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This week’s section takes a look at the current housing market which is favorable to buyers, as well as a home renovation in Woodland Heights that turned a triplex back to a single family home.
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The Do Over 1B · Realty Real Talk 2B • New Urgent Care on Washington 3B Saturday, March 26, 2016 • Page 1B
Restored to its original glory
Returning a Rejiggered Woodland Heights Apartment Property to Home Alone the
By Cynthia Lescalleet For The Leader Restoring a 1908 home to its original glory was a “respectful exercise,” say homeowners Dominic Yap and Lin Chong of Woodland Heights. When they first saw the bedraggled property, it had been divided into three apartments, and a trio of units occupied the back yard. After a 14-month transformation, ending last May, the house is single again and the yard is just a yard, a feature the couple’s dogs especially enjoy. “The house was crying out for a long time,” Chong said. As they ripped out apartmentrelated air conditioners, mail boxes, kitchens, walls and toilets, they could almost hear their home’s sighs of relief. Fortunately, their project “just had to bring back the beauty,” she said, “not recreate it.” That meant removing previous “improvements” and staying close to the home’s original footprint when adding a kitchen and mud room at the back of the house, with a new master suite above it. Restoration-minded, the renovators aren’t new to epic-scale projects. Their award-winning home renova-
Photo by Cynthia Lescalleet This renovated property in Woodland Heights is looking more like its 1908 origins now that elements added during its years as an apartment triplex have been removed and the property restored to singlefamily use.
tion business, FW Heritage, rescues vintage properties, primarily ones located in the First Ward. At Preservation Houston’s 2016 Good Brick Awards, their work on two Victorian First Ward properties earned them the Martha Peterson Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the community and commitment to historic preservation in Houston. Since their Woodland Heights project applied similar standards, quality and finesse, the renovating residents hope its transformation also will be recognized. Moreover, they’d like their Woodland Heights
undertaking to inspire others in the area “to preserve and restore their homes and the history within the walls,” Chong said. Just don’t think such projects are a breezy HG-TV kind of undertaking, she warns: “TV shows show what can be done, but not what it takes.” LOVE IN RUINS “We got as far as the pocket doors and fireplace and bought it,” Chong recalls. They thought it held promise as more than just another project. It would become their home. At the time, the rejiggered
property was in foreclosure. Its likely future was to be razed and redone as a commercial property because it was not located within Woodland Heights Historic District, Yap said. “We thought it was a travesty, and feared it would be torn down.” Among their reference materials are photos of the original homestead. The home is believed to be one of the first built north of Buffalo Bayou. It might have been a Sears “kit home,” she says, though some of the original materials were local. Over time, various owners had converted the house into
It’s a buyer’s market, but not a weak one By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com What Bill Baldwin, owner of Boulevard Realty, calls a “balancing of the market”, potential home buyers call an opportunity. Marty and Leah Salinas, who currently live in Mangum Manor, are looking to sell their house and look for a bigger one for their four children. Their 4-bedroom, 3 bath home is being offered in the $300,000 range and the family’s budget for the new home is $550,000. Leah Salinas has been in the area for a while. First she lived in a 900 square foot house in Oak Forest but moved to the other side of T.C. Jester where she “could get a bigger house for less.” At the time, 2,000 square feet and four bedrooms was enough – but now, with four children and the need for a home office, three boys are sharing a room. Salinas would also like to be back in Oak Forest where two of her children attend school. She’s open to Shepherd Park Plaza or Candlelight Plaza as well where she’s seen homes that have four bedrooms, plus a study. “We’re already invested in the area,” she said. “We want to take our time,” she said. “I’ve seen a number of homes being offered in the area for under $400,000. There’s a lot of inventory.” Salinas’ goal is to get a house in Oak Forest that could be renovated or added on to. “You couldn’t get those before,” she said. “Builders were snapping them up. We’d love to buy an original home and put our touches on it, maybe expand on it.” Salinas says if the price is right – like in the $300,000 range – the family could invest the rest of their budget into renovations and have a “brand new house.” Donna O’Connor is an Oak Forest homeowner who is looking to sell her new build house in Oak Forest. She put it on the market in February in the $700,000 range. “I’ve had two knee surgeries and am scheduled for a third,” said O’Connor. “To heal com-
three apartments and added three rental units to the back yard. Accommodating the home’s apartments meant removing the lower section of the foyer’s dramatic and super-spindled original staircase. An add-on exterior staircase tied into the former landing and upper stairs for access to the reconfigured second floor, where previously added sleeping porches had become kitchens for units fore and aft. Enclosing the original front porch, meanwhile, expanded the parlor and enabled a front bedroom in what had been the original foyer. Its bathroom, located where the staircase had been, had a sunken tub, which had cut into the floor joists (now repaired). The back yard, meanwhile, contained a ‘40s-ish structure housing three units. “We lived, breathed and ate it (restoration) for over a full year,” says Chon g, a former teacher. The couple -- and their dogs -- lived in one of back yard apartments (about 300-sq.-ft. of space), used the second as their office and the third to storage for building materials and salvaged com-
ponents that later went back into the home. Given their business, there was no escape or relief from renovations, Chong says. By day, they’d handle their First Ward projects only to return home to a second shift of decisions and problem-solving. Their plans for the home’s redo were straight-forward: restore the original splendor, retain what didn’t need replacing and limit any extra square footage to keep the structure in proportion to its early footprint. “Just because you have the space (to add more room) doesn’t mean you have to fill it,” Chong says. In doing that, they reclaimed the urban-scale lot’s back yard. Reclaimed and Replicated As renovated – make that rescued -- the dramatic front staircase is back to anchor a refurbished foyer off the restored front porch. New stairs and spindles connect with the original upper section, which Chong said kept its squeaks. Replicating the original staircase’s appearance and
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oodside illage pletely, I need a one story.” ApArtment Homes She wants to stay in her Located off of East T.C. Jester school zone though and hopes to find, or build, a one story in • Spacious 1, 2 & 3 Bedrooms • Unique 2 Bedroom Townhomes Oak Forest. • In a Serene Residential Area O’Connor said there has • Lush Landscaping with Oak trees been interest in the house and • 2 Sparkling Swimming Pools • Community Club House that no one has balked at the • Fitness Center price. • Great Inner Loop Location 2400 Hackett “I’ve had a couple of poten• World Class Dining & Shopping Nearby Houston, TX 77008 • Easy Access to Major Freeways tial buyers tell me that they are • Professional Management Team 713-861-6172 waiting to hear about elementary school before they make a Photo by Betsy Denson decision,” she said. Leah and Marty Salinas are looking to take advantage of a buyer’s Boulevard Realty’s Baldwin market and get a bigger home for their family. thinks that it’s all a matter of perspective. “In a decade, 2015 is our sec- brook we got a three bedroom ond best year,” said Baldwin. plus a flex room, and also a “The average price has gone big yard. There are not a lot of up, the median price has gone teardowns in the area. People up, and sales have held steady. are renovating the interiors.” The prospect of a good elDays on the market for many • 18,545 square feet (.43 acre). houses is longer. Buyers have ementary school, Sinclair El• Beautiful ravine lot - Turkey Creek; ravine cleared and new ementary, sealed the deal. the luxury of time and the abilWith an ever increasing plants added. ity to negotiate. But there are population in The Leader area, • Only empty lot currently available in Timbergrove Manor. still bidding wars going on.” • Cedar wood fence. Baldwin said that it’s the “lo- Baldwin said the market will re• Current survey, elevation certificate and city-required TOPO. cationally challenged” homes main robust but that the rebal• Soil test by Geotechnical Engineers. that are the slowest to move. ancing was healthy: “In 2001, • Neighborhood Homeowners Association with deed Homes near railroad tracks, the prices did not decline. With powerlines and feeder roads in Enron, the prices did not derestrictions; single family dwelling only. otherwise desirable neighbor- cline. During the 2008 housing If interested, we have a complete set of custom architectural hoods used to be snapped up bust, the prices did not decline. drawings available by John Paul Garland, for a 4,400 sq. ft., 2 because “buyers had nowhere What people don’t always unContact Ron derstand is that our market is story, 3-car garage house with family room overlooking ravine, else to go.” Now they do. and a circular driveway for easy access in and out. 713-306-8294 Also, the top end of the doing well.” market, homes in the $1 million and up range, are slower moving. “No one wants to buy the most expensive house in the neighborhood in a time of uncertainty,” he said. Anne Nelson and her husband didn’t have a million dollar house in the Heights but they did have a hard time selling their townhome at 20th and Studemont. “We listed at $395,000 in December and thought that was competitive,” she said. “But we made two price adjustments, and ended up taking an even lower offer.” L-R: Amy Ritter – Bank Officer/Lender, Margaret Vandever – SVP/Lender, Scott Lester – Bank Office President, Nelson said they might have Cecilia Rodriguez – AVP/Office Manager, Justin Vickrey – VP/Lender waited the market out, but with an almost 2-year old and anothExperienced community bankers providing value to Houston business owners. er baby on the way, they were Please stop by - we want to visit with you and find out how we can help your business. ready for a bigger space, which they found in Lazybrook. “We are the first of our 2222 North Durham friends with kids and wanted Houston, TX 77008 to stay near the loop for social stuff, and we wanted a four 281-517-8760 bedroom which we couldn’t www.allegiancebanktexas.com MA K I N G A D I F F E R E N C E, TO G E T H E R . find in Garden Oaks or Oak Forest,” Nelson said. “In Lazy-
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