The Leader • Saturday, March 24, 2018 • Page 1B
Be Your Own Neighbor the
More Revive tenant news at 34th and Ella By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
By Cynthia Lescalleet For The Leader With an eye toward rerenovating the home he had previously tackled as a do-ityourself project, Will Davis and wife Bridgett thought it would be prudent to buy another, smaller home on their street in Woodland Heights to live in during their home’s more professional overhaul and to offer it up thereafter as a rental unit. “I must have tried to buy at least half the houses on the block,” he recalls of the protracted process. In the midst of that, when an adjacent property sold to someone else, he realized being his own neighbor might have long-term benefits. “I like to know what’s going to happen next to us.” Two weeks before Hurricane Ike, in 2008, the couple closed on the property next door on the other side of their home. It had been a rental house for the previous owner. As a small, brick cottage from 1935, the simple floor plan was common for its time, with two bedrooms, a single bathroom, a sleeping porch and a kitchen, dining room and front parlor. Its deep front porch also boosted living space. Before the Davis family – with five young children, including triplets – could move in, even on a temp basis, the home needed some updates of its own. The crisp-andclean results will be on display March 24-25 as part of the Woodland Heights Home Tour, themed “Fresh Traditions Plus Teardown Turnarounds.” The featured home’s sleeping porch, located off the back kitchen and previously accessible only through one of the bedrooms, has been converted into a master bedroom, which now a toilet, shower and double vanity, “like a hotel,” he says of the in-room placement. By reducing the size of a secondary bedroom, there was space for a hallway and staircase to a huge “camp room” upstairs. It served as a dorm room for the Davis youngsters but now doubles as a playroom for the current tenants, who are friends of the owners. “We took out the fence
Photos by Mark Scheyer Inc. The Davis family bought the home next door to use as a rental property and a place to live during another renovation. The charming result will be on display at the Woodland Heights Home Tour.
See Woodland Home Tour Schedule 2B between the yards,” he says. “We’ve got a compound.” When Davis, then in his twenties and dating his now wife, had renovated the larger home next door, “I learned! Don’t do that!” he says of his missteps. An example? “Like an idiot I pulled out all the shiplap.” But he also amassed and salvaged some interesting fittings and finishes that have been installed in the tour property -- which not only kept its shiplap but features it prominently. There’s a cool claw foot tub in the bathroom, for example, and an indestructible ‘50s vintage kitchen stove by O’Keefe and Merritt. It had been stored in his garage for a decade with seemingly little effect.
“I hooked it up and it fired right up.” Elsewhere in the kitchen, the floor plan has been opened up a bit by taking down the shared wall with the dining room. The “nasty” linoleum came up, replaced with reclaimed hardwood to match original flooring. Its dark finish mirrors the similarly stained ceilings. Davis says the shiplap ceiling is his favorite part of the house because of the texture and length of the planks. Some run 20 feet. To gaze upward from the sofa after a long day was almost meditative, he says. “I miss living there, though it was a little cramped.” Davis, who is managing partner of the Liberty Kitch-
Local February housing markets outpace Houston region figures By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com Home sales across the Houston region surged in February 2018, while local neighborhoods showed mixed results; meanwhile, local home prices rose nearly across the board and outpaced greater Houston figures according to the latest report from the Houston Association of Realtors. According to the report, sales rose nearly 7 percent in the greater Houston area, while the average home price held steady year-over-year, and average prices saw a modest increase of 3.7 percent. Locally, sales figures ranged from a near-21 percent drop to rises near 10 percent, and prices varied from slight dips to spikes near 24 percent. “February was a positive month overall for Houston real estate, but we really need growth in inventory to ensure that there is a plentiful supply of homes as we enter the spring buying season,” said HAR Chair Kenya Burrell-VanWormer with JP Morgan Chase. Greater Heights/Near
Northside (77008, 77009) South of the 610 Loop, the Heights experienced the third-highest local rate of increase in properties sold, with 106 homes flying off the market in February, surpassing the 99 sold during the same month in 2017 – a 7.1 percent rise, which slightly outpaced the Greater Houston’s rate of 6.8 percent. Meanwhile, home prices rose, with both median ($463,500) and average ($514,416) figures rating greater than the greater Houston region marks of $223,000 and $276,864, respectively. Just east, zip code 77009 saw figures to varying degrees on all fronts. The area’s home sales saw a slight uptick in February 2018, with sales closing on 65 properties last month compared to 63 the previous year. On the pricing front, the area’s average price flat-lined in 2018 at $403,692, while the 12.7 percent spike in median price -the figure at which half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less – was the most extreme in local neighborhoods, coming in under the wire at $372,000 to close out February.
Garden Oaks/Oak Forest (77018, 77092) Up the road in neighborhoods adjacent to The Leader’s offices, Garden Oaks and Oak Forest showcased a mixed of results depending on the swath of neighborhood. In 77018 (central portion), all categories experienced major surges. Home sales rose 9.6 percent – the largest local spike – to 80 homes in February 2018, while the 10.8 percent spike in median home prices (to $440,000) came in under the wire with the second-highest rise among local neighborhoods. Not to be outdone, average home price in the area rose 21.5 percent to $526,882 as the month closed. In the area’s western portion (77092), however, a different story emerged. Sales of homes dipped from 32 to 28 in February 2018, while the $252,434 average price during the month was a slight downturn from February 2017’s figure of $259,706. Meanwhile, the $245,000 median home price was a modest 1.4 percent rise from this time last year.
See Development P. 2B
en group, had the help of business partner Carl Eaves in the design and build of the cottage redo. Other features include original doors converted to sliders, bold wallpaper and eclectic antiques. Having learned from overopening up the rooms in his first project, Davis opted in the tour house to retain a bit of definition between the parlor and kitchen. Likewise, he kept the trim, windows and built-in bookcases that flank the fireplace. Among the tips from Davis for taking on a similar project is that “if you’re not doing an historical redo, you have to make it functional.” Meanwhile, be aware that removing plaster to reveal the underlying shiplap can make for a drafty interior. He recommends using wallboard beneath it. To share your renovation survival tale, contact Cynthia. Lescalleet@gmail.com.
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move into the space that was to be occupied by Pop & Pan. David Colby tells The Leader that their plans changed a few months ago and they would be moving to a new location on West 18th Street in the Lazybrook/Timbergrove area. Monica Danna with Revive says that the entire west part of the building is filled but there is still some space available. “One tenant could take it all up, or we could split it up, depending on demand,” she said. Danna also has some good news for coffee lovers. “The Avid coffee truck is going to be parking in the old tire shop spot as they explore the idea of a brick and mortar,” she said. “As we search
Revive Development’s center at 34th and Ella continues to take shape. The Surfhouse has been holding down the fort since last June, while Re/ Forme lagree fitness opened this month. Brooks Bassler of BB’s Café told The Leader in January that they were working towards a late March or April opening, so it appears they will open before Aladdin Mediterranean Cuisine. The newest signed tenants for the building are Oak Forest’s Mariko Peterson and Timbergrove’s Jodi Munsinger who co-own Brush & Bobby Salon. Currently Peterson is at their Heights location on North Main and Munsinger operates the Heights West location on West 20th Street, but Peterson said they would close those spaces and consolidate forces this summer at 34th and Ella. The stylby Betsy Denson ists met, There are two new tenants at Photo Revive’s 34th and and clicked, Ella location. Brush & Bobby and Marble Slab when they Creamery look forward to opening in the next few both worked months. Pop & Pan will move to West 18th Street. for the same salon a few years back before striking out for the right morning use for on their own. Peterson says that unique location, we hope that they have been watching to help them out with a highthe area change and develop traffic location for the truck.” Matt George with Avid, and thought 34th and Ella would be a great spot for a which was recently profiled in The Leader, said that they salon. “There’s a lot of saturation are considering a permanent in the Heights, and a lot of op- location but some doors have portunity here,” said Peterson. to open. “We’ll see what kind of traf“We love the area.” Brush & Bobby will have fic we get there,” George said. five chairs for stylists. They “We’re walking down that road will do hair and makeup but to see where it goes.” will not offer spa services. While Peterson notes that the salon will match the low Prime Property For key, friendly vibe of the area, Sale In the Heights she says the goal is to provide a level of quality and service $400,000 that rivals higher end salons, 6500 sq ft. lot with upscale back bar prod832-573-7374 ucts. Munsinger has worked at New York’s Fashion Week and Peterson has done a lot of international travel, so both women will bring those sensiFences for Less bilities to their work. Low Priced “We want to manage form HigH QuaLity Fences and function,” said Peterson. iron • gate • wood “Young mothers can come repair res/comm. here to maintain their look and • Professional installation style without having to go to • customer satisfaction the Heights or the Galleria.” guaranteed Another new tenant is MarFree estimates ble Slab Creamery which will
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