Westwood Gardens Still Life: A Photo Tour of Half-Built Houston Homes

So where are all the half-built homes? That question, asked by a Swamplot reader last week, prompted a slew of comments from other readers eager to identify pockets and neighborhoods in and around Houston where construction has come to a halt because of problems connected to the nationwide housing-market collapse. (As well as a few where construction stopped for reasons of a more local nature.)

Swamplot reader subprimelandguy suggested looking at Northwest Houston:

You need to go to the suburban areas, particularly the non master planned communities between the Beltway and Highway 6 / 1960. The most aggressive one is actually inside the Beltway near West Road and Gessner – a former Royce Homes (go figure) development called Westwood Gardens. It is a bombed out poster child for the subprime fiasco.

Then late yesterday, subprimelandguy sent in photos!

***

From a couple of very recent and lonely tours, here’s a fond look at some of the unfinished business in Westwood Gardens:

Reports our photojournalist:

Boy is it a mess! For a time before the subprime mortgage meltdown, and then Royce’s subsequent meltdown, this was one of their best performing subdivisions.

What’s that in the yard?

Photos: subprimelandguy

99 Comment

  • Interesting – and the trailer park directly northeast of the subdivision is still holding on, I assume. It was just being built in 1973, apparently, too:
    http://www.historicaerials.com/?poi=3755

  • Are there any occupied homes? If so, that is beyond awful for them.

  • EMME, there are indeed about 2 dozen occupied homes in this community. It looks like most of the residents are doing their best to at least keep their homes maintained despite their surroundings . One half built shell of a house sits right next to a finished and closed home where the proud homeowners added nice plantation shutters to all of the windows and upgraded their front landscaping. This is a sad situation for those families.

  • Reminds me of the 1980s.

  • If you have any questions about the quality of these POS houses look how quickly they melt on their own.
    I’ll take my 1928 Anderson and Veitch home anyday.

  • It’s the next hobo camp. And indeed a dreadful situation for the actual homeowners in the subdivision.

  • Not all new homes melt down like the POS houses Royce used to build. Quality builders will always make it. Good riddence to the builders who cut corners everywhere to make an extra buck or two instead of building a home that they would have their mother live in.

  • Wow, this really explains a lot. Like the subdivisions outside of the Beltway on the Northside, how there would be a slew of newer homes with their unimaginative “traditional” stylings and the combination of off-white HardiPlank with red brick that would go on, cul-de-sac after cul-de-sac until you drive toward the back of the subdivision and find a small handful of homes that clearly look out-of-place and have been there for years. It makes sense how when searching through HAR’s website, most of the housing built outside of the Beltway was either built either before 1985 or after 1995.

    Throughout my many travels of outer-Houston, I was driving through Atascocita and found the new built among the old. The clear signs were there, including the left turn lanes molded out of the medians that go nowhere. Guess the new builder had a different agenda than trying to match it all up…

    I wonder if there are any more remnants of Royce’s demise scattered throughout Houston.

  • look royce homes has been here for years and at one time built a decent home for the money. the housing slump certainly hastened the decline of royce but it was the management in the last few years that was the deciding factor. during the 1980s i saw a number of abandoned dwellings that are now finished occupied neighborhoods. and all this negativity about houston’s middle income neighborhoods? please! houston didn’t suffer the incredible increase in housing prices that california or florida did and we aren’t suffering near the amount of loss they are.

    houston has relatively affordable housing for the money and for many buyers who would never be owners in other parts of the country.

  • rollo – thank you so much for your recitation of the latest HAR talking-points memo.

    “many buyers who would never be owners in other parts of the country” – wow! I’m finding nuggets of truth in the strangest palces!

  • john, i happen to know a little about real estate after being in it for over 20 years. i have seen the high and low of it all. part of the american dream is to have your own home. you can call that a talking point all you like but it also happens to be the truth. i also have written for the federal reserve and did a little more than use har or nar talking points.

  • Re: New Houston neighborhoods unable to flourish,
    I know of one which simply nixed a whole street of potential, yet un-sellable, new homes, resulting in an empty loop of concrete road with the associated lots now available for dog-walking, fitness loop, or kiddy park…

    Maybe there are more of these situations.

    Instead of dragging developer’s New-Starts straight into market stagnation, this seems to me to be a better, win-win, proactive solution:

    Regal Oaks (off Almeda-Genoa, between 288 and 521) opted to stop new home sales (Beazer, Ryland…) and finish the development with an empty street.
    I heard there was too much vandalism at the edges of the place and sales were suffering.
    Or, did it have to do with a market turn-down?
    Or was it really the flooding potential at issue?
    Doesn’t matter! This community has an opportunity as a result!

  • I love how the local realtors have their heads in the sand. Houston prices did not go up a crazy amount? look at the data! you can easily see 5 year increases of 70%+ some areas 100%+. The Houston price did not go up mantra is put out by HAR as talking points to try and lure suckers in to buy a depreciating asset now, so they can make their profit. In realty Houston has already entered the back to reality price slide, its just taken longer to get here. Prices will go back to pre-bubble, at minimum 5 years back maybe even 7.

  • jay, you know all of this because? houston is dang lucky so far. so stop the negative bull. har talking points? liars? i suggest you aim your comments to wall street and the liars who helped create this mess. don’t wish negatives for houston. you might regret it.

  • I live in Westwood Gardens and yes the neighborhood was indeed a victim of Royce Builders, but surely none of us knew that ROYCE would go out of business. You make the best of it and hope for the best to come in the future! You take a risk when you make any big purchases in your life.

  • I live in Westwood Gardens and yes the neighborhood has been a victim or Royce Builders. Im sure none of the people who live back there knew that ROYCE would indeed go out of business. When you make any big purchase in life, you take a risk, you make the best of it and hope for the best in the future!

  • twiggy, i know you are worried. it is the biggest purchase of your life. my experience from seeing the nightmare in foreclosure in the 1980s is this. real estate has cycles. it goes up and it comes down. contrary to what the nay sayers would like to tell you, the market will go back up. the remaining lots will be built out by another builder down the road. try holding on to your property and keep up maintenance. over time you will be able to either sell if you desire or see other people move into your neighborhood.

    let me add this. as bad as some of the markets look right now they are not nearly as bad as what i saw in the 1980s.

  • Obviously Rollo has something to gain from naive buyers in Houston. Rollo, why is it that all of a sudden HAR started running ads on the radio telling everyone to only listen to them and forget everything else you hear. Look at the monthly inventory numbers split up by prices, you’re telling me those numbers are good? And just who is getting the loans, with only about 25-30% pull through rates. The only ones who have something to gain in housing right now are agents, they are not stuck with the depreciating asset they just sold you.

  • Rollo, I would take the word of a used car salesman over an agent any day.

  • jay, i am not a realtor so watch your ugly mouth. get off your butt and go do something positive. and fellah, i am not claiming the numbers are good. i am saying houston is doing better than other parts of the country. tell you what if you hate houston so much, pack your dang bag and git.

    i’d take the word of just about anyone instead of a self proclaimed cynic, pessimist like you.

  • depreciating asset? you must be dang young and full of yourself. the real estate market is has cycles. duh! realtors are selling the foreclosures and clearing it out so we can get back to life.

    grow up and stop making a fool out of yourself.

  • Boys, boys!

    I will say though, that the numbers may not be as bad as the 80s…YET! Believe me, it is going to get real bad and pretty quickly. I do however, agree, if you can, hold onto your property, you will experience less of a loss on the other side of this recession soon to be depression. I would be concerned for my wellbeing if I lived in an abandoned neighborhood. Bottomline, save your cash, live frugally and focus on what you can do for your community. At some point, you will look up and notice those investments have started to appreciate again.

  • there will be a depression if people keep saying there will be. a great deal of this is the result of the our pathetic media finding something new to yowl about all the time. sure the under pinning needs to be revised.

    fdr had it right when he said what we have to fear is fear itself.

    get hold of yourselves for god’s sake! stop being sheep.

  • But on the otherhand, 8 years of cheerleading has helped a lot. 2.55 million jobs lost in the last year.

  • Oh! Westwood Gardens is just a hop, skip, and a jump from the toxic-sludge-invested Woodwind Lakes, profiled in a Houston Press article a couple years ago. Just on the other side of Windfern, it turns out.

  • emme, i am no cheerleader for either side. i didn’t vote for bush. i am an indepedent and am disgusted with both sides. reagan wanted to gig the russians so he helped lower the price of oil thereby sending houston into recession and a real issue with housing. and don’t forget the s & l nighmare. thanks repubs! he also lowered any regulation that was in place. that helped create the nightmare on wall street right now. you lower taxes when you can and not during a war. neither reagan or bush seem to understand that. we have been in recession for over a year and congress and the white house sat on their backsides. we wouldn’t be where we are right now if not for that. to ignore all that and try and blame realtors is beyond stupid in my view. it should be a criminal offense. i don’t excuse fraud and idiots here in the real estate community by a long shot. i just don’t go along some of the shallow comments i have seen from others.

    the degree of ignorance in the average american idol loving american is scary to me.

  • google master, there is a subdivision in conroe built on a super fund site. there was a lawsuit years ago by the homeowners that was won. drive through there now and you will see people still living there. stigma is a fickle thing. it doesn’t last that long. try and mention that lawsuit to anyone and they won’t know what you are talking about today.

  • Let me clarify rollo, that I am not anti-realtor. Realtors are struggling as much as many and will be struggling more in the near future. I also understand the need for realtors to accentuate the positive. It is not the realtor’s responsibility to educate on the economy.

  • thanks emme! i think the faster the housing inventory is eliminated, the faster the economy will recover.

    i hope more effective oversight is put in place also. like i said i am not impressed with the dims or repubs. too much money, too much greed and not enough smarts.

    i recall during the 80s seeing a number of realtors work to get rid of the housing inventory. instead of effective controls, it was back to business as usual. geez! 20% make 80% of the money. there is a reason for that.

  • I, like Twiggy, live in Westwood Gardens with My Family. We too were victims of Royce Builders but this is OUR Home now. My Family and a Wonderful Neighbor are sandwiched between unoccupied homes but our entire block keeps up the block. We water the lawns, keep the Constables on alert of the trailor trash next to us. Yes we are not happy that the homes were destroyed by Hurricane IKE and the kids that live in the dump of a roach invested trailor park full of illegals. But we try to keep our homes in Prestine Shape. Our Block has ONLY 7 Families but we all stick together. You can find all the neighbors kids playing outside on a beautiful day. The Wives can be seen playing with their kids or prunning their front gardens or visiting with each other. The Husbands can also be seen bar-be-que’ing and sharing their week stories. Yes there are home that have been destroyed or vandalized but we families are not lower class trash. They made sure the families that DID purchase a home have excellent to perfect credit and make atleast way over $80K a year. The subdivision is under New Ownership and they are beginning to upkeep the neighborhood. As of last month the greenage has began to be cut. And the homes have signs on them saying if interested in the home(s) you may contact whomever with their number. Please let it be known our kids and families did not destroy these home. The trailor trash around us did. The trailors are full of illegals, drug dealers/pushers, “Wannabe” gang members claiming “Their Territory.” But in reality it does not belong to them because we have not seen them able to afford a home in our Westwood Gardens. Hopefully by the end of this year we can have more wonderful neighbors to enjoy. Whoever took those photo’s ought to go and see the beautiful OCCUPIED homes to show how proud we are of what little subdivision. We may be alone but we are not. We have wonderful neighbors who take care of each other. For example, neighbors shared generators during Hurricane Ike. They brought out their bbq pits and cooked for everyone on the block. We consider ourselves family not just neighbors. Our Subdivision will flourish!

  • ^I don’t doubt the few current owners like you are doing what they can to keep things up. It must be challenging (physically and mentally). I’ll be out there soon and will make sure to get the “whole picture.”

  • We Are Family! I love your spirit and the spirit of your neighbors. That’s what it is all about. Good luck to you! If you have a neighborhood day for cleaning up vacant properties and post it on swamplot.com I will be there to help.

  • Thank you Lauren. The neighbors are starting to join together to remove the graffiti. Not many kids are on the blocks but they do range in age from babies to happy teens. You can see them outside at times with their parents, riding scooters, riding bikes or just playing around. The neighbors even have indoor small pups, not those that you see on the news that maul on people or those that are seen used to fight. They are small well cared for happy dogs. Never without being on a leash when they are outside. A few neighbors have been seen flying small model airplanes. Everyone is friendly. Try it, if you see any one of the neighbors outside just wave and you will get a smile and a wave back. Hopefully one day we see you, if so Welcome to Westwood Gardens where you are Not just a Neighbor, Your Family!

  • Emme, If you look this weekend they will be seen on Saturday trying to begin removing the graffiti on the mailboxes. Yesterday a huge vacant lot on Dewberry Blossom, the street that has no sign as it sits in an empty house due to Ike, was cut down. Hopefully the greenage meadian on Strawberry Cactus Loop will be next. The wives have seen rats crawl out from their. It is discusting and unsanitary. The Homeowners Association do very little BUT are quick to give you a letter if you leave a personal item in your front yard for more than One Day. So We stick together to show we are here to stay and are not going to put up with this mess.

  • I got around to going to the neighborhood. The homes that were occupied (very few) appeared well taken care of for the most part. Most of the area was vacant land spotted with half-built homes slowly wasting away..
    More pictures here:
    http://arch-ive.org/archive/westwood-gardens/

  • Well now that spring has arrived that gives us now more time to be outside and tend to our lawns & the wives gardens more often. Since the weather has not so good to the lawns and the water has been cut to most of the empty homes it makes it harder to water the empty homes’ lawns. With the economy being the way it is the neighbors water as much but conserve just as much. One male homeowner was seen trying to remove some of the graffiti off the mailboxes. A family was outside with their kids on one block and on another block you could see a family outside enjoying flying their model airplanes,also seen were some kids playing outside while their Mom (I think…she seemed pretty young) was doing her front landscaping. Now that the weather is getting better I would assure you that the neighbors would be seen more outside. Hopefully with the new Ownership of the land/homes it would turn out for the better. Maybe by the end of the year or sooner, our little subdivision will no longer be on the Swamplot. It would be nice to have more neighbors move in to the empty homes once they are fixed up back to shape.

  • I live in Westwood Gardens and in the past week progress has been made to help clean up the area and a trailer now sits on the property. Does anyone know what the plan of action is?

  • My husband and I along with our sons live in Westwood Gardens. I have to admit we are not alot of families there but we are happy. I work on my flowers outside while my sons play outside. Our block is very sociable. We do stick together as listed above. Yes we also stuck together in the storm. My husband has purchased some spray that removes the graffetti and it works. What we have heard for our block is that they will be coming in and fix the homes that have been broken into. They have boarded up the homes on our block that are empty. They have cut the grass from the middle of our block. They have raised an American Flag on one of the flag poles in the front of the subdivision. Not much is being told to anyone here but we do hope that maybe this way they will either demolish or fix the new houses. I know forsure that they are not approving just anybody for these homes. So we know that no matter who moves in they will not be low live trash. We really like that idea. Maybe now there will be no more worries.

  • A Mr. Santisiero with Riverway/Santisiero Homes posted somewhere that they were taking over and getting homes fixed up and sold. My nephew used to work for Riverway Home Builder and they were fairly high end and I think good people. Hopefully, they will do good by you guys and help bring the neighborhood fully to life. Yall have a lot of spirit.

  • Santasiero Homes website:
    http://www.santasierohomes.com/

    Call Mr. Santasiero and ask what his intentions are.

  • the trailer has a sign posted of a wg builders. I’d be interested in a finished home if it has clean title

  • If you go and speak to one of the guys there they would be happy to help you. The ONLY bad thing is we were told that the homes were going to be sold “AS IS” no warrantee on them. Some have some damage, though very minimal, from Hurricane Ike. And ALOT were vandalized. Some of the homes are finished on the outside but not the inside. The homes, for instance, have no bath vanity(s), no kitchen sinks, no closet rodes, no appliances, no doors, broken windows, no a/c & heating units. As these were stolen by either contract laborer’s who were owed money from the prior builder or the surrounding trailor park(s) people. There are some homes/trailors around our area that are being fixed that “all of a sudden” have doors matching our homes. We have been told different stories of the price the homes are going for. We were told they are 50% of the value, which would be starting at $45K – $75K. Some say they are sold at Market Value, which would be starting at $90K – $120K. But We don’t know exactly what the truth of that matter is. But like I did meantion, you might want to look into it as they might be sold “AS IS” NO Warranty.
    The Good NEWS is that we were told that the NEW Builder bought out the trailor park acreage next to us and they are being evicted! We hope this is true because they are some of the causes of some of the homes being tagged and vandalized. We hope to get some good civilized neighbors to welcome soon.

  • Oh no, it’s too soon for another trailer park!

    Seriously, best of luck to you guys.

  • Good Riddens…Asta La Vista….Adios…Que Les Vayan Bien…Good-Bye…etc…etc…

    The sooner the better. Now we wouldn’t have to worry about seeing mice & roaches around our yards. EWWW Yuk ^~^
    I would like to feel bad because of the economy but I can’t. They are a sore for sore eyes and they are the reason our subdivision looks not up to par. Their living environment is a health hazard…they have farm animals in make shift cages, goats tied to their homes, uncollored loose dogs and uncollored filthy loose cats. The dogs bark all night long since they are tied to their “back-yards.” No more loud spanish music in the middle of the night. Oh we will have peace at last.

  • I am not touching it. Someone else will have to. I am trying to stay on real estate. Centering thoughts…tolerance love and kindness…OHM

    I pray for peace in and between our communities.

    PEACE OUT!

  • WG Homes have already completed foundation for 4 houses in “texas colonial” side, and laid foundation for 2 houses in “Espree” side. I hope to see some new homes built and completed in few months. After WG Homes took over the Westwood Gardens, I saw two houses in Espree side sold. These are good signs.

  • It is nice to see that they are building new homes. They have boardered up a few more homes. They are building I think about 4 or 5 homes on Cholla Walk. This is great. We are progressing.

    This is great and exciting at the same time too. Some even have “SOLD” signs on them. ^-^

  • Right on EMME, stay the course, you’re a blog board hero

  • Just unable to keep my mouth shut. Blessing and a curse.

    I don’t want to start anything, but I just have to say (see above) to those who say I am trying to keep them from exercising their freedom of speech; Invoking your freedom of speech does not revoke mine.

  • I wish WG Homes decide to build brick wall near the entrance at windfern and N Gessner. That would make it look good, and seperated, and will attract buyers.

    WG Homes need to make their trailer/office look inviting. But they are just starting, so I guess it’ll be fine.

    Does anyone know abything about this builder (WG Homes)? Is this company started by ppl of Royce Builders? WG Homes doesnt have a website.

    Hope to see this neighborhood flourish gradually…

  • I HAVE LIVED IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD FOR 20 YEARS ON ONE SIDE OF WESTWOOD GARDENS OFF OF PLUM RIDGE. WE HAVE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS ON THIS SIDE ALL OF THE PROBLEMS SEEM TO BE ON THE BACKSIDE. AND ALSO IN THE TRAILER PARK OFF WINDFERN. IT WILL BE A MIRACLE TO GET THE TRAILER PARK MOVED. WHEN THEY STARTED BUILDING I EVEN THOUGHT IT WAS A JOKE TO BE BUILDING THAT CLOSE TO A TRAILER PARK. ON MY SIDE THERE ARE TRAILERS AND HOUSES MIXED BUT THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE HERE TAKE CARE OF THEIR HOUSES AND KIDS. YOU DON’T SEE ANY GRAFITI OR BAD KIDS RUNNING AROUND. BELIEVE ME THIS AREA CAN BE A GREAT NEIGHBORHOOD TO LIVE IN. THE SCHOOLS ARE ALSO VERY GOOD.

  • Yes, wg homes/vestalia/Royce are all the same people.

  • What we were told is that Mr. Spears, former Owner of Royce Builders, gave up his company. You can find his home up for sale too. So they are New Builders. They put our subdivision up for Auction earlier this year. We see 4 frames being built pretty fast off of Cholla, 2 are 2 story’s and 2 are 1 story flats.

    We were advised also that the trailor park has been bought out and they are suppose to be moving their trailers/vacating the property. We are happy about that. The owners of the property do not go see how bad it is. They leave it up to a very young woman whom only see’s the property when rent is due. She has even said the owners don’t care who lives there as long as they pay the rent. So hopefully now that we have new builders they can finish what was messed up. We will flourish.

  • Mr. Spear still owns all 3 companies as Royce never filed for bankruptcy. Vestalia (owned by Mr. Spear) owns lots in westwood gardens..(check hcad)…so I am afraid we will get more of the same…

  • Which lots are owned by Vestalia? I couldnt find any in HCAD. May be I am not entering the right lot address.

  • You can search owner name “vestalia” or one of the 177 addresses is 9222 camelia crest ln.

  • 5 homes in Texas Colonial style, and 2 homes in Espree style are almost finished. Looks like WG Homes have laid foundation for 2 more houses in Texas Colonial side. I am so happy that they put wooden fence to cover the burnt trailer house when you enter from N Gessner.

    There are some improvements, but still a lot to go.

  • We just came back from looking at houses in Westwood Gardens. It is definitely a site to see. Your immediate thought upon driving into the neighborhood is, “What happended!” We actually found this neighborhood because of a foreclosure we were interested in on HAR.com.

    For the home that are occupied, I give those people a lot of credit. They have definitely taken care of their homes and are doing the best they can with their surroundings.

    We went to talk to one of the people who work for WG Homes. They showed us 2 houses off of Camelia that were just built. They were nice, but the pricing is still too high for that area. Even they said that they are trying to buy up the remaining lots so they can turn the community around, but it doesn’t look promising at the moment. They mentioned there was a lot of “red tape” to go through for the remaining lots.

    The neighborhood definitely has potential. It will just take a lot of hard work to make it inviting for newcomers to want to move in.

  • This weekend we did notice a new homeowner moved in off Cholla Walk in one of the newly built homes. We do love the color of the brick that they used on those homes. We hope they do begin to FIX the homes that are built so they CAN sell fast. Hopefully they can also get the new homes occupied before the trailer park residents figure out they are still unoccupied. The last thing we need is to see those get vandalized like the other homes. Especially if them trailer kids have nothing else to do this summer.

  • Hi All,

    I am looking at this bank-owned foreclosure (built 2006, 2515sqft, $175k, 99/westpark) from Royce. Never lived in, looks nice, backyard lake, etc but no warranties. I understand that the builder went bankrupt for a variety of reasons but do you suggest taking the risk without the warranty? Have they had quality issues in the past? Will greatly appreciate advice.

    23722 Parkwater Bridge Ln Richmond, TX 77407

    http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cfm?mlnum=74283145&backButton=Y&Address=23722%20Parkwater%20Bridge%20Ln

    Thanks,
    Raza

  • Raza,

    I would suggest you get in inspected from a 3rd party inspector. The inspector will definitely find if there is some serious quality issue.

  • I agree w/WGR, hire a licensed inspector because our home has a warranty thru a 2nd or 3rd party. But a lady that wanted to purchase a home after the “bankruptcy” was given a copy of contract for review and ALL the warranty part of the contract was “X” out. Also check to see if their are any “Liens” on anything in the home, i.e. material, wood, appliances, labor, etc, etc. We still get “Lein” notices.

  • There is a party at Cholla Ln by WG Homes, Saturday between 12pm and 2pm.

  • There are more homes being built in the middle now. Why don’t they just fix the already built homes and make ready for new owners? One of the empty homes on our block has a big garden tub. I know, I know they are asking the Market Value for a home that is not in it’s original previously built conditions. Hopefully they will have the homes restored and sold to people that can see the potential of these homes despite their conditions now. They are beautiful on the inside and will be well worth fixing. Hope to see you all at the party, it will be nice to get to know everyone of Westwood Gardens.

  • Yes, I saw two houses are being built in the middle. I like the 6 WG HOMES flags they have put on N Gessner Rd, I am glad they have started to advertise in someway. I have a question, why cant we google our addresses? How long does it take for a new address to show up in google maps or mapquest? Since USPS, UPS and FEDEX have our addresses, why don’t the maps show them?

    Esther, I think some of the half built homes are not owned by WG Homes, that’s why they aren’t selling it. Some houses are being sold as foreclosure (Riverway properties, Terri Lyons), which means they are owned by some banks whom Royce owned some money. I can only think of this as a reason for not fixing the already build homes. Well see you all tomorrow.

  • Oh yeah my my husband told me about the flags on day and I see them everyday. It is nice to finally see it coming along. Especially the fences on Gessner to the corner homes. I don’t see how they will sell them if they require alot from new home buyers. Now I know those will stay lonely for a long time. Especially in this economy. We thought maybe it would take up to a year for our address to show up too. But we don’t know who to ask about this either. If you do find out let us all know. Thanks!

  • I dont think WG Homes should decrease the price of the homes to sell it fast, as it will hurt ppl who bought the homes earlier in long run. Moreover the material costs have skyrocketed, so even if they want they cant reduce the price. If you people haven’t seen the WG Homes new website, here it is http://www.wgbuild.com.

  • I see potential in this area and I was wondering is it very hard to be approved for those homes

  • These are like anyother houses, and the approval criteria is same.

  • Who do we contact if we see someone dumping in our subdivision? I wrote down the license plate number to a truck that dumped a box spring in our subdivision. This happened yesterday around 7:20 p.m. on my way out of our subdivion. Is there a phone number we can call and report the vehicle? I’m tired of seeing people dump their trash in our subdivision. It bring rats and mice and makes it look ugly. Please let me know. Thank you!

  • Hello,
    I ran into this site. Just remember that each one of us come in this site for advise and comments, but not to hate each other.
    Anyway,
    i am in the process of buying a new home at westwood gardens and WG homes owns the area now and are building homes and selling them.
    I personaly have lived in the area for 3 years and i like it very much around here.i am from chicago and i would never be able to be a home owner in city limits of Chicago. But here in Houston is very possible and my American dream come true.

  • Lots of houses are getting built everyday. I love it.

  • I wish they could make sidewalks. This would be a very good feature, all new communities come up with sidewalks, and old communities are building them. WG Homes should think about this. Its safer, looks more organized, and could put a positive impression on future buyers.

  • Congratulations Mario!

  • than you much.
    the place is looking better since they cut the grass in certain areas.it is true they certainly need more sidewalks.

  • Drove through the neighborhood yesterday and it didn’t look much different to me than it did several months back except for the WG signs everywhere and a few doors boarded up.

    I do sincerely hope things are turning around for the better, though!

  • You are right Lauren, the neighborhood still doesn’t look appealing or normal. But, we are happy that atleast new houses are being built and is not abandoned anymore. New families are moving in, which are good signs.

  • I live on Camelia Crest Ln and just received a notice from Reliant saying our streetlamps will be cut off soon due to nonpayment. I spoke with HOA and they said that it was due to Royce going under. I was emailed the operating budget. I’m not sure what else I can do. I would hate for our lights to be cut off. Anyone have any more information from the homeowners association, vestalia, or wg homes???

  • Dawn…I feel the HOA should take care of this or something. We pay them to deal with things like this regardless if Royce folded. If possible can you provide me with the HOA phone number, I have no clue as to who the HOA is for our subdivision. Since WG has taken over, maybe they can do something to stop the street lights from being cut off. Lets hope!!!!

  • For the people living in Westwood Gardens, I’m really sorry you are living in a trailer trash swampland. But you must know the “trailer trash” was here many years before you were. Or did you not check out the neighborhood before moving here? By the way, not everyone living in these trailers is trash. My mother lives in one and was so happy to see nice houses being built near her. And she also much appreciated Gessner being pushed through for you. It has improved her access to stores, doctors, etc. Good luck with the rest of the houses being restored and sold.

  • Hello “N”, sorry I never got back to you! Well I guess our lights were dealt with by the homeowners association because they are still on but I did look up the number for our homeowners association so that you can have it for the future. Their number is 281-852-1155. And in response to Lesli, I think that most of us don’t have a problem with ALL of the trailer homes nearby. I have a problem with the ones whose dogs are EVERYWHERE. If you choose to own 50 dogs then that is a personal choice, not a community choice. Put up a fence and keep them in it! I have met a few people over there while taking a walk around the reservoir and most of them are decent people.

  • Hi,

    In less than 2 yrs I am having water heater problems. My pilot light won’t stay on. May be thermocouple problem. Heard this problem is very common with A.O. Smith water heaters.

    Did any of you have problems with the water heater. Any remedies will be very helpful. Do you know anyone who can fix it?

    I hope you don’t have that problem.

    Thanks

  • Well your not the only one. To everyone on our block it happened after the 1st year. My husband has advised everyone that this has happened to that they are a cheap brand. They are not made to last. My husband has had to replace some box on ours and it is not easy as you have to find the right size or just get a new water heater but get a better brand. Ask the guys that sell the homes for either where to get a new one or ask your neighbors where they got theirs.

    Oh & by the way, the vandalizms have gone down alot now. They are fixing the abandoned homes & they are selling. So our subdivision IS growning. We were told more lots are being sold. The banks are releasing alot of homes to be sold.

    And yes there are SOME good people who live in them trailers BUT when we moved in their kids were breaking in the empty homes, some trailer people were stealing from the new homes (doors, sinks, toilets, cabinets, etc.), anything & everything that was nailed to the ground or wall. They were tagging new homes. It has been 1 yr since it has stopped. There are some tagging but not as much now.

    About the dogs, call animal control. There is one trailer house that they go too alot because they have their dogs running around loose. Give them the decription of the dogs. There is a pack of dogs running around that we dont know from what side of the trailer residents they belong to as I have not seen collars on most of them. Unfortunately animal control will come when they can & most of the time the dogs will be gone. But they will scour the area for the strays & still try to pick them up. Good luck!

  • Just to let you all know, the FORMER OWNER of the ROYCE BUILDERS “”IS”” the Owner of “Vestalia Homes.” He WAS allowed to keep his status as builder but in a different name. If I remember correctly his name is Mr. Spears. Google “Vestalia Homes” you’ll see. I think everyone knows this already.

    We really need side walks!!!!

  • To the person with the water heater problem. Well 6 mnths in the home, my pilot also did the same thing. I called A.O. Smith told them I had just purchased this home and they came right out and fixed it. All they asked for was for me to send them a copy of something showing that I had purchased this home. I was told we have a 6 yr warranty on this water heater. You may want to contact them and see if they can help.

    Thanks…

  • Thanks N and Esther for your replies. I did call A.O.Smith and they said that I need to change the Gas Control Valve, and they have already shipped the part. Yes for parts and tanks we have 6 yrs warranty. I didnt know that till I verified my warranty. But, for a water heater, 2 yrs is not even 1/8th of its life. They generally run forever. Hopefully we will get some hot water from Tuesday.

    Yes Ester, the vandalisms have gone down. Lot more activities happening. Gus from Royce builders has joined back WG Homes. I just want them to build and sell homes. Don’t want to see their trailer or broken homes or empty land with grass growing.

    Thanks guys..

  • Yep – Vestalia and WG Homes are connected to John Speer/Royce.
    From the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts:

    VESTALIA, LLC
    MANAGER
    JOHN HOPKINS SPEER
    16427 TELGE ROAD
    CYPRESS , TX 77429

    ROYCE HOMES, L P
    JOHN SPEER
    7850 NORTH SAM HOUSTON PARKWAY WEST
    HOUSTON, TX 77064

    and WG Homes’ web site (wgbuild.com) is registered to Jeremy Liardon who was the CIO & VP of Marketing for Royce Builders..

  • Guys,

    If any of you experience water heater problem, then do call A.O. Smith. We have 6 yrs parts warranty. But, the A.O.Smith Promax Plus heaters (new generation) have faulty gas valve. Due to this reason, A.O. Smith is also paying for the service. I got mine fixed, took 3 days for the parts to arrive and 1 day for Jarrar Service (A.O.Smith authorized) to come and fix it.

    So, please don’t pay for service. Give A.O.Smith a call, just give your Serial No. By checking your serial number they themselves will tell you that they pay for both parts and labor.

    Hope your water heater doesnt break. But, if it doesn’t stay lit, this should help.

  • My husband and I just recently purchased our first home at WG ,2 MOS ago and we really LOVE IT .The area is pretty clean ,I saw some of the pictures of last year and the way it looked before ,I m glad it doesn’t look that way anymore ,the community seems to be growing and looking more like a community.The only thing that upset me was 2wks after we moved in we had 2 large cats who stayed outside and we found 1 dead across the street from our house and the other one had gotten a head trauma ,we didn’t know what happened ,but before this, 2 days before ,there were a pack of dogs chasing my cats under our vehicles.We believe these dogs had something to do with our cats death.Other than that this community is growing, houses are being built and being sold.We hope to stay here for a couple of years.

  • Sylvia, welcome to the WG Homes community. I am very sorry to hear about your cats. Yes, there are stray dogs outside our community (the first trailer home on Gessner). It is very sad indeed. Yes, it does feel a lot like a community, and it is going to go uphill from now on. No looking back. Hope you enjoy your stay.

    Thanks,

  • All,

    It’s been a while with no comments about our community. Though slowly homes are being built and people are moving and taking ownership of their homes and lots we still have a long way to go.

    1. Mainly we need a good entrance to our subdivision. Go any corner of the harris county’s subdivision and you will fine somewhat nice/not so nice brick front stating the subdivision’s name. That’s a good welcoming symbol to the neighborhood. We lack it big time.

    2. Are they going to build a road opposite to the leasing office on Gessner road? If yes, what is the approximate time frame.

    3. There are still some 2009 built homes (foreclosed by Royce)that needs to be sold. What measures are being taken on to sell them homes?

    4. Don’t want to point out any particular home address; but, lot of people don’t take care of their front lawn at all. For visitors to like our neighborhood we need to keep a decent looking landscape which is clean. nothing extravagant.

    We know WG Homes arrival made things better. Empty lots are being mowed regularly. But, we need more efforts or some time frame about their plans.

    We can not completely depend on the builder to make things better. Lot of us have been living here since 2008/2009. It is our home. We need to take of our surrounding.

    Please share your comments.

    Thanks

  • Have you visited lately? The neighborhood still has its problems but they are doing a whole lot better. The problem they are having now are due to a string of robberies.
    The community will be having another safety meeting this month. Hopefully a community watch program will be set up. It would be nice to have updated photos and a positive image of the neighborhood.

  • I am a future tenant. Need a litle help. Who is the waste management company for Westwood Gardens?

  • My husband and I are seriously considering Westwood Gardens. Can anyone tell me what the community is like now?

  • ustedes estan hablando de las casa WG homes que estan localisadas en gessner y widefrem , segun por sus comentarios no es Buena area para vivir y el otro problea son las trailas homes que hay en la calle wildfrem, yo pensaba comprar para ya me desanimaron de vivir en esa area, es bueno enterese por personas como ustedes que si conmocen el area, gracias
    olga

  • Yaay! Homes are being built and sold in a great pace. looks like the subdivision will be completed pretty soon. Home prices are increasing. Good for people who stuck around and made this home. Even the school ratings are going up.

  • My son is planning on buying a home at Westwood Gardens. By the pictures, it does not look inviting; just the contrary; pretty scary. Can anybody let me know if this subdivision is safe to live and since it is a life time commitment, is it worth the money to invest in these homes that might fall apart?

  • Does this neighborhood have a resident website? if so, can someone please email it to me or reply would be fine