Swamplot Archives by Category: Renovations

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Friday, September 11, 2009

Karen Derr Promises Not To Tear Down City Hall, Either

September 11, 2009 – 12:40 pm

A reader from the Heights sends in photos documenting only the latest scene in Houston’s long and theatrical history of commingled real estate and political ambition. If you like, say, the pricing on the homes Karen Derr’s former company sells — like this one at 946 Arlington St. — you’ll certainly want to see Derr join city council!

But what’s with that part in red letters? Maybe just to let voters know she’s a little less favorably disposed toward freeform demolition than, say, former candidate/broker Michael Berry was. Writes our reader and snapshooter:

I am guessing that Karen Derr’s office rec’d so many calls as to the future of this house- one the few remaining 19th century homes in the Heights, that she had the “Remodel” sign made and stuck atop her broker sign. . . . Karen used to be on the board of the Houston Heights Association and she is locally active and running for office, so she does not want to piss off too much of her long time neighbors.

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12:40 pm | 10 Comments | Read more about Demolitions, Homes for Sale, Neighborhoods: Houston Heights, Renovations, Signage
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Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Plenty of Room in the Pool: What’s Available at Greenbriar Park North

September 9, 2009 – 4:24 pm

Globe St.’s Amy Wolff Sorter says the buyer of the foreclosed Greenbriar Park North apartments near Greenspoint has “a strong track record” of rehabbing complexes. That should help:

Wade Schmitz with Hendricks & Partners’ Houston office tells GlobeSt.com that CNC Investments was the former owner and like many owners during the mid-2000s, had bought too much with too much debt that couldn’t be refinanced. Schmitz, who marketed the asset for Bank of America adds that the 1980s complex at 818 Richcrest Dr. attracted a great deal of interest. . . .

“There were down units that needed to be brought back online,” Schmitz says. “The property had been neglected, and needed someone to take care of it.”

How neglected? Of 400 units in the complex, only around 60 are occupied.

Don’t want to miss out on all the foreclosed-apartment-complex rehab fun? Be patient, more is coming:

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4:24 pm | 4 Comments | Read more about Apartments, Buying and Selling, Foreclosures, Neighborhoods: Greenspoint, Renovations
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Thursday, August 6, 2009

Alabama Bookstop Stop Date: September 15th

August 6, 2009 – 2:36 pm

That summer clearance sale that’s been going on at the Bookstop in the Alabama Theater Shopping Center on South Shepherd is uh, final. The store will be closing for good on September 15th. The new Barnes & Noble in the River Oaks Shopping Center on West Gray will be opening the next day (a bit sooner than was announced earlier), but no unsold books from the Bookstop location will be making the trip north.

So what happens to the Alabama Theater after then?

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2:36 pm | 24 Comments | Read more about Commercial Real Estate, Historic Preservation, Leasing, Openings and Closings, Renovations, Retail, Shopping Centers, Strip Centers
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Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Block 7: The Calm Before the Scene

August 5, 2009 – 6:01 pm

Alison Cook likes the recently opened Block 7 Wine Company:

The new venture, located in a smartly rehabbed appliance store on Shepherd just south of the Washington strip, combines retail wine sales with a wine bar that also functions as a restaurant. There’s a short, well-edited menu that will soon be expanded but which already looks and tastes promising.

The place looks smashing: airy and crisp and cool, all gunmetal greys and silvers, with black notes for ballast, a shimmer of glassware and a few bright pops of color.

I admired the vintage store fittings salvaged from the original appliance business and repurposed as a check-out desk, as well as the reasonable by-the-bottle prices and the distinct personality of the list, which does not try to be all things to all people.

Speaking of which:

From my window table, I could see Soma, the Japanese fusion and sushi spot on Washington at Shepherd, and I trembled to think of the ravening scenesters that might soon invade my little idyll.

Photo of checkout station, Block 7 Wine Co., 720 Shepherd Dr.: Alison Cook

6:01 pm | 9 Comments | Read more about Interiors, Openings and Closings, Renovations, Restaurants, Retail
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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Hard To Find Green in Houston

July 29, 2009 – 11:42 am

A reader calls attention to this Chronicle letter to the editor from Pamela R. Zuteck of Clear Lake Shores:

Regarding “Texans can pay extra to rebuild the eco-friendly way if their home is hit by disaster” (Page A1, Sunday), trying to “go green” using Houston’s contractors will make you throw up your hands. They are clueless or resistant to even simple things like low-VOC paint. Product suppliers are hard to find or too far away to be practical. We saw Ike as a real opportunity to step it up but have met frustration at every turn. There’s no help out there. It was a victory just to get a few items, like Hardiplank removable interior wallboard. We had to do all the research and coordination, then design and supervise every step of installation. We sorted the waste for recycling. No wonder more people don’t go green. It’s just too hard.

Writes our reader:

I have no reason to doubt the contentions, but am stumped at the writer’s mention of “Hardiplank removable interior wallboard.” Since your reader/participants are so very knowledgeable, could you ask them to weigh in? My search of the internets provided nada.

11:42 am | 19 Comments | Read more about Construction Materials, Disaster Aftermath, Green Design and Development, Renovations
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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Comment of the Day: What To Expect on That First Night in Your New Funeral Home

July 22, 2009 – 1:55 pm
   

“We are planning on buying a old [mortuary] that was built in the early 1900’s. Although I walk the old path & do a little dabbling in the Craft, even this is starting to creep me out. We are planning on [spending] our [first] night there around the 8th. of August. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM ANYONE THAT HAS LIVED IN A MORTUARY / furnral home / Hauted house…what should I exspect ?????” [Tabby the Witch, commenting on Home Sweet Funeral Home: Washington Terrace Mortuary Seeks Residents]

1:55 pm | 12 Comments | Read more about Adaptive Reuse, Comments, Quicklink, Renovations
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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Comment of the Day: Historic Preservation, Dallas Style

May 12, 2009 – 5:52 pm
   

“. . . Conservation Districts have existed in the city of Dallas since 1988. These districts exist primarily in East Dallas and Oak Cliff.(which are areas primarily developed before 1940) They concentrate on protecting such things as architecture styles, densities of the area, heights of structures, and setback guidelines. The process to become a conservation district typically takes 12 – 18 months from the initial authorizing of a study until the adoption by the city council. These districts are similar to and often compared with historic districts. While exhibiting comparable characteristics, the two are quite different. Historic Districts look to preserve the original structure exactly as when it was first built. They also attempt to preserve original materials, colors, styles, and other elements of the original structure. Conservation districts wish to maintain certain standards of an area. . . .” [JT, commenting on The Woods Back Off: Freeland Bungalow Free To Be Sold Again]

5:52 pm | 5 Comments | Read more about Comments, Development Restrictions, Historic Preservation, Quicklink, Renovations
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Monday, May 11, 2009

Comment of the Day: Little Houses Not Far from Prairie St.

May 11, 2009 – 7:26 pm
   

“I did get a chuckle out of the statement that the problem with the old houses was that they were 900 square feet and thus there was ‘nothing to do’ but tear them down. I actually think there’s quite a market for 900 square foot living spaces located right near downtown. When they are condos or apartments, they’re quite popular, and there are quite a few houses that size in the Heights that continue to sell - and not as teardowns. It’s an ideal, efficient living space for a single person or a couple, and the existence of smaller houses creates housing options - so the entry price in a neighborhood isn’t higher than many can afford - and thus you get a healthy mix of residents, from young professionals in the smaller houses to families in the larger ones. Having small houses in the mix is really good for an urban neighborhood; the idea that they all have to go is kind of crazy.” [John, commenting on Withering Townhouses of the First Ward]

7:26 pm | 9 Comments | Read more about Comments, Demolitions, Home Design, Neighborhoods: First Ward, Quicklink, Redevelopment, Renovations
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Friday, April 24, 2009

Redo, Rinse, Repeat: Brun Bungalow, Makeover Magnet

April 24, 2009 – 8:46 pm

Some Houston bungalows have to wait years before they can get into rehab, but this dark number on Brun St. has been the recipient of no fewer than 3 makeovers in the last decade.

Carol Isaak Barden bought the house in 2000 “to keep it away from the wrecking ball” — then spent so much “making it perfect,” she says, that she lost money when she sold it the following year.

The buyer, Mark Horn, thought the house was perfect . . . as a new location for his hair salon. So he made a few renovations of his own:

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8:46 pm | 11 Comments | Read more about Buying and Selling, Homes for Sale, Neighborhoods: Hillcrest, Parking, Renovations
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Downtown Warehouse Rehab: Houston’s Next Permit Office

April 24, 2009 – 11:16 am

This 1923 former rice warehouse at the far eastern end of Washington Ave., used more recently as an annex for the Downtown post office on the other side of I-45, will become the city’s new permit office, reports Monica Perin in the Houston Business Journal. The building will replace the current 2-story office at 3300 Main St. in Midtown — which Public Works officials consider flood-prone — and consolidate permit offices from 3 other sites.

A LEED-certified renovation of the 4-story concrete-and-brick building, which sits on a 2 1/2-acre site Downtown — and which sat on the market for several years — is expected to be complete by the fall of 2010.

The property purchase is expected to close in July, along with council approval of a contract with Trammell Crow Co. as the developer, and Studio Red Architects as the design firm. . . .

“A building of this age and being a warehouse is relatively easy to recycle,” [Studio Red's Bill Neuhaus] notes. “It lends itself to an open plan and lots of daylight. We can do an economical job here, and it will be an extremely pleasant working environment.”

Permitting offices eventually will share space with the city’s new Green Resource Center, which is opening this week at 3300 Main St.

“The re-use of existing buildings is one of the greenest and most sustainable things we can do,” Neuhaus says.

He says the building’s prime location is part of the civic campus, next to the police department, the post office and rail station.

Photo of 1002 Washington Ave.: LoopNet

11:16 am | Add a Comment | Read more about Flooding, Green Design and Development, Neighborhoods: Downtown, Public Buildings, Renovations
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Tuesday, April 14, 2009

A “Deep Renovation” Gone Wrong

April 14, 2009 – 10:15 pm
   

A building collapse this afternoon killed at least one worker and seriously injured 2 others at Brays Crossing, a 6-building, low-cost apartment project being fashioned from the former HouTex Inn on I-45 just north of Griggs Road, near Forest Park Cemetery. “The two-story building collapsed as construction workers were replacing joists and the structure began to shift, said Richard Cole, chief of the fire department’s rescue team. The original building was a wooden frame building and had no steel beams for the support needed, he said. . . . New Hope Housing, the city’s partner on the 149-room apartment complex, bought the inn and hired Camden Builders to rehab it beginning in January. When it’s finished, small, single room occupancy apartments will be rented to the newly homeless, said Richard Celli, the city’s director of housing and community development.” [Houston Chronicle; schematic diagram (PDF)]

10:15 pm | 4 Comments | Read more about Construction Problems, Hazards, Neighborhoods: Idylwood, Quicklink, Renovations
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Monday, March 23, 2009

Wet and Wild: Strip Redo on White Oak

March 23, 2009 – 4:39 pm

What’s this — another deserted Second Life strip center? No: just a rendered view of Venture Commercial’s proposed new South Heights Retail Center, forwarded to Swamplot by a reader. The 32,100-sq.-ft. project promises to bring together a motley assortment of existing buildings into a single 2.2-acre development, all of its components refaced and decorated using what appears to be the latest in texture mapping technology.

The project is planned for the north side of White Oak Dr. between Studewood and Oxford St., bridging the great spatial and cultural divide between Fitzgerald’s and the Onion Creek Coffee House. The magic ingredient is a new 76-car parking lot on the south side of the street, directly behind Jimmie’s Place.

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4:39 pm | 34 Comments | Read more about Neighborhoods: Houston Heights, Proposed Developments, Renovations, Strip Centers
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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Reporting Live from the Westmoreland Stucco Renaissance

March 17, 2009 – 2:28 pm

A reader sends a couple photos of “what will soon no longer be a nice understated commercial building” at 315 W. Alabama, just south of the Westmoreland Historic District west of Midtown:

I watched the remodel work inside going on for a while and was a little shocked to see the brick facade receiving prep work to be refaced in stucco. You can see the nice bit of decorative garland in the process of being knocked off by the end of today.

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2:28 pm | 4 Comments | Read more about Construction Materials, Neighborhoods: Midtown, Neighborhoods: Westmoreland Historic District, Renovations
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Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Comment of the Day: What Happened to Carter’s Grove?

March 4, 2009 – 3:35 pm
   

“I still go back to Carter’s Grove Apartments as an example of restoration vs. teardown. They were the shame of Garden Oaks and a proven hazard to residents with over 240 municipal court violations resulting in a $100K fine for the owner. Take a drive around North Shepherd at 34th and see what restoration hath wrought with minimal disruption to the area and improvements on utility infrastructure as well as property values. If those ratholes can have a future life as pricey condos, anything is possible.” [Hellsing, commenting on Wilshire Village Fire Hazard Sale: Everyone and Everything Must Go!]

3:35 pm | 5 Comments | Read more about Apartments, Comments, Condos, Neighborhoods: Garden Oaks, Quicklink, Renovations
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Thursday, February 19, 2009

Coming to Main St. in Midtown: Pizza and Burgers, Coffee Shop, Exposed Wallpaper

February 19, 2009 – 4:20 pm

Midtown’s lone island of light-rail-lining nightlife will likely be expanding one block north, Jay Lee reports:

The folks who brought you The Continental Club, Sig’s Lagoon, Tacos-A-Go-Go and Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge are at it again. This time right next door @ 3600 Main.

The new owners of the long-vacant one-story building have discovered some Deco-ish detail underneath the more recent stucco.

If you squint just right and imagine it with some paint to bring out the original design you can just make out what a wonderful space this is going to be. There’s already plans for a coffee shop and a pizza/burger joint and if Pete [Gordon, manager of the Continental Club] has his way, a new club called “Wallpaper”…

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4:20 pm | 3 Comments | Read more about Neighborhoods: Midtown, Nightlife, Proposed Developments, Renovations, Retail
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