool old enclave that is just not sustainable anymore. Get out of that floodplain!