New Construction: Residential

Apartments
08/11/08 9:55am

Mosaic Rumor: Second Tower Going Rental?

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Condos, Financing, Hermann Park, New Construction: Residential
13 Comments

Aerial Photo of Second Mosaic Tower Under Construction, June 20, 2008, Hermann Park, Houston

A reader asks:

Has anyone else heard the rumor that Mosaic Hermann Park’s South Tower (already under construction) is going all rental once complete?

It would be kinda cute if the second condo tower did end up switching to apartments, since the first tower went in the opposite direction:

[Phillips Development managing director Donald] Phillips says the company financed the first Mosaic tower as a rental property because that was the only way to secure funding.

“We did whatever we had to do to get the thing built,” he says.

Photo: Aerial photo of Mosaic from June: Aero Photo

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Audubon Place
08/05/08 12:39pm

Piazza Townhomes: Fountain Below

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Home Design, Homebuilders, Homes for Sale, Montrose, New Construction: Residential, Townhomes
7 Comments

Piazza Townhomes, 620-640 Harold St., Audubon Place, Houston

The planter cutouts next to the garage doors . . . the single-sided, shingled pediments . . . the cast-in-foam detailing . . . the security fence. Yes, it could only be another themed stucco townhouse compound in Montrose!

But the Piazza Townhomes, now under construction by Savannah Home Builders on Harold St. near Stanford in Audubon Place, will surely be unique! Consider: 4 stories. A garage-level wedding-cake-style central fountain, topped with . . . something that looks like a naked cherub. Above, an elevated second-floor courtyard, wrapped with wrought-iron-look railings and greened with potted topiary.

In the video below, it all blends together seamlessly, thanks to a languid easy-listening soundtrack. The project’s website puts it best: the Piazza Townhomes truly is “Architecture Imitating Art.”

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Buying and Selling
08/04/08 12:14pm

Southgate Demo: Save the Tree!

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Demolitions, Development Regulations, Homebuilders, New Construction: Residential, Southgate, Trees
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2202 Addison Rd., Southgate, Houston

Calling it “perhaps the most elegant and beloved in the entire neighborhood,” some saddened neighbors send in a deathbed photo shoot featuring the former Southgate home of retired Rice University architecture professor Elinor Evans. Evans sold the home at 2202 Addison in January.

Lovett Homes plans to build a new house on the property. (HCAD lists the new owner as “5177 Builders Ltd.”) In June, the Planning Commission granted a variance allowing the new garage to maintain the existing 10-ft. setback along Montclair Dr. — in order to preserve a large live oak tree in the back yard. In applying for the variance, Lovett promised to maintain the existing home’s footprint.

After the jump: highlights from the photo shoot, plus a link to the riveting, tree-saving Planning Commission hearing video!

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Bellaire
07/01/08 12:31pm

Bellaire New Home Showcase Tour: Webb Edition

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Home Design, Homes for Sale, New Construction: Residential
9 Comments

Joni Webb goes on a tear through Bellaire, describing some new builder homes:

Each year, Bellaire builders compete in a Showcase of Homes where they try to out build each other with more and better amenities, more square footage, more details, more windows – more of everything and anything to win the Best of Show. The builder is the star here, architects are rarely if ever mentioned. I don’t blame them, I wouldn’t want to claim one of these “show” houses myself. Is it truly harder to design an attractive house? Is it more difficult to design a home with inviting curb appeal? I don’t think so. I think it actually must be harder to design one of these detailed overloaded showcase style houses.

And then . . . she takes readers on a tour of Bellaire’s baddest spec homes! Here’s Swamplot’s edited version . . . actual addresses, details and asking prices, and links to the listings have been added (and some contrasting homes Webb likes much more have been left out):

4701A Braeburn Dr., Bellaire, Texas

Location: 4701 Braeburn Dr.
Details: 4-5 bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths; 5,076 sq. ft.
Price: $999,000
The Pitch: “Stunning Mediterranean stone and stucco new construction in Bellaire! . . . Virtual grass added to photo!”
Docent Comments: “Is it Mediterranean or French, contemporary or Tuscan? Take your pick, there are elements here of each style. The front loading garage is the focal point. Can someone please explain the two windows lowered on the stone at the front of the garage? Are they lowered for children or dogs to peer out of them? And why are there two faux windows on each side of them? I count FIVE lanterns on the garage alone. The house itself is barely noticeable, it’s so pushed to the back of the garage. The front door is encased in a square stone facade, again, why? Two turrets of different heights flank the front door. The stone work is placed with no regard to design. The left turret has a stone base, the right turret has a stone facade with bands of colored stucco at its base. The windows are contemporary, while the house is not. And why are there three faux windows with a small gable above the right turret on the second floor? There is nothing, absolutely nothing attractive about this house. If someone buys it, it will be a miracle.”

Oh, yes . . . there’s more!

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Boulevard Oaks
06/27/08 1:54pm

Wabi Sabi: Sold!

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Buying and Selling, Greenbriar, Home Design, Homebuying, Montrose, New Construction: Residential, Real Estate Marketing, Temple Terrace
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Wabi Sabi House, 2316 Bartlett St., Houston

The Wabi Sabi House in Boulevard Oaks has sold, reports developer Carol Barden. And she says the buyer found his new home . . . by reading Swamplot.

The buyer apparently came across the Wabi Sabi while reading stories on this site about another Barden property: yes, that lonely Modern townhome on Stanford St. in Montrose designed by Francois de Menil that Barden was still trying to unload. Swamplot’s last report noticed that once-a-million dollar townhouse being offered for $749,000. Barden tells us that the Menil townhouse is now under contract. She won’t reveal any pricing details, but says that she “didn’t discount the price again.”

Photo of Wabi Sabi House: Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen

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Home Decor
06/26/08 2:37pm

Inside the Wabi Sabi House

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Home Design, Homes for Sale, New Construction: Residential, Real Estate Marketing
3 Comments

Kitchen and Dining Room, Wabi Sabi House by Olson Sundberg Kundig and Allen, Houston

Hall, Wabi Sabi House by Olson Sundberg Kundig and Allen, Houston

The Dwell blog and a Dubai-based “ezine” named De51gn both feature long-awaited interior photos of Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen‘s Wabi Sabi House on Bartlett St. near Greenbriar. Doesn’t look like the house has been staged too heavily, but . . . isn’t that the point of “imperfect beauty”?

Have a look around:

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Greenbriar
05/19/08 10:02am

Not Lived In Yet: The Wabi Sabi House

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Home Decor, Home Design, Homes for Sale, New Construction: Residential, Real Estate Marketing
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Wabi Sabi House by Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen, 2316 Bartlett St., Houston

The Wabi Sabi House is Carol Isaak Barden’s latest High Concept development. Tucked into a normal-sized lot between Greenbriar and Kirby just south of 59, the 3,700-sq.-ft. cedar-faced home is the first Texas residence designed by Seattle architects Olson Sundberg Kundig and Allen. It’s scheduled to be complete this month.

What’s the big idea? Explains Barden,

Generally, wabi means humble, and sabi refers to the imperfection that comes with time. Freely translated, it means something like “lived in.”

Alternate translation: Move over, feng shui. Wabi-sabi is the ancient Japanese idea behind the latest category of home-design looks and books.

After the jump: A view from the Wabi Sabi House’s huge roof deck. Plus: Barden’s checkered and gilded past!

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Apartments
05/08/08 12:24pm

Memorial Hills Apartments: Timelessly Emerging 8 Stories

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Houston Architects, Jackson Hill, New Construction: Residential, Real Estate Marketing, West End
2 Comments

Memorial Hills Apartments Under Construction, 3200 Scotland St., Houston

A reader sends photos of the new Memorial Hills Apartments under construction just north of Memorial Drive and west of Jackson Hill at 3200 Scotland St., on the site of the old . . . Memorial Hills Apartments! The new apartments are being developed by Gables Residential, and were designed by Ziegler Cooper Architects.

The apartments will be 8 stories tall and face Cleveland Park directly to the south. The parking garage will be on the north side of the site.

Below: more reader photos of the construction site, plus pretty words and pictures from Ziegler Cooper!

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Home Design
05/07/08 9:57am

Trading Houston Spaces: Mike James for Juwan Howard . . . Plus a Putting Green, Basketball Court, Gym, and Dance Studio

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Interiors, Memorial, New Construction: Residential, Rivercrest, Royal Oaks
3 Comments

Mike James’s House at 2 E. Rivercrest Dr., Houston

Juwan Howard’s Home in Royal Oaks, Houston

A reader reports that the large and well-turreted home at the corner of Rivercrest and Westheimer — not far from State Rep. Hubert Vo’s curious mansion — is almost complete:

The home belongs to Mike James, formerly of the Houston Rockets, who was traded to the Timberwolves, only to be traded back in exchange for Juwan Howard. The irony is that the home is an exact replica of Juwan Howard’s home in Royal Oaks, just a few miles down the road (Mike and his wife were unaware of this as their “Manager” picked out the plan — they were not amused when they found this out after Mike and his manager parted ways). It was designed by Berrios Designs (exceptional building designer), as was the guest house and the full NBA regulation indoor basketball court at the back of the ~3.5 acre property. The property also features two putting greens complete with dual sand bunkers and a water hazard, a “sunken” pool between the guest and main house, and a gym and dance studio attached to the basketball court. Sadly, the project, which had so much potential, is being finished on the cheap because of cost over-runs caused by their former manager (trying to do things cheap generally ends up costing a lot more money). Regardless, it is turning out pretty decently, but could have been done so much better.

Mike James’s house under construction in Rivercrest is pictured at the top of this story; Juwan Howard’s home in Royal Oaks is the one below it.

We hope the house-plan trade works out better than the player trade: James was sent to the New Orleans Hornets in February. But he says he’ll be back!

After the jump, more glimpses of Mike James’s Howardian manor and sports compound, plus a look inside the Royal Oaks home it’s modeled after!

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Homebuilders
05/02/08 2:15pm

Tattooed in Willowbrook: Pulte Makes a Lasting Impression

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Homes for Sale, New Construction: Residential, Real Estate Marketing, Willowbrook
1 Comment

Tattoo Ad for Pulte Homes in Willowbrook in Houston Press

Media-specific marketing helps bring everybody together! Just wait until the buyers of new Pulte homes in Willowbrook lured by this uh, interesting ad in this week’s Houston Press move in next door to folks attracted to the neighborhood by some very different marketing.

Tattoo fans: Watch the video below and meet your new neighbors!

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Buying and Selling
04/08/08 8:46am

More Vo Real Estate for Sale: Memorial Mansion with Multiples

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Home Design, Homes for Sale, Memorial, New Construction: Residential, Rivercrest
24 Comments

31 W. Rivercrest, Houston

As recently as last Friday, the home owned by State Rep. Hubert Vo and his wife in Memorial’s Rivercrest subdivision was listed on HAR as “Option Pending.” Then — by yesterday — it was back on the market. Did something happen to disrupt a potential sale?

The new, 23,000-sq.-ft. “awesome Mediterranean estate” at 31 W. Rivercrest has been listed at the same price for 21 months.

What’s the story? A comment posted to HAIF last November offers some clues:

That house is a disaster. I believe, it was, initially being built for Rep. Vo, but when the budget quickly ran out and then they realized it wasn’t worth what was spent on it, it has been a mess trying to get rid of the thing.

I met with an agent that was showing the house privately about a year and a half ago just before I started a project down the street and she eluded that it was initially being offered, still incomplete, for 7.5mm. So far as I know, it is STILL incomplete and has dropped a lot. Eventually, they will have to liquidate it. I wouldn’t be surprised if it is a tear down with as hideous as the house is.

The actual $4.7 million asking price has in fact held steady. For $200K less than Vo’s other real-estate offering, you get a 2.66-acre lot, an enormous brick home with 5 stairways, 2 attached garages holding a total of 8 cars, plus a separate guest house. And it’s all almost complete!

But this isn’t just your typical Memorial mansion for column-and-arch-crazed empty-nesters! Everything about this home — from its 8 bedrooms, 9 full baths, and 2 half baths, to its dual Master Bedroom suites — is tailor made for occupancy by large numbers of people!

See what we mean below the fold, in a few choice scenes from inside.

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Apartments
03/31/08 11:52am

North Montrose and Memorial Heights: Look at Us Now

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Commercial Real Estate, Condos, Development Strategy, Memorial Heights, Montrose, New Construction: Residential, Redevelopment
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Alley Behind Townhomes Between Clay and W. Dallas, Houston

If you’re curious what the upper reaches of Montrose Blvd. look like from the viewpoint of an actual pedestrian, you’ll want to see blogger Charles Kuffner’s recent annotated photo walking tour of the area. Kuffner, who lived on Van Buren St. in the nineties, describes more recent developments on and around Montrose and Studemont — from West Gray north to Washington:

I did this partly to document what it looks like now – if you used to live there but haven’t seen it in awhile, you’ll be amazed – and partly to point out what I think can be done to make the eventual finished product better. . . .

My thesis is simple. This is already an incredibly densely developed corridor, and it’s going to get more so as the new high rise is built [see Swamplot’s story here] and several parcels of now-empty land get sold and turned into something else. It’s already fairly pedestrian-friendly, but that needs to be improved. And for all the housing in that mile-long stretch of road, there’s not enough to do.

Kuffner’s guide is a Flickr photo set. You’ll get the most out of it if you view it as a slideshow with the captions turned on (on the link, click on Options in the lower right corner, then make sure Always Show Title and Description is checked).

After the jump: A few more photos from Kuffner’s tour, plus an ID on those new condos behind Pronto!

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Bellaire
03/25/08 4:22pm

Bellaire Field Study Notes

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Demolitions, New Construction: Residential, Trees
1 Comment

From the course description for Anthropology 325L: Ethnographies of Ordinary Life, spring semester, UT Austin:

This course tries to approach the “ordinary” through ethnographic research. Each student will choose a project for participant observation. Questions include: how is the ordinary made to seem meaningful or made invisible or naturalized? How is ordinary life experienced by particular people in particular situations? How is it the site of forms of attachment and agency? What are the practices of everyday life? How do people become invested in the idea and hope of having an ordinary life? How does ordinariness dull us, or escape us, or become a tempting scene of desire?

And an excerpt from a recent posting of student fieldnotes on the Ethnographies of Ordinary Life class blog:

Bellaire has a different story. My mom often tells friends of the family about how over the course of our first ten years in this house, there was always at least one house being torn down and rebuilt. Our house along with three or four others are now the only original houses on the street. And they are now dwarfed by the pseudo-stucco three story behemoths that have come to characterize Houston exurbs. The street is littered with showy luxury vehicles, and most of the new neighbors don’t really socialize with us or one another. And you should hear my father lament the plight of the trees on our street (and I am totally with this one). My mom stopped organizing the block party a few years ago simply because no one else expressed interest or willingness to help out.

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Demolitions
03/11/08 9:44am

Big and Modern on Lazy Lane: John Arnold Tries House Trading

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Historic Preservation, Home Design, Homewoods, Houston Architects, Land Sales, Neighborhood Disputes, New Construction: Residential, River Oaks
7 Comments

Perspective View of House at 2950 Lazy Lane, Designed by Alexander Gorlin

This massive 20,000-sq.-ft. home featured on New York Architect Alexander Gorlin‘s website is under construction at 2950 Lazy Lane in River Oaks. The Museum of Fine Arts’ Bayou Bend Collection is next door.

Gorlin’s client is the youngest member of the Forbes 400 list of the Richest Americans (he’s number 317): 34-year-old former Enron trader John Arnold, who now runs secretive Centaurus Energy, a small but extraordinarily successful hedge fund company that trades energy commodities.

Four years ago, Arnold bought a recently renovated 1926 home in the French Norman manorial style in the Homewoods subdivision of River Oaks. The home, which had sat on the market for close to three years, was designed by Houston architect Birdsall Briscoe in collaboration with John Staub, who also built the Bayou Bend estate for the children of former Texas governor James Hogg next door. Briscoe’s creation was dubbed “Dogwoods” by Hogg’s son Michael, who lived there for many years with his wife.

A year after purchasing Dogwoods — currently valued by HCAD at $4.9 million — Arnold angered River Oaks preservationists by tearing it down.

After the jump, more illustrations of the house John Arnold will be trading into, plus a few photos of the one he didn’t leave behind.

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Buying and Selling
03/10/08 4:44pm

Menil Townhome Sales Looking for a Lift

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Home Design, Homes for Sale, Montrose, New Construction: Residential, Real Estate Marketing, Temple Terrace, Townhomes
2 Comments

Patio at 608 Stanford St., HoustonCarol Isaak Barden, developer of the towering white now-a-lot-less-than- a-million-dollar townhouses near Allen Parkway, explains to Swamplot why she thinks the second unit hasn’t sold yet:

We always expected that it might take longer to sell the homes. They are bachelor pads. They are not for people with children, they are not for residents with bad knees, they are vertical structures for people who don’t mind using the stairs. Since both Francois [de Menil, the architect] and I have lived in Manhattan in buildings without elevators, we didn’t think it would be such a big deal. We were wrong.

Hey, nothing a little retrofitting can’t solve! Barden says a 4-story lift could be put in “easily” — but she hasn’t, because some potential buyers preferred it as the architect designed it, and “didn’t want to give up the extra storage.”

Francois lives in a 4-story townhouse in NYC, my first apt. in NYC was in the Apthorp, an old pre-war building on the upper east side without an elevator. I schlepped luggage and groceries up the stairs, and stayed thin and fit. Francois and I were dead wrong about the elevator issue. Houstonians valet park at restaurants, stores, hospitals, and even some churches. (New Yorkers don’t). And therein lies the problem.

608 Stanford Unit B sold three months after completion, last May. Unit A? Not so lucky:

The second unit has had contracts, unfortunately, none of them have closed. . . . we’re hoping to close on a contract with a buyer who happens to be an architect. It seems that the people who most appreciate these homes can’t afford them. (Architects, engineers, designers)

After the jump: what a bargain! Plus, a bit of news . . .

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