Swamplot Archives by Tag: Homebuilders

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Grand Parkway Homes by Lennar

August 20, 2008 – 11:22 am

Lakes of Avalon Village Subdivision, Spring, Texas

Some brand-new houses sold by Lennar Homes will be very convenient to the new Grand Parkway!

Robert A. Hudson, a Spring developer who partnered with Lennar on the project, said builders knew the highway might come through the subdivision.

“We are not up there on a daily basis to make sure that the builders make it clear to everybody else,” he said.

Plans for the Grand Parkway have been on the books for 25 years, but only 28 of its proposed 185 miles have been built. Environmental and neighborhood groups have opposed the project.

It would include 11 segments traversing seven counties. The 12.1-mile Segment F2 would cut directly through the Lakes of Avalon Village, a subdivision with several hundred homes located on FM 2920 just west of Kuykendahl Road.

About 60 homes are in the right-of-way and would have to be demolished to make way for the parkway once construction began, [executive director of the Grand Parkway Association David] Gornet said.

Talk about offering transportation options! But it’s not just Lennar . . . J. Patrick Homes also is selling models in the Lakes of Avalon Village subdivision.

But hurry! The subdivision is in “close out”!

After the jump: pics of a Lennar Homes model for sale in this quaint little village in Spring!

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11:22 am | 2 Comments | Read more about Freeways and Toll Roads, Hazards, Homebuilders, Homes for Sale, Master-Planned Communities, Neighborhoods: Lakes of Avalon Village, Neighborhoods: Spring, New Construction: Residential, Proposed Developments, Transportation
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Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Royce Builders Death Spiral: Juicy Details!

August 19, 2008 – 4:54 pm

Royce Builders now has “about 60″ employees — down from 220 earlier this year, reports the Chronicle’s Nancy Sarnoff, who managed to get company president John Speer on the phone:

Speer said Royce is working with its lenders to complete homes that already have been started. It is also negotiating with vendors who have liens against the company.

Royce has between 60 and 80 homes that are under construction and will be completed, Speer said. Another 70 or 80 that have been contracted but not yet started are unlikely to be built.

Meanwhile, a tipster tells us that Royce

fired ALL of the project managers and construciton managers yesterday. The corporate phones are not being answered. Hammersmith mortgage, their in-house lender, was closed for good yesterday. The Stewart Title office branch in their corporate office was also closed yesterday.

. . . and adds this colorful story:

One of the PM’s (project managers) was holding a meeting yesterday with his staff of sales people and construction. This was in one of the neighborhoods he manages. He was telling the staff NOT to listen to the rumors and keep slling as usual. He got a phone call on his company cell and left the meeting for several minutes. When he returned, he informed the staff he had been fired and they are on their own.

More Royce rubbernecking . . . after the jump!

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4:54 pm | 3 Comments | Read more about Financing, Hazards, Homebuilders
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We Have Layoffs: Heads Roll at Royce Builders

August 19, 2008 – 5:01 am

Royce Builders Building, 7850 N. Sam Houston Pkwy. West, HoustonAt least a few of those swirling rumors about Royce Builders appear to have been on target. Yesterday, Fox 26 reporter Isiah Carey camped out in the parking lot of the company’s offices across Beltway 8 from the Sam Houston Race Park — as a stream of just-laid-off employees loped out of the building carrying boxes.

We’ve also learned Royce has had at least 70 [liens] placed on their properties and homes that have been sold.

Court records indicate the company has failed to pay a contractor for work done. Tax records also show Royce owes the tax assessors office at least $95,000.

How extensive were the layoffs?

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5:01 am | 1 Comment | Read more about Homebuilders
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Monday, August 18, 2008

The Rumors Circling Around Royce Builders

August 18, 2008 – 3:45 pm

Information Center, SouthFork Subdivision, Manvel, Texas

It sure is hard to keep up with all the rumors being floated about Houston-based Royce Builders over at the Implode-Explode forums. Has Royce Homes declared bankruptcy? Have recent Royce homebuyers in SouthFork been having problems with undiscovered liens? Were company parties truly that wild? Are layoffs imminent? Is Royce about to move its offices to a more . . . uh, residential setting?

An abortive news report by Fox 26 Reporter Isiah Carey, scheduled to air last Friday, doesn’t appear to have cleared up any of the questions. The Fox 26 news site reported that Carey was threatened with arrest by a Royce employee — identified by some posters on the Implode-Explode forums as VP Shawn Speer, son of company president John Speer. It’s likely the threats didn’t end there, however: the story has since mysteriously disappeared from the station’s website.

As one poster on the forum angrily suggests, it’s all probably just a big misunderstanding:

Just like the analogy of a run on a bank, things like this can become a self-fulfilling prophecy when too many people buy into it and effectively give up - blowing off walks or closings, and otherwise just flat not doing their job. Did you not get paid today? If these things I have read posted are truly your beliefs, at least resign and stop being paid for nothing…

Photo of SouthFork Information Center: Royce Homes

3:45 pm | 4 Comments | Read more about Hazards, Homebuilders
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Friday, August 15, 2008

Plenty of Roofing Work in Katy!

August 15, 2008 – 1:09 pm
   

“There are thousands of homes built by companies like Pulte in this part of town circa 1994-1997. Their margins were very thin because houses were so cheap. These companies used the lousiest of building materials they could get away with. Lots of these houses now need new roofs, and their owners may not even know it. Houses with rotted decking.” [Lou Minatti]

1:09 pm | Add a Comment | Read more about Construction Materials, Home Repairs, Homebuilders, Katy, Quicklink
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Thursday, August 14, 2008

Obra Homes Secret Hiding Place Revealed!

August 14, 2008 – 12:08 pm

Graphic from Obra Homes Old Website

A tipster has provided Swamplot with the actual address of the Houston office of Obra Homes, a homebuilder that’s been making itself rather scarce these days:

They are located at 9186 Katy Freeway on the 2nd floor of the Flagstone Lending Group building. As soon as you walk up the stairs, the door in front of you is their office.

Is this office location really that much of a secret? The street address, at least, is mentioned on at least one easily Googled website.

On the other hand, the huge Obra Homes showroom on 290 has closed forever, and the homebuilder appears to have vanished from the the office building on 290 that bears its name. An attorney representing the company told Fox 26 reporter Randy Wallace late last month that Obra has a phone number, but no location.

You can’t even get into the company’s website without a password. But . . . thanks to the Internet Wayback Machine, the “Our Commitment” statement proudly displayed on the Obra Homes site as recently as last year is still available:

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12:08 pm | 3 Comments | Read more about Hazards, Homebuilders, Openings and Closings
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Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Piazza Townhomes: Fountain Below

August 5, 2008 – 12:39 pm

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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12:39 pm | 7 Comments | Read more about Home Design, Homebuilders, Homes for Sale, Neighborhoods: Audubon Place, Neighborhoods: Montrose, New Construction: Residential, Townhomes
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Thursday, July 31, 2008

Obra Homes: Gone Missing

July 31, 2008 – 2:30 pm

5010 Cottage Creek Ln., the Trails at Seabourne Park, Rosenberg, Texas

A few months after abruptly shutting down operations in the Rio Grande Valley, McAllen-based homebuilder Obra Homes appears to have quietly abandoned its Houston-area business as well, leaving one Rosenberg subdivision littered with empty slabs.

So where the heck is Obra Homes anyway? A model home here at this subdivision is empty and closed, and the company’s attorney tells us no more Obra homes will be built here at the Trails at Seabourne Park subdivision. . . .

The company’s huge showroom on 290 looks like a ghost town. And according to a sign on the window, Obra Homes was locked out for failing to pay rent.

This office building on 290 says “Obra Homes” in big letters. but go inside and there’s no mention of the company.

The homebuilder’s attorney tells Fox 26 reporter Randy Wallace that there is no Obra Homes office. But there is a phone number!

Photo of 5010 Cottage Creek Ln., The Trails at Seabourne Park, Rosenberg: HAR

2:30 pm | 1 Comment | Read more about Homebuilders, Master-Planned Communities, Neighborhoods: Rosenberg, Openings and Closings
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Friday, July 18, 2008

And Just Imagine How Well They’d Do If There Were Jobs or Shopping Nearby!

July 18, 2008 – 3:34 pm
   

Discovery at Spring Trails, Land Tejas’s gated and solar-panel-badged community north of Spring, is selling well, says Lisa Gray: “. . . only a few weeks after Discovery put itself on the market, and without even a finished house that would-be buyers can tour, most of the lots ready for building have been optioned, and the developer is scrambling to make more available fast. In fact, Discovery is off to the fastest start of any development in the company’s 11-year history, and Land Tejas expects demand to pick up even more this fall. Already, propelled mostly by Google searches, 200 to 300 people a week are touring the neighborhood’s ‘Discovery Center.’” [Houston Chronicle]

3:34 pm | 1 Comment | Read more about Alternative Energy, Development Strategy, Green Design and Development, Homebuilders, Homebuying, Land Development, Master-Planned Communities, Montgomery County, Neighborhoods: Discovery at Spring Trails, Quicklink, Real Estate Marketing, Sprawl, Utilities
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Thursday, July 10, 2008

Just Another Houston Homebuilder

July 10, 2008 – 10:36 am
   

“But there are plenty of challenges to overcome first. To camp on the moon, astronauts need to be shielded from solar radiation. In a waterless environment every drop of H2O, including sweat and urine, must be recycled and purified. NASA engineers are sorting through dozens of possible models for the lunar outpost—from horizontal, aluminum cylinders to inflatable structures that are essentially giant, Kevlar-reinforced balloons.” [Smithsonian]

10:36 am | Add a Comment | Read more about Homebuilders, Institutional Buildings, Quicklink, Temporary Housing
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Friday, May 2, 2008

Tattooed in Willowbrook: Pulte Makes a Lasting Impression

May 2, 2008 – 2:15 pm

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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2:15 pm | 1 Comment | Read more about Homebuilders, Homes for Sale, Neighborhoods: Willowbrook, New Construction: Residential, Real Estate Marketing
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Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Tricon Garage Bungalows: Not Budging

February 13, 2008 – 10:11 am

2016 and 2020 Singleton St., Houston Heights

Why aren’t these $399,900 Heights bungalows-on-sticks selling? Tricon Homes has been trying to get rid of them since November . . . of 2006!

In the first part of 2007, Tricon dropped the asking prices for 2016 and 2020 Singleton twice from the original $449,900. But since June there’s been no movement.

They look like they’ve got everything: Cute front porches, plus garages with 13-ft. ceilings! Just completed! So what’s the problem?

Below the fold: How to slide a $400K house onto a 2900-sq.-ft. Heights lot!

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10:11 am | Read more about Buying and Selling, Home Design, Homebuilders, Homes for Sale, Neighborhoods: Houston Heights, New Construction: Residential
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Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Bear Creek Meadows Fourclosure Sale!

January 15, 2008 – 9:55 pm

Four Homes by Legend Homes for Sale in Bear Creek Meadows

The wave of foreclosures sweeping over neighborhoods at the outer edges of town has . . . an upside!

Remember back when these neighborhoods were new — like, four years ago? Well, for buyers it’s just like those good old days all over again . . . only cheaper! That’s right: if you’ve settled on one builder model, you can be pretty picky about which upgrades and finishing touches you really want — even though the builder has moved on.

If you’re shopping for a home in Bear Creek Meadows in Katy, for example, you’ll find the four distinct residences pictured above listed on MLS. That’s right, those are four different houses. But they’re all the same model — The Cairns, Plan 509, by Legend Homes — and they’re all resales!

Which one is right for you? Clockwise from top left, the contenders are: 19411 Billineys Park Dr., 19606 Ballina Meadows Dr., 19906 Brisbane Meadows Dr., and 19510 Buckland Park Dr.

After the jump, a look at the differences between these four newish but back-on-the-market homes!

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9:55 pm | Read more about Buying and Selling, Foreclosures, Home Design, Homebuilders, Homebuying, Homes for Sale, Katy, Neighborhoods: Bear Creek Meadows
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Thursday, January 10, 2008

The Brookesmith Shipping-Container House

January 10, 2008 – 2:42 pm

House Made of Shipping Containers at 206 Cordell St., Houston, Under Construction

That house built out of shipping containers on Cordell St. in Brookesmith looks like it’ll be ready for delivery soon. Yes, this was a spec house — and yes, there already is a buyer.

Last year, Numen Development owners Katie Nichols and John Walker used shipping containers to construct the Apama Mackey Gallery on 11th St. in the Heights — because the gallery owner wanted a structure she can move when the property owner kicks her off the land. But the house Numen is building on Cordell looks like it’s going to be around for a while. It comes with its own, uh . . . doublewide lot, and it’s right across the street from a meat-processing plant.

After the jump: drawings, models, and an earlier construction photo of this neat little three-bedroom, three-bath, 1,851-square-foot package!

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2:42 pm | Read more about Construction Materials, Green Design and Development, Home Design, Homebuilders, Neighborhoods: Brookesmith, New Construction, New Construction: Residential, Transportation
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Wednesday, November 14, 2007

From Mod Pad to Mold Pit in Four Years: The Sorry Saga of the Carousel House

November 14, 2007 – 4:04 pm

9602 Moonlight Dr., Meyerland, Houston

One detail glossed over delicately in Lisa Gray’s colorful tale of the decline of Meyerland’s Carousel House, featured in today’s Chronicle: The abandoned home’s apparent awful stench. From a few would-be visitors, posting on HAIF:

The owner told me that everyone he’s taken in there has gotten sick soon after coming out. Apparently it is REALLY nasty in there. I may swing by and get some new filters for my mask.

and

i could smell “the smell” just standing in the driveway

But hey, the interior shots from just a few short years ago make the house look super fab! Built in 1964 by owner Robert Cohen, the Modern gem merited a Texas magazine feature story in 2003. Just four years, one ultra-rich attorney, one shady personal assistant, countless hookers, umpteen heroin hazes, and a couple of dozen missing exotic cars later, the house on the corner of Moonlight Dr. and Braesheather appears headed for an almost-certain but certainly difficult demolition. (15,000 pounds of steel, anyone?)

After the jump, highlights of the home from its heyday, excerpts from the sordid and fetid tale of its fall from Modern grace, and a photo of the far more up-to-date carousel that just might be built in its place!

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4:04 pm | Read more about Buying and Selling, Demolitions, Fraud, Historic Preservation, Home Design, Homebuilders, Mold, Neighborhoods: Meyerland, New Construction: Residential, Toxic Sites
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