Mini-mansions are springing up in Houston’s Inner Loop replacing more modest existing homes. This enticing location is much sought after by the area’s movers and shakers who don’t find the snarled suburban commute appealing. Houston is home to many billion dollar corporations and has a booming economy fueled by superior technology, resources and know how.
Cities have their own characters, periods of change, decline and growth. Their appearance is a function of the needs and knowledge of their inhabitants. In Houston, economic prosperity and transportation challenged freeways have heated up neighborhood evolution in the city’s Inner Loop, causing existing houses to be ripped down in order to make way for new palatial homes.
Those who complain about preserving the original neighborhoods are not being realistic. Throughout the history of man, it has been common to create, reuse, replace and abandon dwellings. The ancient Egyptian city of Armana, built by pharaoh Akhenaten was abandoned shortly after his death. Poverty stricken urban neighborhoods are invaded by artists who transform them into irresistible new abodes for the cultural elite. High end neighborhoods decline and become homes for low income inhabitants. In some ways cities are just as alive and subject to change as the people who build and dwell in them.
Houston’s Inner Loop is home to the prestigious neighborhoods of River Oaks, West University Place, and Southside Place. For those fortunate, highly paid, wealthy and powerful individuals who have the means an ideal building site can be snagged by tearing down an existing home in close proximity to historic sites, cultural centers, museums, fine dining and upscale shopping. Most new homes constructed in this area are between 3,000 and 8,000 square feet and range in cost up to ten million dollars. Inner Loop Realtor Bill Edge describes the River Oaks Area as being like Beverly Hills with a neighborhood feel.
New home construction is the best way to create a well-designed and personalized environment both inside and out. An excellent realtor can help you acquire the perfect target teardown, while a creative team composed of an architect, interior designer and landscape architect can work with you to create the ultimate interior and exterior spaces. You can be as involved as you like choosing fixtures, materials and appliances as well as doing a substantial amount of high level design.
When doing a teardown it is possible to contribute to the community by donating architectural salvage and offering the fire department the opportunity to train in the original structure prior to demolition. It is unlikely that an Inner Loop teardown process will destroy any historical property as historic neighborhoods are well protected by zoning.
There is serious competition to buy property for reconstruction in Houston’s Inner Loop. The contenders include high earning professionals and corporate executives. Many highly skilled and highly paid professionals in manufacturing, medical and energy industries are relocating to Houston and looking for an ideal place to live. At the same time, it’s quite difficult to find a target teardown home. Properties near Rice University can cost up to $600,000 and in the Heights the cost can exceed $350,000.
At Man-Edge Properties, we can help you find a lot in this highly competitive market.