With the First Ward’s accelerating townhomification, the fate of this vintage Victorian could have been different. Restoration won out, however — as indicated by the snazzy new tin roof, crisply redefined porch, and perked-up paint on the recently completed overhaul. It’s located in Barclay Estates, a subdivision south of Spring Street Studios and the Heights Bike Trail. The project’s more extensive efforts included disassembling and stripping the windows and trim and sealing the original paint of the bead board ceilings and walls. Other improvements included all new plumbing and electrical wiring. Reportedly an 1899 home, the property appeared on the market with the new year and has a $339,999 asking price.
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Inside the 1,368-sq.-ft. structure, the woodwork and flooring share a dark, glossy finish that bounces the natural light from tall windows left half-curtained. Several transoms help keep the upper interior air circulating . . .
even if the pocket doors close off access between the main rooms:
In the kitchen, fluted woodwork and beadboard have been applied from floor to ceiling and then some:
One of the 2 bedrooms appears to include a section of before and after wall treatments:
Both bathrooms feature claw-foot tubs with creatively mounted shower curtain apparatus:
One bathroom is right off the kitchen, which is visible above the color-blanked lower sash of an interior window:
The unfenced lot, 5,800 sq. ft., has no garage.
- 1907 Crockett St. [HAR]
Looking at the “before shot” from Streetview gives me a glimmer of hope for all of our city’s crack houses and shotgun shacks.
Exterior: Beautiful, charming (but are they gonna add the cladding around the piers?)
Interior: Bizarre mishmash, particularly the kitchen and bathrooms, but especially that partially unrefinished bedroom wall.
I applaud this.
Really nice to see a touch of . Preservation work like this is so rare here. I little townhomophobia is a good thing. Transoms are so cool. Interesting how they sealed the old lead paint rather than strip it. I wonder if insurance companies will approve the porch and stairs without railings?
Very nice. Like that they preserved and made use of a lot of rustic original elements. Tired of people making the interior of bungalows and Victorians look like something out of the Woodlands or a UL town home.
The exterior is more impressive than the interior – maybe it’s the inconsistency of beadboard (old/new), the high gloss on dark trim or glossy floors. But exciting to see it was restored – it will make a beautiful home. Hopefully this will start a trend.
I’m the listing agent on this beautiful house. I have to give credit to the owner, Phil Neisel, who has an incredible vision for preservation. We currently have four offers on this property! I’ve had the privilege of listing two other houses of his in the Sixth Ward. He truly is an artist. I have restored several houses in the area, and if a restoration executed properly, buyers will respond. Phil’s next project is moving and restoring one of the original Telge farmhouses in Cypress, for himself.
But why on earth would anyone want to preserve stains and dirt on the walls? Especially in the kitchen.
Not charming. Just ugly.
There was another property listed over the summer on Crockett that the owner had begun restoring but wanted to rid himself of it after working on it for awhile. I hope it turns out just as nice as this home. This is gorgeous!
I only wish Crockett wasn’t such a busy street, though.
Glad the listing agent stopped by and let us know who restored this so beautifully.
Exterior work is excellent. Kudos to the person who paid a crew to restore this historic cottage
There is another high end restoration on Crockett St a few blocks east underway by Don Broman, an awesome old house contractor.
I have to agree that the exterior is flawlessly executed, while the interior leaves much to be desired. Smaller houses don’t benefit from dark (and high gloss) millwork, cabinetry and interior trim.
@Dana-X: just an FYI: Building code does not require porch railings if the ground is less than 30″ away. Crazy.
Guess if this house has four offers, it really doesn’t matter if you like the interior or not. The market has spoken…..
Bravo to the designers and contractors etc. who restored this beauty.
I love the comment re townhomophobia. We do need a little of that in Houston.
What an amazing area old First Ward could be. I can’t wait tell my 93 year old Dad about this, he grew up nearby.
I do agree that whether I think the interior looks nice really doesn’t matter, except it was posted on a real estate blog and the comment section begs for opinions. :-)