- 2518 Straight Creek Dr. [HAR]
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Tag: Patios
- 14223 Woodforest Blvd. [HAR]
Any foray into the Woodlake Forest community from South Gessner near Briar Forest Dr. likely passes by blocks of 1978-built townhomes that include this slightly recessed 2-bedroom unit peeking out from behind Orleansian iron grille barricades at the porch and balcony levels. Polished marble and parquet flooring give it a gloss finish downstairs. The spiffed-up property was listed Wednesday with a $298,500 asking price.
Where’s the Lake in Woodlake Forest?
- 1222 Sampson St. [HAR]
- 10803 Moonlight Dr. [HAR]
Behind the curbside growth gone wild, a far tidier contemporary home has been hiding (above) in plain view since 1998. The Upper Kirby property dropped its price April Fool’s Day to $745,000, down from an initial $770K when listed in mid-March. Facing west — and located across from older apartments and the back of a more recent mid-rise complex — this home on an end-cap lot not too far from Whole Foods Market saves its outdoor impact for the back side of the fenced lot (above) and uses the scene as its view from rooms within.
WHERE TO FIND THE PAWS THAT REFRESH 
Not 4 months into the city’s canine-friendly outdoor dining program, there are now a grand total of 12 Houston restaurants that have gained official approval to let customers bring dogs to their patios. More than half of the pooch-friendly establishments are in Montrose or River Oaks; only one is outside the Loop. [Eater Houston; previously on Swamplot] Photo: Paws on Patios
The restaurant dog ban is over. Ziggy’s Bar + Grill at 302 Fairview in Montrose, one of the first establishments to get involved in the Paws on Patios campaign begun last year, was the recipient last week of the first-ever city of Houston dogs-on-patios permit. Establishments that want to follow suit will need to maintain a separate self-closing doggie entrance gate to the patio, labeled with a sign identifying it as a “dog friendly patio”; keep hand sanitizer and disposable water bowls available; keep the patio free of visible “dog hair, dog dander, and other dog-related waste or debris”; and make sure restaurant personnel don’t pet or serve any four-legged customers. Owners are supposed to keep their pets on leashes and away from the tableware.
- Paws on Patios success: Ziggy’s is first to get restaurant variance [A Pets Chronicle]
- Montrose restaurant gets first dogs-on-patio city permit [Houston Chronicle]
- Dogs to be allowed on restaurant patios [abc13]
Photo: Paws on Patios
OKAY, BUT WHAT IF THE DOGS START BEGGING? Panhandling within 8 ft. of an outdoor dining area at a Houston restaurant or cafe will now be a misdemeanor, after a unanimous vote by city council today. (Previously designated no-soliciting zones: within 8 ft. of ATMs, parking meters, bus stops, and gas pumps.) Separately, the folks behind Paws on Patios yesterday reported a measure of success in their ongoing campaign to relax city rules that prohibit restaurants and bars from allowing customers’ dogs in their outdoor areas: The mayor’s office has told them they’ll soon get a chance to review redrafted Health Dept. regulations covering the practice. [Houston Politics and Paws on Patios, via Eater Houston]
The dangling 2x4s on the ceiling and the photomurals of giant oaks inside just aren’t enough. And umbrellas on the patio just blow over. So Claire Smith and Russell Murrell of Canopy, the restaurant at the southern end of the strip center at 3939 Montrose, now want to build an actual wooden canopy outside on the side patio. One small problem: any extension from the building to Branard St. will cross into the neighborhood’s 10-ft. building line, which means they need a variance. Can’t they just say, “hey, it’s in our name?” Naah — variances aren’t granted as the result of “a hardship created or imposed by the applicant,” says the planning department. So part of the restaurant’s application reads, “The limitations on the use of outdoor space are the result of the Houston climate.” A neighbor who’s “fine with it” whispers to Swamplot about the submission: “My boyfriend and I think it’s funny how The Sun is taking all the heat here.” The issue goes before the planning commission on December 2nd.
- Previously on Swamplot: Openings and Closings: That Flood of New Establishments
Photo: Swamplot inbox
If you’re looking for some hot deck-on-deck action, look no further than this little 1968 number on Institute Ln., just north of Rice. Sure, the house looks like a tight little box — what self-respecting Mod pod from the swingin’ sixties didn’t? — but it’s . . . full of decks!
Check out the deck choreography in the photo above, taken from the upstairs screen porch. You’re looking onto a slightly lowered deck that’s open to the sky. Beyond and below the screens is a two-story courtyard — with a covered patio beyond.
Uh . . . where’s the indoors? Through the sliding door on the right. The red chair is in the upstairs Den.
After the jump: decks, decks, and more decks!
