06/02/09 11:02am

The sponsor of the prize for this week’s Neighborhood Guessing Game is the recently opened Fleming’s Prime Steak House and Wine Bar in Town & Country Village. The winner of this week’s game will receive a dinner for 4 at the restaurant, in the form of a gift certificate worth $200!

Now that you know what’s at stake, are you ready to play? The rules are the same as ever: Just tell us where the pictured home is located. If you guess correctly, you win! If more than one person guesses the correct neighborhood, the player who gave the best explanation for the guess wins the prize.

Of course, your guess must be a guess. If you already know this home, or if you happen upon the home or listing while the game is being played, do not post the answer and ruin the game for all the other steak-hungry players. Instead, send Swamplot an email with a link to the listing, so we know that you know what you know. Then, enter an incorrect guess, but make it sound extremely plausible. If you do this well enough to trick other players, you’ll get special recognition when the winner is announced. And if nobody guesses the correct neighborhood, you could win the prize!

Let’s see how this place lays out, then . . .

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05/28/09 11:51pm

Time to award another Rice Design Alliance membership!

Your guesses for this week’s game: the Memorial Park area, Crestwood, Camp Logan, “just south of Rice off of Greenbriar,” “somewhere off Briar Forest,” Sugar Land (3 guesses), off Gessner, off Gessner north of Westheimer, the Gessner and Westheimer area, Copperfield, “north of Memorial, on Crestwood or Arnot,” Sugar Creek (2 guesses), Venetian Estates, Kingwood, Champions, Champion Forest, Bellaire, Hudson Oaks, Hudson Bend, “near U of H around MacGregor and Cullen,” “the Stella Link and Braeswood area,” Stonehenge, Memorial just inside the Beltway, Greatwood, Alief, the Fondren and Braeswood area south of Bissonnet but north of Bellfort, south Fondren, Fondren Southwest, Northampton, West University, League City, Country Village, Lakeside Place, off Memorial between Eldridge and Highway 6, Clear Lake, Fort Bend County, Riverstone, Piney Point Village, Estates of Highland Creek, “Spring Branch area south of I-10,” “near the intersection of Dairy Ashford and Memorial, north of Briar Forest,” Bellaire, Meyerland, Friendswood, “west side,” Boulevard Oaks, Walden on Lake Conroe, and Afton Oaks.

This week’s home was suggested independently for the contest by two Swamplot readers. And the winner is . . . elnina, for this sharp entry:

Bit to big entrance for a townhouse, the lay out, the kitchen and nice parquet flooring make me think about a mid 70’s two story house somewhere north of Houston. Good size back yard with nice swimming pool.
No rugs or carpet – is the owner allergic to it or just prefer bare floors? Not sure about the flooring upstairs. Is that concrete? I will behave and not comment the lady of the house shoe fetish room…
I agree with “marmer”, there must be interesting view from the second floor: a park, golf course or perhaps a lake? I guess north, northwest – maybe Champions?

Congratulations, elnina! You’ve won a one-year individual membership in the Rice Design Alliance — and earned extra credit for identifying the owner’s allergies.

A very close second place finish goes to recent NGG champion David W, for this guess:

This one is from the super 70’s – parquet floor abounds, flagstone fireplace, I bet all those windows facing the pool had vertical blinds back in the day. Stained cabinets in the kitchen painted white, dramatic entry with stairwell and upstairs hallway open to the to the living room with vaulted ceiling. Is that a beam I see coming down to the left of the fireplace? That was stained dark when this place was built and recently painted along with the kitchen. The laugh room doesn’t match – converted garage maybe? Tile downstairs says near water or maybe a golf course? Doesn’t seem too big, inexpensive range in the kitchen. Hmm. My first guess would be Sugar Creek or maybe Venetian Estates but it seems like they would have spent more on the updates if it was in Sugar Creek and it seems too new for Venetian Estates. I am going with the north side of town instead. Lots of 70’s construction in Kingwood and Champions Forest – given the modest updates and contempo style I bet this one is in one of those neighborhoods. . . .

Now about those shoes . . . Do they look a little familiar?

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05/27/09 4:10pm

What would Courtney Barton consider the oddest item in her old bungalow at the corner of Melwood and Julian?

Hands down, the horse leg! People are freaked by it. And when they find [out it’s] real, they really cringe. I couldn’t help but add fuel to the fire, so I hung a John Derian plate above the leg that has a picture of a horse’s head on it. That little area of the den makes me laugh.

Then there’s that guinea pig genetics poster. Those pieces and more are featured in the latest issue of online-ish magazine Refueled, an “alt-country style and design” journal. Photographer Cheryl Schulke shot the design blogger’s Norhill Historic District home back in February, not long before Barton and her husband held a notable garage sale, packed up just a few of their worldly possessions, and decamped to Kuala Lumpur.

A few more scenes from the Refueled shoot, including a few pics that didn’t make the mag:

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05/26/09 6:36pm

In this week’s round, we’re playing for a one-year individual membership in the Rice Design Alliance. Yep, the same prize nobody won last week. Will somebody walk away with it this time?

You should know the rules by now: Guess the location of the pictured home by studying the photos. If you name the right neighborhood, you win! If more than one person names the neighborhood, the player who provided the best explanation for the guess wins that RDA membership.

And you should know the special conditions too: If you already know this property — or if you come across it while we’re playing — please don’t ruin the game for everyone else by posting the answer. Instead, send an email to Swamplot with a link to the listing. Then post an incorrect guess, but make it sound reasonable with some sweet-sounding explanation. If you do this well, you’ll win special recognition when we announce the answer — and if nobody guesses the actual neighborhood, you could win the prize!

Time to push open the trick bookcase . . . and have a look around:

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05/21/09 11:51pm

Time’s up! But . . . there’s no winner this week. None of you got it. We’ll keep the prize — a one-year individual membership in the Rice Design Alliance — to give away another time.

Where did you think this week’s home was? Meyerland, “some schlubby little neighborhood off West Airport,” Briargrove, “the area just north of I-10, south of 11th street, east of Westcott and west of Durham,” Westbury (2 guesses), Westchase, Nottingham Forest, Oak Forest, Memorial Hollow, Lakeside Estates, Walnut Bend, off 290 and the Beltway, Thornwood, Kirkwood and Briar Forest, the Heights, Clear Lake, Friendswood, “between T.C. Jester, Ella, 11th, and 18th,” First Colony, Fondren Southwest (2 guesses), Willowbrook near S. Post Oak, Willowbend, Willow Meadows, Briarmeadow, Glenshire, “one of the generic Champions wannabe neighborhoods out near Willowbrook or Jones Road,” and “below Woodlake in the neighborhood bounded by Westheimer, Fondren, Gessner & Richmond.”

No dice.

Carol gets an honorable mention for being close, with Oak Forest.

So where is it?

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

05/19/09 11:55am



Welcome to yet
another outside-less Houston home! The prize for this week’s game: A one-year individual membership in the Rice Design Alliance!

How do you play the Neighborhood Guessing Game? You guess the neighborhood! If you guess correctly, you win the prize! If more than one person guesses the correct neighborhood, the player who provided the best explanation wins.

Do you know this home already? If you do, or if you come across it during the week, don’t ruin the game for everyone else by posting the answer. Instead, send Swamplot an email with a link to the listing, so we’ll know what’s up. Then . . . post a super-tricky incorrect guess, just to throw the other players off. If you do this well, you’ll earn special recognition when the answer is announced. And if nobody guesses the actual neighborhood, you could win the prize!

Thanks again to the Rice Design Alliance for sponsoring the prize this week. Ready to see more photos?

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

05/15/09 12:07pm

This grand 8,000-sq.-ft. residence in Braeburn Gardens comes with its own private bridge to whisk you and your beloved over the moat drainage ditch in front. And the 1.6-acre-plus grounds are protected (mostly) by a brick wall — which helps to block out the view of all those trucks hanging out in that lot facing Airport Blvd. in back. “Construction Company is not part of property,” the listing helpfully informs.

But the gazebo is!

Sadly, no photos of the home’s presumably impressive main entrance are included, though several interior shots demonstrate that walls throughout the structure are “incredibly thick” — in the words of the reader who brought it to Swamplot’s attention. That includes the wood planter in the Family Room, the whirlpool tub in a Sitting Room off the Master Bedroom, and the “Cement block room” hidden behind Bedroom #3.

How much does a single-story, 3-4 bedroom, early-’80s castle go for these days?

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05/14/09 4:39pm

Who won that $345 Made-to-Measure dress shirt from Hamilton Shirts?

This week’s game featured a whole big bunch of Memorial-ish guesses: 3 for Piney Point Village, 2 for Spring Valley, 2 for Bunker Hill Village, 2 for Hunter’s Creek Village, 2 for Memorial and Voss, and 2 for “Memorial just outside the Loop”; plus Hilshire Village, “near the Houston Country Club south of Woodway,” “the Memorial Villages west of Voss in the neighborhoods along Memorial before it joins with San Felipe,” “Memorialish, just inside the beltway,” and off Chimney Rock near Winsome. Then: 4 for Tanglewood, 2 for Briargrove, and 2 for Royden Oaks; and on with Meyerland, Timbergrove Manor, Spring Branch, Oak Estates, Afton Oaks, Riedel Estates, River Oaks just west of River Oaks Boulevard, River Oaks north of San Felipe, Clear Lake, “the area straddling Sage north of Woodway (Pine Shadows?),” “West of Tanglewood, bordered by Yorktown, Sage, San Felipe, and Westheimer,” “San Felipe corridor just inside the Loop,” Braes Heights, Old Braeswood, Walnut Bend, Yorkshire, “near the HCC, north of Woodway, between Shadywood and Brown Saddle,” and West University.

What size are you, David W? You might want to be locating 5700 Richmond on a map, because you’ll be heading to the Hamilton Shirts flagship store there soon to spend your gift certificate for a Made-to-Measure shirt!

Here’s David W’s winning entry:

Wow – this poor house has been remodeled to death. The blue bathroom looks original and places this as 50’s construction. Love the chrome gadget over the sink for toothbrushes and such. The bedroom just above is an addition, the other bathroom with the double sinks is either an addition or has been redone. The blue bedroom may be original but that master bath must be new, too. The office with the brown walls is clearly an add-on as well. Hard to tell how this place is laid out – that one huge family room/dining room/kitchen is so long and the house goes on beyond it. The lot must be pretty big. I would guess Tanglewood but it seems like it was originally a fairly small house. Based on the money they must have spent I think it must be inside the loop – Royden Oaks or Oak Estates. Yep, that’s it.

Congratulations! Next, BenC gets an honorable mention for this guess:

Originally built in the 50’s (blue bath), it has been extensively remodeled, and walls removed. Those wrapped collar ties indicate that the ceiling was lifted, so it is probably a 1 story. Lots of money spent on the remodel means the neighborhood can support it. Maybe too old for Tanglewood, I’m guessing memorial corridor just outside the loop, or san felipe corridor just inside inside the loop

Also in the neighborhood, at the last minute: Aaa, with that “wannabe River Oaks” guess!

We had no fewer than 3 secret agents this week! Special commendations go to ABP, Dana, and Jen, for emailing Swamplot the actual listings, then helping to throw other players off the track with fake guesses — like this one from Dana:

With the secluded feeling and mature landscaping that can be seen through the windows, this certainly has the feel of the Piney Point area as someone has already suggested, but I also feel a Bunker Hill vibe with the extensive (and expensive) remodel. The leather sofa and desk combination area suggests that this room is being used as a home office…… attorney or realtor? Looking at the furnishings and colors used, this is certainly a household with an active interest in the local arts in Houston.

. . . and this from Jen:

Let’s see, big rooms, tons of mature trees, somebody spent some cash to “update.” I’m saying Tanglewood. Plenty of ranch houses left there that have been updated.

What’s the real story?

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

05/12/09 5:07pm

If you win the Neighborhood Guessing Game this week you’ll get a shirt!

But not just any shirt. Houston’s own Hamilton Shirts is donating the prize: a gift certificate for one of the company’s fine Made-to-Measure shirts, valued at $345 — and made in the workshop at the company’s flagship store at 5700 Richmond, near Chimney Rock.

How can you win this prize? Just guess what neighborhood the pictured home is in! If more than one player guesses the correct neighborhood, the prize will go to the player who provided the best explanation for the guess.

If you know this home already — or if you come across it while we’re playing the game — don’t blurt out the answer and ruin the game for everyone else! Instead, send Swamplot an email with a link to the listing, then enter an incorrect guess, just to throw the other players off. Make it sound real plausible, okay? If you do this well, you’ll earn special recognition when we announce the answer. And if nobody guesses the actual neighborhood, you might win the prize!

Ready to play, then? On to the pics!

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

05/08/09 11:55am

COMMENT OF THE DAY: MEN ARE FROM MEMORIAL FOREST, WOMEN ARE FROM VINTAGE LAKES “There should be a special term for a home whose decor is so utterly commandeered by the lady of the house. A ‘Yes, Dear’ Domicile, or Hobby Lobby Home, or Craft Palace. And in fairness, one too for a stereotypical manly-man’s house, one loaded with hunting trophies, duck art, rock samples, and lots and lots of wood and dark paint.” [Miz Brooke Smith, commenting on Neighborhood Guessing Game Over: The So Big House]

05/07/09 7:30pm

We have a winner — right on the nose! Who gets that RDA membership?

Many excellent — and entertaining — guesses in this week’s competition. There were 4 for The Woodlands and 3 each for Kingwood and Katy. Sugar Land and First Colony each got 2 votes. The rest: Clear Lake, Brook Forest, Cypress, Silverlake, Bellaire, the Energy Corridor, Cinco Ranch, Kelliwood, Bay Oaks in Clear Lake, “north of I-10, directly west of Barker-Cypress Rd., off Parkview Rd.,” “near Barker Cypress,” Barker-Cypress “in the vicinity of Pine Forest Country Club,” Greenhouse, “near a Hobby Lobby,” Missouri City, Lakewood Forest, Pearland, Twin Lakes, Jersey Village, Northgate Forest, Wimberly in Deer Park, the Lakeside area (“1970s early 80s pre bust energy corridor north of Westheimer south of Memorial”), near Fry Rd. south of I-10, Meyerland, below Memorial west of Voss, and Spring.

But BenC wins this week’s prize — a one-year individual membership in the Rice Design Alliance — for this enthusiastic entry:

Lots of oversize rooms and a pool make it ideal for energy corridor expats coming over from the dreary cold homeland. An outside picture would show at least one V8 powered car/suv.

Too big for the south of I10 energy corridor, to old (black appliances) for Lakes of Eldridge. I’m guessing twin lakes. Where ever it is the agent should earn a double commission on the sale.

Here’s more detail:

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05/05/09 2:11pm

It’s time we played the Neighborhood Guessing Game again, dontcha think? The winner of this week’s round will receive a one-year individual membership in the Rice Design Alliance.

Shall we review the rules? Look at the photos in this post. Then guess where the pictured home is. If you guess correctly, you win the RDA membership! If more than one player guesses the correct neighborhood, the player who provided the best explanation for the guess wins.

If you already know this home, or if you come across it while we’re playing, there are special rules for you: Don’t blurt out the answer — it ruins the game for everyone else, and you’ll likely make a lot of other players angry. Instead, send Swamplot an email with a link to the listing. Then, make an incorrect guess, but make it sound plausible. If you do this well and confuse other players in the process, you’ll win special recognition for your talents. And if no one guesses the actual neighborhood, you could win the prize!

On to the photos . . .

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

04/30/09 11:55pm

All those Inside-the-Loop guesses meant some of you weren’t too far off the mark in this week’s Neighborhood Guessing Game.

The most popular guess was West University, made by 4 of you. The Heights, Winlow Place, and Woodland Heights each attracted 3 guesses. There were 2 guesses each for Rice Military and Highland Village. The rest? Southampton, Southgate, “the area behind the River Oaks shopping mall on West Gray, bordered by Shepherd to the west, Westheimer to the south and Montrose to the east,” “the Hyde Park area behind River Oaks Center,” “the Post Oak/Woodway corridor,” Nantucket, West Lane Place, Montrose, “High End Montrosian,” Mandell Place, “near the Village,” “that vague area between Kirby and Shepherd that is neither River Oaks nor Montrose,” “Audubon Place – around there or east of Montrose at least,” the east side of Montrose, Lynn Park, Weslayan Plaza, “between W. Alabama and 59, somewhere between Shepherd and midtown,” “Kingwood-ish,” “southeast of the Medical Center, off Parkwood,” Midtown around Brazos and Main, “Southmore/Wheeler/288ish,” the Museum District, The Woodlands, Westmoreland, Riverside, Southmore, “on the way to that old cemetery . . . I drive down to get to Lockwood via Leeland . . . near Wayside” (?), St. George Place, “around the Museum District – but east of Montrose,” “along the Gulf Freeway on the east side,” Midtown, and East Houston.

Who was the winner? LT, who humbly asked if “between W. Alabama and 59, somewhere between Shepherd and midtown” was too broad a guess. Not if it’s the only one that’s correct! LT went on to marvel:

I just can’t [get] over how CLEAN the place is – I don’t know anyone with kids who has as little clutter as these people.

Congratulations, LT!

Two players deserve honorable mentions for smart catches. JT, for going that extra step to guess that the house is a “red brick Georgian”; and Starkeshia, for deducing that this was “a new house meant to look old.”

Meant, in fact, to look like this:

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

04/28/09 9:13pm

This week on the Neighborhood Guessing Game we’ll be playing it old school — which means that the winner this time will receive Swamplot’s hearty congratulations, but no fancy prize. Don’t worry . . . the prizefights will return next week.

This match, then, was made for serious contenders. This round is all heart. Think you have what it takes?

Then guess what neighborhood this home is in! If you guess correctly, you win! If more than one player guesses the right neighborhood, the player who provided the best explanation will end up the winner.

Still: If you know this property already or if you come across it under any circumstances while we’re playing the game, don’t blurt out the answer and ruin the game for everyone. Instead, send us an email with a link to the listing — then post an incorrect guess, but make it sound really plausible. If you do this well, you’ll earn special recognition for your obfuscation.

Ready to play? Let’s see a few more of those photos, then!

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY