The Neighborhood Guessing Game is back! You think it would just disappear?
Our sponsor this week: the Rice Design Alliance. The winner of this week’s game will receive an individual one-year membership to the RDA, which ordinarily costs $45. If you’re already a member and you win, you can give the membership to a friend.
The rules, of course: You are trying to guess the location of the home pictured here. Simple, huh? If you’re right, you win the prize! Unless, of course, someone else also guesses the correct location — in which case whichever player provided the best explanation for the guess wins it.
If you already know this home, or if you come across it while we’re playing the game, please don’t post the answer and ruin the fun for everyone. Instead, send Swamplot an email with a link to the listing. Then, post an incorrect guess — but explain it in a way that makes it sound reasonable. Throw everybody off! If you do it well, you’ll get special recognition for your efforts. And if nobody guesses the right neighborhood, you could win the prize!
Ready to play? Here are just a few more clues:
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Got it? Of course you have!
That’s all you have to go on! So go on — add your guess! The answer will be posted here on Thursday.
Update, 4/2: The answer is revealed!
- This week’s prize sponsor: Rice Design Alliance
Photos: HAR
I’m not in a snarky mood, but this really reminds me of Spring Branch south of Long Point, around Antoine, Wirt and Pech.
This could be in alot of spring branch areas, but Brad’s guess is a good one. This could also fit right in Oak Forest, Mangum Manor, Timbergrove or Lazybrook too. Gawd, those patterns are enough to make you dizzy.
From the angles and low ceilings it looks like this house wants to be a pseudo 50s mod in some trendy subdivision like Garden or Afton Oaks. But in a wave of desperate housewives and Better Homes & Gardens subscriptions, I believe the husband ‘had’ to update some part of the house and the job could not afford the kitchen so I guess that neighborhood off Chimney Rock on the south side of 59 (Braeburn/Meyerlandish) not one close to River Oaks.
Too bad Brad’s not in a snarky mood. Guess I’ll have to take up the slack. This is a mid-century upscale-ish tract ranch house that someone has tried hard to disguise. Since someone has spent some money on it I’ll go with either just inside or just outside the loop. My first gut feeling is Meyerland, one of the smaller, older houses closer to Bellaire. Wouldn’t be too surprised if it were Meyer Park, though. I guess the neighbors in the half-brick-half-siding ranch next door must not be voyeurs, or else the people who live here must not mind having a giant window in their bathroom with no window treatment. Anyway, it’s a nice little plywood-paneled time-capsule except for the newly modernized bathroom. Maybe they want to show it off and that’s why they don’t have any curtains or blinds! Not such a fan of the dining room wallpaper or the nekkid grandma sofa, but those are just the low-hanging fruit.
My gut reaction was Westbury, around Chimney Rock/Willowbend/West Bellfort. My mom had the same sad wooden paneling in her den for years.
This house–I’m calling it “Cybill”–and its six personalities look like they live in Willowbend.
I think I know this one…..my great uncle lives in this house’s twin. Same paneling and layout, but different tile and wallpaper.
Glenbrook Valley (I think that is the name)….right near Hobby Airport. going down Broadway, take a left.
I could be wrong. This may be a bit more upscale than Glenbrook Valley with the granite and towel warmer in the bathroom. That and the front door, which I wouldn’t have in that neighborhood.
I think it’s going to be a better area, but I’ll guess Braeburn Valley West.
Well it seem obvious this home is on the corner of Tacky and 1962. Those funky flourescent strips in the living room are a kick. Not even sure what that dining room floor is–vinyl or marble with wood strips?
Westwood? Possibly. But I’ll say Tanglewilde.
The brick/stone in the entryway is a familiar feeling…lot isn’t too big..and early 60’s is close to me thinking…Westbury !!
Wow!, that dining room is something else. I knew a couple with a home in Maplewood like this. Not decorated like this one but it was updated. Maplewood is my guess.
I think Brad sorta nailed it but I’m going to move a little to the west & say Spring Valley or above – near Hollister. A cul-de-sac lot – that big bathroom window is looking out on their own garage, so no need for, um, cover. Maybe if you buy the house they’ll throw the RV in as well. Possibly a ravine lot – that’s why the new bathroom, because of flooding in the 90’s?
I’ll go with Pasadena.
I think everyone is on the right track with Westbury or Willowbend. The cove lighting is a period detail giveaway since no one would ADD something like that. I am going to guess between Willowbend and Bellfort, EAST of Post Oak, within a half-mile of Willow Park in Willow Meadows.
Not sure about the locale, but I will tell you about the owner. It is a divorced man. The living room furniture is his as is the office. He remodeled the bathroom after the wife moved out because he thought he deserved to have a nice bathroom now that he no longer had to share it. It was something she always wanted and they never did, so nyah, nyah. The insane wallpaper is a leftover from the wife because after the bathroom remodel, he lost all interest in further changes. The plain walls, dried flowers and wicker chair in the bedroom are from the new girlfriend. She HAD to change the bedroom but left the rest because she was hoping they would move to a place that would be all theirs – and they finally are. Congrats!
My favorite part is how the dining room floor magically grew onto the kitchen walls. The bathroom was a project done very recently (hence no window coverings) to help sell this house…if only you could see the before photos of the bathroom when it had gold, textured wallpaper and a red carpet to go with the pistachio colored porcelain. In their defense – the visible “neighbor” is actually the detached garage so unless they have squatters living in their garage they don’t have worry about peeping toms from that particular directions. The house is owned by a couple that is reaching retirement age and they plan to sell their house and dump their furniture so they can take their RV (you can see it from the kitchen window) on a tour of America’s finest petting zoos. Once the furniture gets cleared out this house isn’t so bad but the new owner will have lots of fun removing wallpaper and paneling. Oh, and the house was built around 1960-ish in the Oak Forest neighborhood.
I’m not playing the game, as I’m a recent newcomer to Houston and don’t know all the neighborhoods. But I will make one observation: this house apparently is the home of some exhibitists. Check out the bathroom window in the last photo — no covering of any kind there. :-)
This could have been an original Tanglewood if it weren’t for the size of the rooms and bathrooms (and that ugly detached garage thing the open bathroom looks out to..).
I’ll guess an original 1950s Braes Heights/Oaks special (somewhere south of Bellaire Blvd., near Stella Link/Buffalo speedway). With a small side of gaudy.
Instead of guessing, let’s just make up the best short story we can about the house and its residents. Finess wins this one; he’s right on target.
Oh, I guess Braes Terrace.
Channelview or Jacinto City.
hello, hello..
see how my chest hair glistens while I make my way from the shower over here to the commode over there…
I see these pictures and get an eerie feeling that someone is going to steal that RV. So i pulled up the HPD crime stats: http://www.houstontx.gov/police/cs/xls/feb09.xls and then sorted by “auto theft…” and the clear leader was storefront #18 which is the “Northline” police storefront 7208 nordling 77076. which is airline and little york. drag my finger over to the left a bit and i hit montgomery, where bigger, older houses are. so montgomery near little york. SOMEBODY CALL HIM TO MOVE THAT RV BEFORE IT GETS JACKED!!!
If it’s storytime, here’s my contribution. Grandpa and Grandma shared this house for years. They then became RV-full (or mostly full)-timers. When they tired of that, they returned & started in on those home-updates they’d always wanted – maybe Grandpa did the work himself. But now he’s passed away (hence the completely cleaned-out office) and she’s ready to move in with Dear Daughter or Son, or maybe to assisted living.
This is clearly a house that was passed down to a younger couple you inherited the home. In return they had some odds and ends furniture, maybe even went on Craigslist or visited The Dump to furnish the place. They also received some inheritance money and remodeled the bathroom, adding the window, letting some very refreshing natural light in. Yet the house still isn’t quite the “love nest” they had hoped it would be. The RV is for sale and is sitting in the driveway as the couple eagerly awaits the sale of both the house and the RV so they can upgrade to something newer. This house is located in the Woodlake/ Brair Meadow area off Richmond inside the Beltway.