A Special Report from The Leader. sponsored by Imagination Woodworks Merging the modern with the historic 1B · What’s new with the HPO? 1B • Budget friendly landscaping 10B Saturday, April 30, 2016 • Page 1B
Heights renovator melds modern aesthetics with history By Jonathan Garris jgarris@theleadernews.com It’s hard to believe the home on Oak Ridge Street in front of Hogg Middle School was once a battered structure in poor condition – won by its previous owner in a poker game, no less – but the distinct bungalow look of Stephen and Janice Hawkes’ home is one they are proud of. The structure had been been given new life by Heights-based Bungalow Revival, headed up by president Gilbert Perez, which aims to not only remodel and renovate homes but also preserve
their unique historical look. His first project was his own home in 2001, but continuing with a home remodeling business wasn’t part of the plan. “I’m an interior designer by trade,” Gilbert said. “People loved what I did and they started asking if I wanted to do it for them.” From there, Perez worked on a home on Tulane, adding on to a structure that was originally going to be demolished. A couple from Louisiana was interested in buying the home and it turned out to be a hit with them. “Before we had it completed, we had it sold,” Perez
said. “He wanted new and she wanted old so it was exactly what they were looking for. It was a totally restored home but the bones of it were old.” That principle – marrying modern designs with historical considerations – is the backbone of Bungalow Revival, and the work done on their 30 or so homes throughout the area attracted the attention of the Hawkes’. “[Perez] had worked on another home and the gentleman who owned it was kind enough to allow us to see inside of it,” Janice Hawkes said. “When we walked in, we realized that this was ex-
actly what we had wanted.” Originally, the Hawkes’ weren’t big on the idea of a typical living room and kitchen arrangement and wanted a more open design. Perez offered them a chance to not only get separate den areas and a kitchen, but also delivered an open, free-flowing floor plan, complete with the large front porch and screened in back porch. The Hawkes’ went for the idea, and they say they ended up loving it, and having the mix of old and new appeals to many of Perez’s customers.
Photo by Christina Martinez Stephen and Janice Hawkes enjoy their home’s revitalization provided by Heights-based Bungalow Revival.
See Bungalow P. 3B
HPO Guidelines on track for February deadline By Jonathan Garris jgarris@theleadernews.com Despite a slight hiccup in the paperwork end, and an expanded scope of work, officials working to establish new design guidelines for the city’s Historic Preservation Ordinance remain confident they will be able to meet their February 2016 deadline of adopting new guidelines for the Heights historic districts. At the last meeting of the Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission, the group voted to expand the design guidelines project to include districts beyond the Heights. The guidelines now include updates for the Norhill Historic District, Freeland Historic District and Woodland Heights Historic District and Old Sixth Ward Historic District. Project manager Steph McDougal said she suspects the guidelines for the three Heights districts – including East, West and South – would be finished before the others, however that would also depend on how the needs of each district lines up. “Part of this is going to depend on much similarity there is between districts and if different ones want the same kind of things,” McDougal said. “The more similarity there is between the documents for the guidelines, the easier it is to get them done together.” There are tentative plans to hold the first community workshop with the consultants who will be brought in to work on the design guidelines at a meeting in June, McDougal said. The consultants will be provided with information regarding each district, including their histories, photographs and other resources. “They will be coming in to look at what we’re calling character areas,” McDougal said. “Character areas” are typically referred to as “context areas,” however this term has a different meaning in Houston. “What they’ll be doing is looking at what are the common types of community development we have.” That includes noting how many lots in the Heights are of similar size, or how a high number of homes might have similar setbacks. Documenting these kinds of character areas allows the consultants to create a picture of what is typical for these historic districts and what sets them apart. McDougal said she and other officials have
Custom project turns into business by neighbor referrals By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com When you consider what Nicholas Pagel can do with wood, there may be no better name for his exterior carpentry company than Imagination Woodworks. Pergolas, children’s tree forts, decks encircling trees, an agility course for someone’s beloved pooch complete with a 1960s fire hydrant, Pagel says that if he doesn’t know how to do something, he will figure it out. Pagel, who lived in Garden Oaks before a recent move to Spring
Branch, was working at a landscaping firm when a neighbor asked Pagel to build him a deck. That highly satisfied neighbor recommended him on Nextdoor, and an increasingly more profitable second job emerged. “I’ve always had a mechanical mindset,” said Pagel, who also used to run his own landscaping company and was therefore familiar with operating a business. When another client asked Pagel to build him a pergola, he initially wasn’t familiar with the shaded sitting area but he did his research and it was a hit with the homeowner. Right now, a lot of his work is decks and pergolas in advance of a Houston summer. “They offer great shade and some protection from the rain,” said Pagel, who uses cedar to build them because it’s naturally rot resistant, and is also an insect repellent. The other big part of Pagel’s business appeals to his inner child. When someone asked him to build a fort for their two boys, Pagel remembered the treehouse that his own dad had built him and got inspired. “I turned into a kid,” he said. “I did a complete pirate theme with a pirate cannon that shoots tennis balls and a captain’s wheel.” There was even a pole for a pirate flag. That was an idea from Pagel’s youth too. The flag that flew above his childhood fort now graces his own son’s play structure, which as one might imagine is the “granddaddy of them all.” In December, Pagel said he was doing nothing but playhouses, and working with the parents to keep the Christmas surprises literally under wraps. “I wrapped the structures with giant tarps,” said Pagel. “In one case, I put tarp on the entire back of someone’s house. I pretended I was a plumber, and we used code to talk progress.” Recently, he did a kid’s mud kitchen for a parent in their backyard and stocked it with all kinds of utensils and plates so the kids could make mud pies, or whatever else struck their fancy. Once people started sharing photos of their new additions on social media and through word of mouth, Pagel got even busier. See Imagination P. 2B
See Ordinance P. 2B
Photo by Christina Martinez
Nicholas Pagel, owner of local business Imagination Woodworks, works on a custom patio in Woodland Heights on a heated Houston day.
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