Swamplot

Today on Swamplot our sponsor is Jamestown Estate Homes. Thanks for the support!

Jamestown Estate Homes has a very important message for Swamplot readers: Happy Thanksgiving! The photo above is an outtake from the company’s Christmas card photo shoot, showing the Jamestown Estate Homes team. From top left: Victoria Hawes, Lindsey Bechtold, Katy Hawes, Greg Hawes, and Mike Prejeant.

Jamestown Estate Homes is a luxury custom homebuilder that’s been serving Houston since 2010. Founder Greg Hawes’s first building in Bunker Hill Village was the treehouse he built in his backyard as a child in 1957. After graduating from UT, he worked at US Home (then the largest homebuilder in the nation), where he was soon offered a corporate position. Instead, he left to found Partners in Building, where he served as president for 18 years. When he sold his interest in Partners, it was ranked as one of Houston’s 10 largest homebuilders by the Houston Business Journal.

In 2010 Greg started Jamestown Estate Homes to get into what he calls “true custom homebuilding” — focusing on every detail and getting back to working one-on-one with buyers. His love for homebuilding is shared by his 3 daughters,and Jamestown has allowed him to fulfill his dream of working with his kids. (Elizabeth, the oldest, worked for Jamestown until her husband was transferred to the Hague. The “commute is just too far,” she explained when she resigned.)

Named valedictorian at Klein High School in 1999, Katy Hawes earned a degree in molecular biology from UT and an MBA with a concentration in accounting from Rice. This makes her a great fit for the role of controller at Jamestown. Katy’s construction budgets take into account every element, no matter how tiny — and have often come within $10 of actual construction expenditures.

After a brief stint in Los Angeles pursuing film (she worked as Britney Spears’s body-double in 2 music videos), youngest daughter Victoria Hawes graduated first in her class from UH with a degree in corporate communications before getting a master’s in communication from Purdue. She joined Jamestown Estate Homes as a superintendent and was named Houston’s Best Custom Home Superintendent for 2013 by the Greater Houston Builders Association (GHBA) and Project Manager of the Year in 2014 by the Texas Association of Home Builders. A skiing accident in 2014 helped her transition from construction to sales, marketing, and design.

Jamestown Estate Homes was named Custom Builder of the Year by the GHBA in 2013. The company has active projects in the Memorial Villages, Oak Forest, and the Heights, and is looking to expand into Meyerland, Bellaire, and Tanglewood. (Jamestown Estate Homes will also build on a client’s land in surrounding areas.) The company completes 6 to 12 homes a year, with projects starting around $500,000 (for the house only).

For more information, contact Victoria Hawes — (832) 296-1663 or victoria.hawes@jamestownestatehomes.com — or check out the company’s website. To find more information about the team, click here.

Got a holiday message for Swamplot readers? Check out our Sponsor of the Day program.

Today’s sponsor is Houston’s own Central Bank. Thank you for the continuing support of Swamplot!

Central Bank has 4 (central) Houston branches available to meet your business or personal needs: in Midtown, the Heights, West Houston, and Post Oak Place.

Central Bank believes that change is essential to its success; the company actively pursues the latest in service, technology, and products. Central Bank aims to know its customers personally and to be their primary business and personal financial resource. The bank’s staff values relationships and strives to be available when you need them.

To learn more about how Central Bank can meet your banking needs, please call any of the following Senior Vice Presidents: Kenny Beard, at 832.485.2376; Bonnie Purvis, at 832.485.2354; Gary Noble, at 832.485.2366; or Ryan Tillman, at 832.485.2307. You can also find out more on the bank’s website.

It’s time to step up and let Swamplot readers know you’re here! Become a Swamplot Sponsor of the Day. 

Today’s sponsor: The renovated and expanded home at 1638 Harvard St. in the Houston Heights. Thanks for supporting Swamplot!

This home in the Houston Heights Historic District East began its life in the 1920s as a 1,180-sq.-ft. bungalow. A redo completed 2 years ago for the seller by Brickmoon Design and Bill Baldwin Restoration removed the aluminum siding and expanded the property into a 3-bedroom, 2-and-a-half-bath home measuring 3,046 sq. ft. (672 sq. ft. of that in a garage apartment). It was featured in the Houston Heights Association’s spring home tour last year.

A restored front porch (pictured at top) faces the street; in back, a new combo family room–kitchen (above) includes French doors facing a back porch and pool lined with an outdoor kitchen. At right in the photo above, at the end of the dining room, is a custom wine wall that provides storage for up to 180 bottles. Through the opening adjacent to the refrigerator at the center background of the same photo is a breakfast area; beyond that, past a barn door with a stained-glass insert, is a purple-hued master suite — and a pool bath next to the mud room and utility room, which links to the back-alley-facing garage. The garage apartment above is a 1-bedroom standalone suite with kitchen and a full bath with stacked washer-dryer.

To get a better idea of the  scope of renovations to this property, you’ll want to take a look through the 28 photos of the redone home available on the property website.

Got a home with some history you’d like to highlight? Contact us about becoming a Swamplot Sponsor of the Day.

Swamplot’s sponsor today is the 4-bedroom, 5-and-a-half-bathroom home at 11323 Surrey Oaks Ln. in Piney Point Village — built by Jamestown Estate Homes. Thank you for supporting this site!

This 4-bedroom, 5-and-a-half-bathroom home was designed by Todd Rice and recently completed by Jamestown Estate Homes. The home, which measures 5,058 sq. ft., is sited on a 9,366-sq.-ft. lot — with an outdoor loggia and room for a pool. With yesterday’s price reduction, this property now ranks as the lowest-priced new home in Piney Point Village.

The home’s first floor features an open-concept combo great room–kitchen–breakfast room, a wood-paneled study, a formal dining room, a combo butler’s pantry–wine room with ice maker (pictured above), a flexible sun room, and a utility-craft room. The kitchen’s suite of Thermador appliances includes a 48-in. refrigerator-freezer, a 48-in. range, and separate steam oven, microwave, and dishwasher. The study has its own full bath — which means it could serve as a fifth bedroom. Upstairs are 4 bedrooms, a game room with a bar, and an additional utility room with hand-painted floor tiles. The master bathroom has a marble dual-entry shower, a burnished chrome freestanding slipper tub, and separate his and her closets and water closets. The home also includes an elevator.

Energy features include double-pane low-E windows, foam insulation in the attic, tankless water heaters, and high-efficiency air-conditioning units. Projected energy bills (for both gas and electric) are expected to average just over $220 per month.

Check out the property website to see more photos of this home. If you’d like more information, please contact Victoria Hawes with Jamestown Estate Homes (email; 832-296-1663) or listing agent Cathy Craig (email; 832-449-2320).

Get your fine property properly showcased: Become a Swamplot sponsor.

Today Swamplot has a new sponsor: Bluebonnet Living, a boutique construction and remodeling company begun by a Swamplot reader. Thanks for the support!

Bluebonnet Living offers a full range of construction services, including carpentry, remodeling, landscaping, and handyman services. Bluebonnet Living is based in Houston and specializes in small- to mid-sized projects that require multiple trades (carpentry, electrical, plumbing, landscaping, etc.), but the firm can do many other kinds of projects as well. The company prides itself on working hard to find solutions to clients’ problems.

Bluebonnet Living says it guarantees high-quality work and materials for each and every project. The company says it:

• Uses sustainably-sourced building products whenever possible
• Legally disposes of construction debris
• Follows building codes and best practices
• Sees no job as too small
• Guarantees its work and strives to immediately resolve any issues to make its customers happy

The owner is a native Texan; the bluebonnet is our state flower. Bluebonnet Living wants to help Texans enjoy a higher quality of life through the building projects it offers. Check out the Bluebonnet Living website to see samples of the company’s work.

Here’s a great way for local service businesses to reach real-estate-focused readers: Become a Swamplot sponsor.

Today Swamplot’s sponsor is personal coach Cricket Buchler. Thanks for supporting Swamplot, Cricket!

Searching for a creative, personalized holiday gift for friends, family members, or employees? Consider the gift of a fun and inspiring 90-minute personal coaching session with coach Cricket Buchler. An experienced corporate trainer who has helped top executives, Hollywood celebrities, and employees in a range of industries address personal and professional development issues, Cricket also works one-on-one, guiding clients to explore and unlock possibilities and design plans to realize change, and coaching them through their journey toward an intentional life.

A coaching session can be a great gift for anyone on your list who is looking to take the next step forward in life, work, or relationships, but feels a bit stuck as to what next steps might look like. You’ll find a sampling of testimonials from Cricket’s clients on her website, along with more information about coaching sessions.

Your gift to your own business: Becoming a Swamplot Sponsor of the Day.

Today’s sponsor is folks urging you to vote. Please vote.

Swamplot is nonpartisan and does not endorse political candidates or campaigns. But we do run political advertising and Sponsor of the Day content.

Today — in case you hadn’t heard — is election day. To the many of you who voted early, via absentee ballot, or earlier today: Thanks for helping make our representative democracy more representative! As you know, there’s a whole lot more than just the presidency on the ballot. Representatives who will make decisions about our neighborhoods, our schools, and many other aspects of our environment are up for election. Judges who will make decisions about lawsuits and criminal cases are on the ballot. And there’s at least one proposition for you to vote on, depending where you live.

If you’re registered to vote, but haven’t voted yet and it doesn’t seem likely that you will, here’s a simple message for you: Not voting means that people who are far less thoughtful and intelligent than you, who don’t care about the things you care about, or with whom you actively disagree will make these decisions for you. If that doesn’t sit well with you, there’s good news! You have until 7 pm in most local jurisdictions to show up, make some easy or hard choices, and make a difference.

In Harris County, you can find voting information at the county clerk’s website by going to harrisvotes.com. (Here are sites for Montgomery County, Fort Bend County, Waller County, Liberty County, and Brazoria County.) Do be aware of new voter ID requirements, summarized on this PDF.

And if you aren’t registered to vote, now’s a great time to get yourself on the rolls for next time.

Thank you for voting!

Photo: Ed T [license]

Swamplot’s Sponsor of the Day program is a great way to deliver important messages. Find out how to put one together here.

Today’s sponsor is the Houston Heights Beverage Coalition, a political action committee supporting the passage of the November 8th ballot proposition to legalize the sale of beer and wine for off-premise consumption in the Heights.

Swamplot is nonpartisan and does not endorse political candidates or campaigns. But we do run political advertising and Sponsor of the Day content.

The Houston Heights Beverage Coalition encourages Heights residents to vote “For” the Heights Beer-Wine Proposition. Election day is tomorrow, November 8th.

“It has been 104 years since the off-premise sale of alcohol has been legal in the Houston Heights area,” says Steve Reilley, the chair of the Houston Heights Beverage Coalition. “Prohibition ended 83 years ago. We think voters are ready to repeal these archaic laws and allow our grocery and convenience stores to once again be able to sell beer and wine to their customers.”

Who else wants this proposition to be approved? Houston president of the H-E-B Grocery Company Scott McClelland. “We look forward to voter feedback and are committed to building an H-E-B store that adds to the culture, pride and quality of life of the Heights and surrounding neighborhoods,” he says in a flyer put out by the coalition. “H-E-B looks forward to the possibility of expanding our offerings to the Houston Heights and are hopeful voters will support us at the polls.”

Also in favor of the Heights Beer-Wine Proposition: Houston city council member and Mayor Pro Tem Ellen Cohen. “H-E-B is a proven community partner with a history of creating stores that are uniquely tailored to the neighborhoods they serve,” she writes. “I encourage the residents of the historic Houston Heights to vote FOR the beer and wine proposition so H-E-B can proceed with their plans to come to the Heights.”

Got questions about the proposition? On the Houston Heights Beverage Coalition website, you’ll find an FAQ that includes the coalition’s answers to such questions as Is H-E-B really behind this effort? and Will there be a rush for convenience stores coming to the Heights? Will this affect the character of the Heights?

Here’s a special notice for straight-ticket voters: If you vote Straight Party Ticket, you will not have voted on the Heights Beer-Wine Proposition (or any other propositions that appear on your ballot). So be sure to finish the ballot by finding the Heights Beer-Wine Proposition and voting on it separately.

If you need to reach Swamplot readers, you’ll do well with Sponsor of the Day posts. Here’s how to set one up.

A big thank you to today’s sponsor — Houston’s own Central Bank — for its continuing support of Swamplot!

Central Bank has 4 (central) Houston branches available to meet your business or personal needs: in Midtown, the Heights, West Houston, and Post Oak Place.

Central Bank believes that change is essential to its success; the company actively pursues the latest in service, technology, and products. Central Bank aims to know its customers personally and to be their primary business and personal financial resource. The bank’s staff values relationships and strives to be available when you need them.

To learn more about how Central Bank can meet your banking needs, please call any of the following Senior Vice Presidents: Kenny Beard, at 832.485.2376; Bonnie Purvis, at 832.485.2354; Gary Noble, at 832.485.2366; or Ryan Tillman, at 832.485.2307. You can also find out more on the bank’s website.

Your business can become a standout supporter of Swamplot — and reach the precise local customers you’re looking for — by becoming a Swamplot Sponsor of the Day. 

Swamplot’s sponsor today is the Houston Heights Beverage Coalition, a political action committee supporting the passage of the November 8th ballot proposition to legalize the sale of beer and wine for off-premise consumption in the Heights.

Swamplot is nonpartisan and does not endorse political candidates or campaigns. But we do run political advertising and Sponsor of the Day content.

The Houston Heights Beverage Coalition encourages Heights residents to vote “For” the Heights Beer-Wine Proposition. Election day is November 8th. Today and tomorrow are your last chances to vote early.

Got questions about the Heights Beer-Wine Proposition? On the Houston Heights Beverage Coalition website, you’ll find an FAQ that includes the coalition’s answers to such questions as Is H-E-B really behind this effort? and Will there be a rush for convenience stores coming to the Heights? Will this affect the character of the Heights?

This past summer, more than 1,750 registered voters within the boundaries of the former City of Houston Heights signed a petition calling for the election. Officials verified there were more than the 1,511 signatures needed to call an election, so the Houston City Council placed the item on the November ballot. If you live in the area shown on the map above, this proposition will appear on your ballot.

Here’s a special notice for straight-ticket voters: If you vote Straight Party Ticket, you will not have voted on the Heights Beer-Wine Proposition (or any other propositions that appear on your ballot). So be sure to finish the ballot by finding the Heights Beer-Wine Proposition and voting on it separately.

Important messages go out to Swamplot readers in our Sponsor of the Day posts. Here’s how to set one up.

Today’s sponsor is Keep the Heights Dry, a political action committee hoping to defeat Proposition 1, which most Houston Heights residents will find on their ballot this election.

Swamplot is nonpartisan and does not endorse political candidates or campaigns. But we do run political advertising and Sponsor of the Day content.

Keep the Heights Dry (which sometimes also refers to itself as Keep the Heights Weird and Dry) argues that the longstanding restrictions on alcohol sales in the portion of the Heights that was once an independent city has over the years served as an important tool to protect the character of the neighborhood, creating a land-use environment that favors small, local business and a residential feel — despite the lack of blanket deed restrictions.

The ballot measure, if passed, would allow the legal sale of beer and wine for off-premise consumption only in this neighborhood — where it’s currently not allowed. Only voters who live in this area, sometimes known as the “dry Heights,” will vote on the measure.

Keep the Heights Dry urges Houston Heights voters to vote against Proposition 1, it says, “to send the strong message to H-E-B that as much as we may want a shiny new grocery store, we don’t feel that it’s a fair deal to give up this important neighborhood protection tool simply because doing so would be easier on that company’s bottom line.”

Just added to the home page of the Keep the Heights Dry website: a list of what the organization terms “myths” about the ballot proposition. If you’re carefully considering the pros and cons of Proposition 1, you’ll want to look it over and see what this side has to say. The organization also publishes updates and opinions on its Facebook page.

Election day is this Tuesday, November 8. Early voting is possible through Friday, November 4.

Got a message you need to communicate on a matter of local importance? Sign up to become a Swamplot Sponsor of the Day!

Today’s sponsor is Jamestown Estate Homes, offering the new home at 11926 Broken Bough Dr. in the Memorial Shadows neighborhood of Bunker Hill Village. Thanks for supporting Swamplot!

The first floor of this 2-story, 5-bedroom home features 2 distinct indoor living areas. The great room pictured at top, which connects to the breakfast area and kitchen; and a separate flex space that could serve as a more formal living room, gym, or music room. It opens to the outdoor living area pictured above.

The home’s front entry, through a pair of custom iron doors, is visible in the background of the top photo. The formal dining room is to your right as you enter, across from a study with a view of the tall oak on the front lawn. Tucked above the entry is a loft balcony connected to the fifth bedroom upstairs.

A secret pathway leads from the study to one of the walk-in closets in the downstairs master bedroom suite. Upstairs are 3 bedrooms (each with its own bath), plus a game room with bar that opens to the media room — through custom barn-style doors fashioned from reclaimed wood by ReCoop Designs.

The home was designed by Todd Rice and recently completed by Jamestown Estate Homes, a family business founded by Greg Hawes in 2010. All told, the home measures 6,657 sq. ft., with both a 1-car and 2-car garage attached. The 20,155-sq.-ft. lot — which has room for a pool — is walking distance from Bunker Hill Elementary and sits a little more than a mile south of Memorial City Mall and the Katy Fwy.

To learn more about the home or its energy features — or to make a private appointment to see it — contact Victoria Hawes at (832) 296-1663 or victoria.hawes@jamestownestatehomes.com. Or check out the listing for more photographs of the property. A PDF showing complete floor plans is available here. The home is also open Sundays from 2 to 4 pm.

Swamplot’s Sponsor of the Day program is a great way to showcase fine properties to a discerning audience. Here’s how to get in on it.

Our sponsor again today is the 2016 Annual Home Tour from the Houston Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, which takes place this weekend. Thanks for sponsoring Swamplot!

Each year, the AIA Houston Home Tour attracts about 3,000 people eager to view the finest in new (5 years old or younger) residences by local architects. This year’s tour takes place from noon to 6 pm this Saturday and Sunday, October 29th and 30th, and features 9 area homes selected by an AIA jury. The 2-day, self-guided tour is open to the public.

The homes on this year’s tour are:

• Pavilion Haus, 1914 Ebony Ln., by studioMET
• Marmo-Vaikhman House, 705 Merrill St., by McIntyre+Robinowitz Architects
• West Eleventh Place Residence, 5 W. 11th Pl., by Dillon Kyle Architects
• The Wroxton, 2332 Wroxton Rd., by MaRS (Mayfield and Ragni Studio)
• Hammer Residence, 2304 Goldsmith St., by m + a architecture studio
• Merrick House, 3614 Merrick St., by studioMET
• Oberlin, 4153 Oberlin St., by Natalye Appel + Associates Architects
• Winslow House | Perched, 517 Winslow Ln., by JT ARC STUDIO
• Soothing Santa Barbara, 4810 Braesvalley Dr., by MASA Studio Architects

Tickets for the tour are $25 each — or $20 for bike riders — and can be purchased in advance online or at the AIA Houston office (Downtown, at 315 Capitol St. Suite 120). They let you into all 9 houses, on both days of the tour. You can also purchase tickets at any of the participating houses during tour hours. Single-house tickets are also available, for $10 each, but only during tour hours at the homes themselves.

For more information, check out the tour website, where you’ll also find more photos of each of the featured homes. This press release provides a lot more detail about each property. There’s a map to the homes here. To purchase tickets online, click here.

Need to get the word out about important local events? Find out more about becoming a Swamplot Sponsor of the Day!

Our sponsor today is the 2016 Annual Home Tour from the Houston Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, which takes place this weekend. Thanks for sponsoring Swamplot!

Each year, the AIA Houston Home Tour attracts about 3,000 people eager to view the finest in new (5 years old or younger) residences by local architects. This year’s tour takes place from noon to 6 pm this Saturday and Sunday, October 29th and 30th, and features 9 area homes selected by an AIA jury. The 2-day, self-guided tour is open to the public.

The homes on this year’s tour are:

• Pavilion Haus, 1914 Ebony Ln., by studioMET
• Marmo-Vaikhman House, 705 Merrill St., by McIntyre+Robinowitz Architects
• West Eleventh Place Residence, 5 W. 11th Pl., by Dillon Kyle Architects
• The Wroxton, 2332 Wroxton Rd., by MaRS (Mayfield and Ragni Studio)
• Hammer Residence, 2304 Goldsmith St., by m + a architecture studio
• Merrick House, 3614 Merrick St., by studioMET
• Oberlin, 4153 Oberlin St., by Natalye Appel + Associates Architects
• Winslow House | Perched, 517 Winslow Ln., by JT ARC STUDIO
• Soothing Santa Barbara, 4810 Braesvalley Dr., by MASA Studio Architects

Tickets for the tour are $25 each — or $20 for bike riders — and can be purchased in advance online or at the AIA Houston office (Downtown, at 315 Capitol St. Suite 120). They let you into all 9 houses, on both days of the tour. You can also purchase tickets at any of the participating houses during tour hours. Single-house tickets are also available, for $10 each, but only during tour hours at the homes themselves.

For more information, check out the tour website, where you’ll also find more photos of each of the featured homes. This press release provides a lot more detail about each property. There’s a map to the homes here. To purchase tickets online, click here.

Swamplot’s Sponsor of the Day posts are an easy way to reach the people you need to reach. Just contact us here.