08/27/09 11:04pm

A lot of you had a lot to say about this week’s mystery property. But only one of you is walking away with that shiny new Rice Design Alliance membership!

There were 2 guesses each for South Houston, the Memorial Villages, Pasadena, Clear Lake, and Deer Park. The rest of your guesses? Bunker Hill, Piney Point Village, “far out Memorial,” “the area around Bellfort and Broadway,” Oak Ridge North, Meyerland, “the New Caney/Roman Forest/Porter area,” Humble, Porter, New Caney, Katy, Glenbrook Valley, “Northwest between Hollister and Sam Houston Tollway,” “just outside Beltway 8 around Briar Forest,” Fondren Southwest, “outside the North Belt,” “any subdivision,” Alvin, Alief, T.C. Jester or Ella Blvd. near 610, “southwest side,” “very close to Blue Ridge Mountain,” “somewhere southeast,” “somewhere off 2920, between 249 north and I-45 north,” “somewhere across Hempstead from Delmar Stadium near Freed Park,” “somewhere south of Hell,” Park Glen, Meadowcreek, Quail Valley, Oak Forest, Maplewood South, Sugar Land, Pearland, Northampton in Spring, “the Inwood area,” Oakbrook West, Friendswood, Baytown, LaPorte, Sharpstown, Northwest Houston, Candlelight Plaza, Shepherd Park Terrace, “the older parts of Champions,” “off Wilcrest below Lakewood,” and Huntwick.

The winner of a one-year individual membership in the RDA is JC, for this brilliant entry:

Why would you put a cooktop underneath a kitchen window? Even if it’s a downdraft cooktop, I’d feel more comfortable with the traditional kitchen sink underneath that window. Plus, the tile floors look somewhat newer, possibly replacing linoleum or carpet in some parts. What was dead on was movocelot’s guess that the makeshift home theater was the converted garage. With the amount of paneling still intact in the living room, I’m going to guess the house was built in the 70s, and judging by the kitchen cabinets and countertops, I’m going to go against my better judgement and say 1977.

You can notice details of upgrades here and there, mostly noticed by the mirror and sink/counter in the hall bath, which looks to be the same material underneath the bottle of McCormick vodka…

This house has the look of one that would be outside of the beltway. However, I’m going to take a guess here and say this one is in the Inwood area.

Congratulations, JC! This week’s runner-up, miss_msry, aimed just a little too far to the west.

The real prize this round, though, is Claire de Lune — who not only wrote in to suggest this listing in the first place, but came back to concoct this cock-and-bull story to try and throw y’all off:

There are so many places this could be, its hard to choose just one. But it strongly resembles a lot of the homes I saw when I lived in the Clear Lake area. Probably built in the 60s, and redecorated by the second wife (who had theatrical aspirations) in the mid 80s, judging from the abundance of floral crap and faux greenery. The toys belong to the visiting step-grandchildren. That sunken tub probably hasn’t been used in years.

I’m going to place this in Oakbrook West, or possibly the older sections of Friendswood. Whoever lives there is retired, has been in that house a LONG time, and takes “home theater” just a little too seriously. Anyone who would do that with what seems to be a renovated garage has WAY too much time on their hands. Good luck selling this litte gem!

What’s the real story on this place?

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02/05/09 8:37am

“SPACIOUS LIVINGROOM WITH SKYLIGHT & FLOWERBED,” shouts the listing for this 1970s-era home on a cul-de-sac near White Oak Bayou in Candlelight Forest. And it’s no exaggeration. The Swamplot reader who alerted us to the property also expressed appreciation for its mauve carpet and mirrored Dining Room wall:

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11/28/07 5:00am

Google Maps Showing New Terrain View in Houston

Another week, another round of updates to Google Maps. Sure, there are some fun new capabilitiesgroups of people can now work together to add items to a single personalized map; thumbnail preview photos of Street View panoramas will now appear in the pop-up balloons for many commercial addresses on major streets. But for Houston, the most exciting new feature is the new Terrain view, which now reveals even to casual internet visitors the exciting topography that makes our local landscape so . . . Houston-like.

Imagine you’re a Houston newcomer scouting hilltop locations to site your dreamhouse, and want to see what views you might get from a promontory in say, Highland Heights. Simply type in a Highland Heights address into Google Maps — try 1042 Lucky St. 77088 from today’s Daily Demolition Report, for example. Sure, aerial views have been available for a while now, but what if you want to get an idea of the views from this location? Will there be a charming vista to the Cemetery Beautiful Cemetery a few blocks to the north?

With the new Terrain view, Google lets you see: At the top right of every Google map there’s now a button labeled “Terrain.” Click that and the map you’re viewing will show all the hills and level changes in the area — all of them!

Having trouble seeing those elevation differences? Hmmm . . . well, at least it makes those bayous and gullies stand out!