We’ve got one of those “old school” guessing games this week: There’ll be no fancy prizes for the winner — just glory. Are you ready to play?
You win by guessing the location of the pictured home. If more than one of you identifies the correct neighborhood, the player who provided the best explanation for the guess wins.
What if you know this place already? Please don’t blurt out the answer and ruin the fun for everyone else. Instead, send Swamplot a link to the listing, then post an incorrect guess. But make that incorrect guess sound plausible! If you can do that well and throw the other players off, you’ll get special recognition when the winner is announced. And if nobody guesses the correct neighborhood, that winner could be you!
Take a look at the rest of the house:
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Piece of cake, no? Especially when you consider these rooms:
That’s it! Add your guesses to the comments! The answer will show up on Thursday — stay tuned.
Update, 10/29: That answer has shown up!
Photos: HAR
This is one of the last remaining “Taco Bueno” facilities; it was renovated to residential. It is located near Hobby Airport (Edgebrook & 45 South)
Well, this is interesting. Finishes and arched openings scream bargain-basement “upscale-look Mediterranean (or Mexican)” tract house but the room sizes are kinda weird for a new house. There’s a new-ish neighborhood over there in Pearland just south of Pearland Town Center off Kirby, near Dr. Watkins’ giant mansions. Each house has a freestanding garage with attic rooms above. Based on that attic room and what I’m seeing out the windows I’ll go with that. Wonder what the master bath looks like?
There is an element of the “old” in this house and so my guess is it’s a renovation of a house built in the 1940s or 1950s.
The attic has been converted and actually has the same feel many of the conversions in the Southampton/Southgate area have.
What is that mail slot in the middle of that wall?
I’m going to guess Clear Lake even though I’m probably not right, because I just want to keep guessing Clear Lake until I am.
I’d agree with the re-done 50’s house. so I would guess Spring Valley or the area a little east of there.
I agree that this is probably around Rice U, so I’ll guess West University.
The pulled down shades in the bedrooms make me wonder what might be objectionable about the view. I agree that the arched doorways and galley kitchen are typical of 50s architecture, but Ive seen those doorways in new construction too. The little “mail slot” reminds me of those phone “nooks” you see in mid-century homes, but its probably for the wiring behind the entertainment center that would go against that wall. There is way too much NEW in this place. I guessing West U, just because.
It’s WWII, it’s Mod, it’s recently-updated:
It’s The Pac-Maddition That Swallowed The Cottage!
I’m torn between Longpoint near Spring Branch Med Center & Meyerland off South Rice, so I’ll guess MacGregor/Riverside! also an area with these generational culture shocks.
The little “mail slot†reminds me of those phone “nooks†you see in mid-century homes, but its probably for the wiring behind the entertainment center that would go against that wall.
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No, it’s a mail slot. And either there is an actual entry or the front door is hidden in the photo. I suspect an entry. Most one-story homes in West U didn’t have an entry. Many in Southampton/Southgate did. The ceiling height in the living room is different in the section where the stairs are so again the attic was converted and they raised the ceiling height there for some reason. Something about the height of the converted attic just says Southampton/Southgate. A high pitched roof. Some homes in the Riverside Terrace are also had these same high pitched roofs which allowed for easy conversion.
This looks like a 1-1/2 story house with dormer windows. Those were popular in the ’70s. Something about what I can see through the open windows looks like a house built in the ’70’s, too. The window in picture 6 looks to be a true mullioned window and not a double-pane replacement that’s just made to look that way. I’m going to guess this is outside the beltway just south of I-10, maybe near Kirkwood or Dairy Ashford. Also, those floors are beautiful, all of them. Want.
Why is there a sink at the end of the hallway? Is that part of the MBR? My spirit guide is recovering from the swine flu and is of no help. Though I am feeling an inner vibe for Friendswood. Friendswood it is.
I see this as mid century or older. Let’s venture off Lawndale and 45.
I’m guessing Westbury
The dark wood cabinetry in the peachy bathrooms screams “update” but inappropriate update, like the folks who insist on sticking gingerbread onto a Craftsman style house. But I digress.
I am throwing my hat in for Idylewild. And this place flooded during Allison.
What an odd house! I think this is a 40’s or early 50’s construction, that has had a spanish-themed renovation/expansion (probably in the 80s). The bathrooms look more recent, although they didn’t change the tile or replace the cheap mirrors. You can see the photographer in the mirror on the second to last bathroom pic! As for location, I’m leaning toward Garden Oaks area.
That converted attic to me is really the main clue along with that curious mail slot which seems to indicate there is also an entry. So it is in an older neighborhood where even the smaller houses, and this was probably a smaller house with several rooms added on, were a little more “upscale” than normal. One story but with a high-pitched roof which as I recall allowed for better cross-ventilation which kept the house cooler and of course added more storage space in the attic itself. It could be out in the boonies somewhere but my feeling is it’s “inside the loop” and somewhere in the vicinity of Rice and Rice Village although it could be further north in one of the various neighborhoods along Greenbriar and Shepherd between Rice Village and West Alabama and the various neighborhoods between West Alabama and 59 in the Montrose area. Draw a circle using Rice University as the center and I suspect this house is somewhere within a 5 mile radius.
The only other area I can think of where the original house might have been is Riverside Terrace and Idylwood.
But it just has that Southampton/Southgate area feel to it. Something about the bathrooms. Someone put a lot of money into those bathrooms. That’s a clue as well.
I’m going to guess Heights. Allston St, if I can. I looked at a weird house that this layout reminds me of. This is a major improvement and redo. One of the deterrents of that house was that every room had different decade as its theme. Same tub and bathroom set up. Eight different floors throughout the house. And, for the one who asked about the master bathroom, that master shower was located in an dormer….yes, the showerhead came out of the ceiling and the walls & ceiling were blue tile.
The kitchen floor tile was inspired by a tile guy with lots of creativity when the budget ran out.
I usually guess inner loop… but the doorknobs in particular make me think Montrose or the Heights. My gut has me going towards Montrose… something about the tile and the ceiling fans. I’ve lived in too many apartments that look like this. Seems like a fairly inconsistent renovation too, mostly to add a significant re-sale value. Since south Montrose has already been guessed, I’ll pin-point it a bit more north (or Westmoreland, maybe?). I’m pretty interested to see where this ends up being located though.
Huge props for the “When Harry Met Sally” ref – awesome. I’m guessing an Oak Forest redo?
Since south Montrose has already been guessed, I’ll pin-point it a bit more north (or Westmoreland, maybe?).
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You don’t see the high-pitched roofs on the one-story houses so much in “north” Montrose for some reason. They really are a rather distinctive feature in some areas particularly in Southampton/Southgate. There also appears to be an addition to the original garage in the photos. Another clue perhaps in terms of the Southampton/Southgate area. That is very common. Rather than expand on the house, they expanded on the garage.
Well, once again it’s Thursday night at 9 pm, well, almost 9 pm, and so once again we must ask WHERE IS IT?
Gonna go out on a limb and say old Pasadena/Deer Park… I know its odd, but there are a some like this out there…