Okay, my friend. You stay right here at the top of this page until the bazillion photos have a chance to load below.
Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.
This post is different from what I normally do (but “normal” is a very fluid concept for me right now). Here is a photo series I’ve been working on since September of last year. I had the rare opportunity (and hassle) of watching construction across the street, and I took over 100 photos of the progress. I’ve picked the best photos to tell the story.
A couple of things to keep in mind while you look – this is ten months of construction. Also, land in Central Houston is at a premium, so the trend is to build two (or more) homes on a plot that was originally designed to hold one. All of the new homes around here are big, but with small footprints.
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Day 1: September 12, 2006. |
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Goodbye, tree! |
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Dirt. |
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Prepping for the foundation… |
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…and foundation. |
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Wood! |
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Second story… |
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Starting the third story… |
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Goodbye, view of downtown! |
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Second house is underway… |
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Framed out. |
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Solid structures.
Solid, yes – but they appear to be leaning backwards in this photo, don’t they? |
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Tyvek paper on one… |
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This is the houses looking their worst – covered in Tyvek with the driveway frame out front. The porta-potty isn’t helping them look any better. |
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Scaffolding and black paper…
This part was really noisy. There were several guys with pneumatic staplers…bam! bam! bam! bam! |
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The outside is covered in cement (or whatever it is)… |
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…and the dudes put in the decorative stone. |
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Just about there! |
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Aaaaaaand done. July 15, 2007.
Landscaping, glass garage doors, etc. I can’t say that I love the final look of the houses, but it was fun to watch the progress. |
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Since this post is already photo-heavy, hows about two more?
I count my dogs, oh, 50 times a day. Just to be sure that everyone is inside whenever I close a door. On this day I couldn’t find Ike. Was he upstairs? Downstairs? Outside? Shooting pool in a smoky bar somewhere? |
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No. Just sleepin’.
Shhhh. You can actually see an ear in the first photo if you look really closely. |
First, I cannot believe two houses went up on that piece of land. Wow. I personally like the look, but I like modern, square houses. However, I don’t think I want to know my neighbor quite that well!
I had to laugh at the Ike picture. Sleeping on pillows is a full-time sport here. I’m always cleaning hair off of them and Littles gets very irritated if “her” bed isn’t made in the morning. Wash day finds her following me around the house complaining that her bed needs to be made so she can sleep.
Don’t really care for the look of the houses but I guess that is “progress” in a modern world.
OMG I never thought of the trouble you must have to keep track of 4 dogs. I lose my older smaller dog occasionally since she likes to snuggle into tight spaces behind or under furniture and since she is deaf, she can’t hear me call her.
The other problem is they are both black. After the first black dog was added to the family, I said I wouldn’t have another since they are impossible to see at night (tripping hazard) and they disappear in a large back yard after dark and sometimes they’re not ready to come inside when I’m ready for them to come inside. I think they love the hide and seek aspect of it all.
Cute, cute picture!
I think those have got to be the ugliest houses I have ever seen!! When we lived in El Paso it was the same way. When we bought our house there was no one behind us. 2 years later there were at least 200 houses behind us. All of the houses looked the same. Can you imagine living in that area and staggering home drunk?!?! Which house would you chose???
LOVE the Ike photo…Basenjis and pillows…great combo!! Perfect for naptime!!
Well, I suppose if you hate yard work, one of those two houses would be perfect!
Hmmm, i’m not sure how i feel about those houses, but it’s better than listening to/looking at construction! they actually look like the very expensive homes on newport beach, ca- squeezed into the little spot to say they are beachfront!
i see Ike’s ear in the first pic! my boy baroo is the same way- all smushed into the back of the couch.
Glass garage doors? So the whole world can see your junk, I guess.
Yep. Houston houses. Our neighborhood is full of construction like that. Love the Ike picture – he looks so comfy.
yea for doggie ears! and ingenious hiding spots!
Too bad you lost the view of downtown!! I would much rather look at that then a new house or two. Hopefully you will get some nice neighbors!
I laughed out loud at Ike’s picture! I wished I had to take the time to look for Dusty to see where he’s at. Alas, I don’t have to do that because 99.9% of the time he’s at my feet or following so close behind me that I can feel his cold nose on the back of my legs!!
and I am glad to see you posting again…. It makes me smile!
Have a GREAT day!
I smiled to see that you have the same thing on your coffee table (or chest or whatever it is) that all basenji owners do: Nothing!
I can’t imagine living that close to my neighbors, without some sort or grass or tree. I would have to tell them to scoot Over all the time!! Ike is the cutest baby ever!! If you can’t find the dog, look under a chair at my house, she’s white though and NOTHING stays white at my house. K bye
Silly Ike! Hiding in plain sight…
The other day, after counting my kittens for the 1,000th time that day…I couldn’t find one of them. I like to panic over things like that so I went running around the house taking cushions off of the couch, taking things out of the closet..etc. I finally found it curled up and sleeping quite soundly in my nephew’s baseball cap.
I don’t like the houses, reminds me of Den Haag, Holland, where I lived you were smack dab on top of each other. I don’t think I opened my curtains once while I lived there, I like my privacy.
Love the Ike pic, My son is the same way, I found him in the cabinet of the tv unit one day. At least when I call his name he will call something back to me. lol.
A sleeping B is an angelic B. I hate construction noise, we are suffering right now, I wish it was over. The dogs are disensitized ( sp ? actual word ?) to loud noise so that is quasi positive. The completion steps of a project is fascinating, you wikll have to update the series when the neighbors move in, maybe catch them in the act of filling up the garages : )
lol, hidden dog. He’s got some great camouflage there! I only have one rabbit but he’s hard enough to find as it is! I’d go crazy with four!
I don’t like that house either. It’s too tall and thin somehow. And grey. But oh well I guess each to their own. We have a house being built down the road but I didn’t take any photos of it being built. It’s a great idea, because now you’ll get to remember what the space used to look like before, whereas I’ll forget 😀
The pictures in a little album would make a fab housewarming gift for the new owners. 🙂
The exterior design isn’t very inviting. And where do the Johovah’s Witnesses go to hand out their Awake magazines? In the alley between them?
I’ve never seen glass garage doors like that. Is it a TX thing?
I bet Ike knows all the best places to sleep!
Damn, cozy neighbors they will be….or not! Landscaping? Where? Hah! I guessed that was Ike’s ear when I saw first photo–too damn cute. I do this with my boys too–always making sure two heads are counted for at all times.
your pics are awesome of the whole process. It facinates me how people are doing things now in areas where land is so expensive. i hate to say that i dig the houses across the street from you…maybe b/c i’m looking for a portrait/patio home right now. hahha
your dog is too too too too cute.
I figure those houses are one of those deceiving ones that look not so great from the outside but then WOW you when you go inside. I’m sure the inside probably makes up for the boring outside.
That last photo looks just like what my dog is doing to our sofa, before you know it you won’t be able to fluff that pillow back into shape anymore. The problem is they look so darn cute doing it that you don’t have the heart to move them! haha
Wow! Zoning must be really loose (or tight as the case may be) in Houston. As someone said, I don’t think I’d want to be *that* close to my neighbor. But I’d love to see what the inside was like also.
What is it with Basenjis and squishy sofa and chair backs? Raisin has just started doing that the last week. Must be the catness coming out.
this has *nothing* to do with the current post! (sorry.)
just listening to that early march pointy sticks podcast episode, about the knitpicks cotlin yarn. thanks for telling about it! do tell us how it knits up. i’ve been trying since may to buy enough for a short-sleeved sweater, and it’s been backordered, and backordered and backordered. i finally gave up, ’cause i have a project to finish for fall. maybe for next year…
Very interesting photo series — but wow, those houses are packed tightly! Ike is super cute! I didn’t notice his ear in the first photo until you pointed it out.
OK…let’s just say I’m a sucker for cute animal pictures and this ranks really, really high!
Ha Ha! I spotted the ear in the first shot, as soon as I read that you couldn’t find him. That tricky Ike!