LIST with a Leader
ntegrity
0!-%,! %&&%23/.
A L C A R E FF uU nN eE rR a l C are Funeral Packages
from
$
#SPLFS "TTPDJBUF
3,995
9B Nibbles: Biskit Junkie opening soon
Pre-Arrangments Available 3915 Dacoma, Suite E (713) 344.0764
www.IntegrityFuneral.com
“We’re set up and we’re ready,� Biskit Junkie owner says.
1".&-" &''&340/ 1301&35*&4
4FMMJOH)PNFTJO)PVTUPO DPN
Find it inside • Expert Opinion • 2B Saturday, December 27, 2014 • Page 1B
HouZE
Zero Energy, company commercializes homes to self sustain, create energy
Post-Holiday Storage Options More Than ‘Bin There, Done That’ By Cynthia Lescalleet For The Leader As the holidays wrap up, what goes up must come down. Why not use that annual effort to thoughtfully organize and store the seasonal stuff for next time, or perhaps whittle it down a bit? A poll of home renovators and professional organizers working in Leader News neighborhoods netted several suggestions in emailed responses on how to Do-Over storage for holiday items -- and perhaps continue the clutter-busting as a new year’s resolution. If the quest is for capturing more storage space, Kevin Vick of Vick Construction & Remodeling has two pieces of advice for avoiding the need for a rental storage unit: “Go vertical and reclaim space.â€? For example: • Add decking to the prime real estate called an attic and insulate, if necessary, for better climate Contributed photos by Ship Shape Houston Professional Organizing control. When storing holiday dĂŠcor, place similar items together and lesser-used pieces higher in available shelving. • Continue cabinetry to the ceiling for a unified appearance or use modular storage units in areas that “don’t have to look pretty.â€? • Harvest the dead space above the retracted garage door. A typical garage is 10 ft. by 20 ft. That’s • Be wary of so-called barpotentially 200 sq. ft. to capture, including hanging space from gains on holiday goods. Make the rafters. sure they enhance your holiday Since a home’s age doesn’t necessarily dictate the amount dĂŠcor and fit into storage. or ease of storage space, it’s important to maximize whatever Even a reduced collection is available and accessible, observes Oak Forest resident and benefits from more thoughtful Certified Professional Organizer Marcie Baker-Turrin of Ship stowage, says Susan Wade of Shape Houston Professional Organizing. Sunflower Strategies. Among her Among her tips: space-saving suggestions. • Put “like with like.â€? Next year, you won’t have to search • Say goodbye to old decorathrough everything to find your white lights or red ornaments, tions. she says. • Use storage bins that stack Now you can see the floor • Store extra ornament hangers together, not scattered well. and have a room again. among ornament boxes. • Hang the artificial tree hori• Use smaller bins. They’re almost always easier to stow. zontally from the garage rafters • Leave yourself a note in the boxes, if storage is dispersed, with three bungee cords. indicating where to find everything. Ellen Delap, also a Certified Professional Organizer, advises: • Donate or recycle the “Ghosts of Christmas dĂŠcor past.â€? • Trim the tree trimmings. Decide what is most important Your home ideally reflects the people living there, she says. and then let go of the extra. “Decorations that don’t feel like “youâ€? won’t give you holiday • Group items by category, by room or by type of decorajoy.â€? tion. Assess their condition or appeal. “You’ll be pleasantly sur• Triage toys outgrown or no longer used. A rule of thumb prised at how much less space these consolidated items take,â€? is: one in, one out. Work with your children to understand there she notes. are others who might really enjoy playing with what they no • Hang items, when possible, to maximize use of vertical longer do. spaces. Use that same reflective exercise for all your seasonal trap• Label liberally. That means on the top and sides of the tub. pings, suggests Woodland Heights’ Nancy Wolf of Go To Nan• Consider getting a shelving unit to keep it all in one place. cy Lifestyle Management. The top sources of holiday clutter • Archive keepsakes in boxes designed for them. They’ll last are unpacking and repacking the same holiday decorations longer, she says, and isn’t revisiting them or passing them on year after year; accumulation of used and unused wrapping the reason you’ve held on to them in the first place? materials; and keeping broken, unusable and outdated holiday decorations. Resolutions Ahead “Maybe I’ll fix that and use it againâ€? is a common impulse Disorganization and clutter equal stress, Ward says, because (with rare follow-through), she says. Instead: they steal time and needlessly trigger extra spending to buy • Purge as you go. When prepping holiday items to display what you already have but can’t find. To begin the New Year or store, “consider the meaning - the value, the importance, the with some simple steps to get organized, she suggests: historyâ€? - of each item to you and your family and determine • Get decorations and presents put away before evwhether its fate is to keep for yourself, pass on to another family See Do Over P. 2B member or friend, donate or let go.
Real Estate Briefs Braun Enterprises at work on Yale, N. Main
Ella Plaza isn’t the only development that Braun Enterprises (who re-developed Harold’s in the Heights and just completed a new center on 20th and Rutland) is currently working on. With the purchase of the building that currently houses Alabama Furniture at 2200 Yale St., Braun now owns a majority of the property from 21st to 23rd Streets on Yale. Braun has owned the Yale Street Grill building at 2100 Yale Street since 2007 and has kept the neighborhood favorite as a tenant. As for the other tenants, it remains to be seen who will remain, but as Braun shows in a rendering, the 2,200 square feet formerly occupied by the cleaners, is reimagined as a Heights bistro. Another Braun development at 5307 N. Main that used to be a former car wash is ready for its next incarnation. It offers 23,269 square feet for ground lease, or Braun may build a multi-tenant center on the site. Lastly, their development at 4721 North Main is taking off. Braun has recently signed two tenants (in addition to Sherwin Williams) – one a full service restaurant and one a breakfast cafe/coffee shop, both of which will be operated by local operators with other successful concepts. They expect to open late 2nd quarter 2015 or early third quarter 2015. The British International School of Houston (BISH) is moving to Katy Big news from The British School of Houston which has been renamed the British International School of Houston (BISH) to better reflect their diverse student body. They’re leaving the 14 acre Watonga campus behind and moving to the Katy/West Houston area. The new campus is expected to open in September 2016 at which time it will close its current 850 seat campus. No word on what will happen to the Watonga site after that but you can be that there will be plenty of interest from developers.
Photo by Kim Hogstrom It may be hard to believe, but a home like this actually sells its energy back to the grid about as fast as the home uses it.
By Kim Hogstrom For The Leader Americans have loved craftsmen-style homes for centuries. Perhaps it’s because there is nothing so welcoming as solid porch columns, large, ample windows, and a warm wooden porch. One would never guess that several of these same timeless homes in Houston are so new-age, they have no energy bills. Independence Heights resident David Goswick has assembled a team of Houstonians with exactly that objective in mind. Goswick and his team launched a company called Houze (the “z� and “e� in Houze stand for “zero energy�) and the effort has captured the attention of America. “Bloomberg TV recently identified Houze as a company that is successfully commercializing zero energy homes,� David Goswick said. “Bloomberg’s feature resulted in thousands of inquires about us.� In a public-private partnership with the city of Houston, Houze purchased 20 lots in historic Independence Heights to build their new generation homes. The city worked with Houze and community leaders to determine which home designs fit the character of Independence Heights; homes that would contribute to the revitalization of this historic neighborhood. The consensus revealed their choice - the classic craftsmen. “I am very proud that this residential energy revolution is taking place in Houston, an energy capital of the world, because this is part of what will continue to make our city prosperous and forward-thinking,� stated Mayor Annise Parker at the unavailing of the first Houze. How is it possible to a build a home with no energy bills, in Houston no less? The answer it technology. Houze homes burn natural gas, then using special technological advancements designed by the team at Houze, stores and converts the energy to electicity and sells it back to the grid at a rate as fast, or faster, than the home uses. “Our homes are built to guidelines designed by the DOE Building America program and RESNET’s ‘Home Energy Rating Score,’ or HERS rating,� Goswick said. “The lower the score-the better,� “A traditional home has a HERS rating of about 100. Our homes earn a score of about 40 before the onsite electricity generation,� Goswick said. �Then, the energy used by the
Your Neighborhood Bankers
L-R: Amy Ritter – Bank Officer/Lender, Margaret Vandever – SVP/Lender, Scott Lester – Bank Office President, Cecilia Rodriguez – AVP/Office Manager, Justin Vickrey – VP/Lender
Experienced community bankers providing value to Houston business owners. Please stop by - we want to visit with you and find out how we can help your business. 2222 North Durham Houston, TX 77008
281-517-8760
MA K I N G A D I F F E R E N C E, TO G E T H E R .
See Briefs P. 2B
Merry Christmas &
Pamela Efferson Pamela efferson ProPerties
(713) 822-8555 Pa m e l a @s e l l i n g H o m e si n H o u s ton . co m w w w.s e l l i n g H o m e si n H o u s to n . co m
See Houze P. 9B
“THANK YOU� all for helping me make 2014 one of the best years in my Real Estate career. I value your business, friendship and referrals and appreciate your support.
Wishing you all Happy Holidays and a prosperous, healthy & happy 2015.
www.allegiancebanktexas.com