mostly residential development tweets, with some occasional customer service complaints
Houston, Tx.
Joined June 2009
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For kicks, I submitted an open records request to get the cost breakdown of these architectural trees, and the response I got was:
“The City of Houston….determined there are no responsive documents to your request.”
How is that possible?
As part of a $3m project, Houston added 100 trees and 16 of these "architectural trees" in Downtown before the World Cup. Touted to keep those seeking refuge under its magnificent canopy 10 degrees cooler.
Unrelated news, but I am pivoting from residential spec development into government contracting.
As part of a $3m project, Houston added 100 trees and 16 of these "architectural trees" in Downtown before the World Cup. Touted to keep those seeking refuge under its magnificent canopy 10 degrees cooler.
Unrelated news, but I am pivoting from residential spec development into government contracting.
Spray foam is a polarizing topic, but it works well if you manage the vapor problem. Open-cell foam is permeable, which can lead to trapped moisture and roof rot if you aren’t considering the entirety of the system. Here is how I solved this in two different, budget-mindful ways in my personal home: 🧵
For my gym in the detached garage, I went even more budget-friendly with 100% open-cell foam. I have a mini split in the gym, but without central air to run ducts, relative humidity in the attic spiked to 70%. The fix? A cheap Amazon dehumidifier and Xsense RH sensors. I’m now holding steady at 45% RH. It’s more to manage, but without a doubt the cheapest way to solve the vapor problem.
I mean this in a very honest, and genuine way. I welcome any urbanist that is critical of Houston developers to DM me to schedule some time to go through project numbers in person, or on Zoom.
Not interested in any vague ideas or concepts. I want to discuss specifics - unit density, home style, living sf vs framed sf, bedrooms, bathrooms, construction prices, sales price.
Interested in learning what I'm missing because building shotgun homes are significantly easier to build than these plagued structures. I have zero confidence that someone would pay significantly more per sq ft of living space to live in a shotgun w/o a garage in an unwalkable part of town, facing a 100,000 sf warehouse. But I do want to be proven wrong.
Again - genuinely interested. If you desire to see a beautiful Houston, DM me!
Houston. You either appreciate the distinct culture and opportunities it provides, or you study about it in your graduate Urbanism class and you absolutely hate it.
I built these homes a few years ago. Each of these are 3/2/2's, sold in the low $300k's, and are about 10 min east of Downtown. All bought by single, young professionals.
Absolutely not in a walkable part of town. In fact, the new sidewalks we built in front of their homes don't lead anywhere but the ends of the property. My buyers appreciate the storage that the garage affords them even though, as criticized by many, it takes up 50% of the home's elevation. And the best part - immediately across the street is an enormous warehouse that makes rags out of rejected clothing donations.
I do get it - you can't walk to your local cafe and buy baguettes, and walk to work or school. But you can take a 15 min Uber to the happening parts of town, and afford to own your house on a single-income, and walk to your favorite rag supplier on a Saturday morning.
Houston is a weird place, and I love it.
In 2015, I transitioned from audit to my family’s concrete mfg business.
One of my favorite stories from the first week there, was when one of the office employees had an issue with her PC monitor.
*Important context: She was 20 yrs old, and born and raised in Houston*
I was brought into fix up operations, so I learned in that moment that I was the IT guy now. I didn’t know what the heck was going on, so I decided to swap monitors with her. VOILA. It worked. Her original monitor had died.
I look over at her, and her mouth is open, and her eyes are wide. I ask her what’s wrong, and she said she doesn’t understand how I did this. I let my newfound IT knowledge get to my head, and I begin to explain my monitor-swapping strategy, and she cuts me off.
“ - but no. How are my icons in the same place? How did the new monitor know how I had my desktop arranged on my old monitor?”
Now MY mind is blown. I don’t remember if I even said anything in that moment. I thought about her question for weeks. Years. Still haunts me.
The people of Amsterdam may understand housing density, water management and walkability, but what they don’t seem to understand is how property values would relax if zoning allowed for a gas station, a mechanic shop, and light industrial storage in this block.
You can never take the Houston out of the boy.
I have an intnl flight scheduled out of IAH at 5PM. No CLEAR, and by that time, PreCheck will have been closed for 7 hours.
This was my brother’s PreCheck line at 5:30AM
🕺🏽
Reduced TSA Screening on Monday, March 23
-CLEAR is not operating today
-TSA checkpoints in Terminal C and D are closed
-Standard TSA screening is available in Terminals A and E
-TSA wait times at IAH could exceed three hours today.
For more info:
bit.ly/4bj5IH2
One of the challenges of building in older neighborhoods is that our new drainage culverts are always lower than our neighbors’ culverts. Water just sits in the drainage ditch.
We are required to put in larger 24” pipes, and our neighbors’ original culverts are only 12” - 18”. On top of that, we have almost 6” of concrete above the culvert so to achieve sheet flow from our driveway, we have to set the culvert down even lower. Not to mention, their culverts are often clogged with dirt.
The City is technically responsible for maintaining these ditches, but this specific problem wont be solved until all of these older homes are redeveloped and new culverts will organically be placed, or the City proactively replaces everyone’s existing culverts.
Across the City, this is likely a problem. In an environment where Houston’s flood zones are expanding, drainage of our streets is an increasing concern.
Saw a social media ad for a local builder who has a large following, and is selling a course. The backdrop to his video ad was him showcasing one of his builds, and I counted 3 different house wraps pieced together on the porch alone. Nice.
I started in this business set out to build quality spec homes for the entry level price point. It's been an experience learning what that buyer pool cares for, and doesn't care about. I've eventually had to realize that I'm not building this house for myself, but am building it for the market. Some of the competition builds absolute garbage structures, so some finesse is required to not lose my soul, and still build a quality product that I have to feel comfortable with. I enjoy sleeping well at night.
Extra things I cared about, that buyers don't care about:
- OSB over T-ply sheathing
- Tyvek WRB vs woven Home Guard
- Better windows (tilt sash, higher energy ratings)
- Double-flashing windows
- Lexel caulking at bottom plate vs polyseal
- Prewiring ethernet and security
- Spec'ing better aggregate in the concrete mix
- Using 2x6 studs on all exterior walls
- Tankless water heater
- Spec'ing Trane HVAC system
- LVP w/ thicker wear layer
- 1-1/8" subfloor vs 3/4"
- Class 4 rated shingles vs Class 3 and below
- Spec'ing a basic-function shower fixture from a reputable brand w/ a better quality valve
- Including drain inlets, and gutters, that are all tied into an underground drainage system
- Kohler toilets over HD's Glacier Bay
- 3rd party-insured structural warranty vs builder-backed warranty
- Yellow pine baseboards over MDF
- Oil based paint on trim/doors vs water based
Extra things I didn't care for, that buyers love:
- Trendy tile that I know will be dated in a few years
- 12' ceilings (Ok maybe I like this)
- Including a fridge with that dumb see-through feature
- Frameless Euro-style cabinets made of particle board
- No-name shower fixture w/ bells and whistles
- Including a $100 Nest thermostat w/ the terrible app
I've tried educating on the integrity of the comprehensive home, but I've found that after having to consistently match the price/concessions of my competition, the contract comes down to dollars and aesthetics.
Curious on your take, @GrulkeLamonte. Seems like you go above and beyond with both structural and aesthetic details, at the entry level price point. Which have you found resonates more strongly with your buyer pool?
Trying out something new.
We acquired (2) 5k sf lots within walking distance of each other. We replatted so that on each development we have:
• 1 single family home (3 bed/3 bath)
• 1 stacked duplex (6 bed/4 bath)
We’re about to list the first batch and it’s getting some good buzz so far - hoping that rates remain stable in the coming weeks as geopolitics does its thing.
The non-Houstonian's mind will not be able to comprehend that I will be building a residential duplex next to this warehouse whose fence my sidewalk will die into.
Houston living is not for the weak.
Watching Gabby’s Dollhouse at the movies with my 4yo. Incredible that I enjoyed Jason Mantzoukas as Rafi from The League, and my daughter is now laughing hearing him as Chumsley the animated cat.
