A Tight Mod in Barkley Circle, Ready for a Reboot

What’s a shed with barn doors doing in the yard of this modish house? Possibly standing in for a garage so detached that’s it’s flat-out gone. And so is half of the tall front hedge that once screened the walkway to this side-entry home on a cul-de-sac in Barkley Circle. The mid-month listing for this 1962 far-Meyerland-area property mentions that the garage was removed as a result of a fire. And that there’s still more to be removed: namely, the smell of smoke. (“Chemical cleaning is needed.”) The home is offered “as is” — for $185,000.

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A pre-blaze update in 2000 tweaked the interior a bit, but the compact house still features many of the angular elements of its origins. The main entry, located half way to the back yard, opens into the middle of the home’s main living space, part of which has a slightly raised ceiling. Large windows overlook the yard in back; they’re somewhat reflected in the crackle-finish mirror wall:

Many of the rooms are 10 or 11-ft. wide. This paneled one with built-ins off the kitchen has a door to the side yard:

A kitchen renovation at some point added Corian counters, cherry cabinets, a stainless-steel appliance or two, and a gas range:

At 1,200 sq. ft., this home on a 7,500-sq.-ft. lot is the smallest on the block, which is north of Brays Bayou and west of Renwick. Its floor plan is efficient enough, though, to fit 3 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms:

The master suite has the blues — and front-of-house views

. . . a pair of shimmery-fronted closets . . .

and a shower-only bathroom where a gas heater once kept things toasty:

The back elevation, which shows off the profile of a partly flat, partly sloped roof, faces south. Herod Elementary School is right up the street.

The house will be conveyed without electrical, gas or water service, the listing says. It also cites the seller’s assessment that the property needs its roof, ceilings, water heater, and electrical wiring replaced. No suggestions are included for what to do with the remnant garage slab:

6 Comment

  • $185,000 for a house that needs chemical cleaning, needs the roof, ceilings, water heater and electrical wiring replaced? Maybe I know squat, but that seems a tad bit too high for a place that needs that much work done, never mind a potential remodel/update. Is it the area that commands that kind of price?

  • Zoned to Bellaire High School, so I’d say it’s probably about right.

  • Like many of the mods featured here, the front door has been replaced with something not quite period-correct. What would be more period-correct and where would one find one?

  • Looks like this will be in the Daily Demo report soon.

  • KC- Go buy a Crestview Door kit.

  • jp – Its possible but not probable. I grew up in the neighborhood (went to Herod, Fondren [ugh], and BHS. Moved back when I got married to a house just a couple of blocks south of this house on Kuldell. Both of my children were born there and I kept it through my divorce and until I remarried (moved to the Heights with my new wife). The neighborhood has tried to tear down and rebuild in fits and starts for years. You’ll see a few colonial style McMansions throughout the area, but most of the Maplewood and Meyerland homes are too big and still too nice (too ranch also IMO) to justify tearing down. I think it’s partially a numbers game. The BC section is kind of an odd duck in that the homes are smaller than their Maplewood and Meyerland neighbors. Most of the new buyers in the area are rehabing and remodeling. Choosing to piggyback on the good elementary and high school that the more expensive homes get, along with the low crime rate and other amenities that come from living in an affluent and politically well-connected (read: Jewish) area. BC is an affordable, but somewhat unknown, option. Sold my 1600 sq ft house in 2010 for $220,000 plus half the cost of a new roof.