Went to an estate sale last weekend in a beautiful mid-century modern home .. built early '60s, most likely.

It needed a little love but for the most part, was in great shape with all the unique features that a MCM home offers. It was like stepping back in time. That house would not have been out of place in Palm Springs, and there were others like it all around the neighborhood.

But there was also a lot of new construction, too, including next door. Lot of tear downs going on.

Seems a shame to knock down a '60s MCM to throw up a McMansion. But people do it.

Just for the sake of discussion, what would you do if you had a chance to buy a house like that? Keep it or tear down? And why?

If you can get it for the right price, it might be worth saving.

Ultimately, the lot will likely go to it highest and best use, which sounds like new construction

I should clarify that I'm referring to more Frank Lloyd Wright and less.... 60's neighborhood build?

I want to house hack a MCM for my next deal. It would be hard for me to tear one down.

Red Pear Medina said:

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I should clarify that I'm referring to more Frank Lloyd Wright and less.... 60's neighborhood build?

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What he he mentioned is the definition of FLW construction. But I do love them. I actually own a FLW style home.

Red Pear Medina said:

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I should clarify that I'm referring to more Frank Lloyd Wright and less.... 60's neighborhood build?

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Yeah ... I don't know about the quality of this home's construction, other than it looked in good shape.

I definitely get the drawbacks. Small rooms, etc.

Seems that the older you get, the more interest you have in classic or historic homes. Thirty-year-old me had never even heard the term "mid century modern" and I would've torn that down in a heartbeat to build a new home.

Today, I see it in a different light.

EclipseAg said:

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Went to an estate sale last weekend in a beautiful mid-century modern home .. built early '60s, most likely.

It needed a little love but for the most part, was in great shape with all the unique features that a MCM home offers. It was like stepping back in time. That house would not have been out of place in Palm Springs, and there were others like it all around the neighborhood.

But there was also a lot of new construction, too, including next door. Lot of tear downs going on.

Seems a shame to knock down a '60s MCM to throw up a McMansion. But people do it.

Just for the sake of discussion, what would you do if you had a chance to buy a house like that? Keep it or tear down? And why?

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In a house I'm trying to live in, its wayyyy too much money/time/hassle to demo and rebuild. I'm fixing up that house. Or just buying one that an investor did all the work for.

As an investor, you tear down and sell and make $$$. (I'm assuming good location and reasonably safe easy resale, not something too suburby)

I"ve got a client that has been talking renovation, expansion of a 1960's house for a year. Finally 2 weeks ago he called and told me he's tearing it down and building new. In his case at least he decided the reno process was beating him down. The financing for either is the same so at least we didn't have to change anything there.

There is a niche market of people who will pay big $$$ for a MCM home that is in good shape. This is where you can do your research on what the MCM market looks like and how to effectively restore and update a MCM home with modern conveniences without destroying the MCM feel. If you want to just bounce some thoughts noff someone who knows MCM homes better than most, Robert Searcy is a RE agent in Houston who specializes in MCM homes.

Ultimately, if it doesn't make sense, tear it down.

EclipseAg said:

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Went to an estate sale last weekend in a beautiful mid-century modern home .. built early '60s, most likely.

It needed a little love but for the most part, was in great shape with all the unique features that a MCM home offers. It was like stepping back in time. That house would not have been out of place in Palm Springs, and there were others like it all around the neighborhood.

But there was also a lot of new construction, too, including next door. Lot of tear downs going on.

Seems a shame to knock down a '60s MCM to throw up a McMansion. But people do it.

Just for the sake of discussion, what would you do if you had a chance to buy a house like that? Keep it or tear down? And why?

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You basically described my dream house so it would be buy and restore for me! I think older stuff in general, even if it's a craftsman or whatever else are cool because at this point they're one-off. You don't see the exact same thing in a friend's place because they haven't made them in ages.

It sucks because here in Charleston that entire style never really happened here. They kept building in some kind of fake colonial style for the most part up to the '80s. I'm lucky to have been able to find a decent 1959 ranch in a great area to slowly fix up. Recreating MCM elements or even un-renovating something like a side bathroom can be a colossal PITA because you have to go out and find a bunch of matching architectural salvage fixtures and recreated tile in vintage colors and patterns.

It'll be worth it when I'm done though.

From cars to houses, not a lot of what we build today will be restored 20 years from now. We sure don't build em like we used to.

To be fair I'm sure a lot of people said that in the '80s with these houses. But from a structural standpoint newer places are vastly superior to old. We (at least in hurricane country) have all kinds of clips, angles, and brackets that do a great job of keeping a house together in a storm. Simpson straps too for anything here that's done pier and beam. Decks are a lot better tied down too. Not to mention fire blocking (granted this has been a thing for ~100 years now) keeping fire from entering a wall and going straight up to the attic.

I'll give you one thing, that with a lot of the stuff I've messed with the older finish materials on average were better. But by now all that's left were the more quality goods since the trash came apart ages ago.

I'm a former project manager in new home construction and I've renovated a 1974 Sitterle and a 1910 craftsman 3000 sf monster. Now I'm a TREC inspector specializing in new home phase inspections. I just don't see many homes being built today that will stand the test of time, at least not at the lower price points. Sure they have some great structural an energy improvements but they are missing something.

They'll get a few face lifts but I don't see much product that will be in high demand for gutting and moving walls etc. of course there are always exceptions. Imagine what some of these production hoods are going to look like in 30 years. They just don't have the charm to me.

Give me a MCM home on a half acre and I'll make it have all the improvements of today but still keep the old world charm. I love doing that.

I was being kind of facetious about the insulation thing. My house is old, but solid. Floor to ceiling old-growth pine shiplap throughout.

Ryan the Temp said:

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I was being kind of facetious about the insulation thing. My house is old, but solid. Floor to ceiling old-growth pine shiplap throughout.

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Yeah, my 1893 dump is solid as hell. Getting a nail in that old wood is always "interesting."

Jason_InfinityRoofer said:

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When I sold my grandmothers MCM house in Bellaire, hand built by my grandfather….a doctor purchased it, bulldozed the house to the ground and built a house that swallowed up what was a huge lot. Thanks for the money, I guess.

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This one was in Meyerland, or at least on the outskirts of Meyerland. Not sure of the boundaries.

Beautiful neighborhood; I hadn't been over there in years.

The Fife said:

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EclipseAg said:

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I'm lucky to have been able to find a decent 1959 ranch in a great area to slowly fix up.

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Do you have other houses around you that are original like yours? Or did they get demolished?

EclipseAg said:

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Jason_InfinityRoofer said:

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When I sold my grandmothers MCM house in Bellaire, hand built by my grandfather….a doctor purchased it, bulldozed the house to the ground and built a house that swallowed up what was a huge lot. Thanks for the money, I guess.

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This one was in Meyerland, or at least on the outskirts of Meyerland. Not sure of the boundaries.

Beautiful neighborhood; I hadn't been over there in years.

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sounds like that MCM on Rutherglenn. I drive by that house nearly every day. Some really cool homes on that street.

I saw the listings of items at that estate sale and wondered how they managed to collect and store so much **** in one house!

Diggity said:

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EclipseAg said:

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Jason_InfinityRoofer said:

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When I sold my grandmothers MCM house in Bellaire, hand built by my grandfather….a doctor purchased it, bulldozed the house to the ground and built a house that swallowed up what was a huge lot. Thanks for the money, I guess.

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This one was in Meyerland, or at least on the outskirts of Meyerland. Not sure of the boundaries.

Beautiful neighborhood; I hadn't been over there in years.

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sounds like that MCM on Rutherglenn. I drive by that house nearly every day. Some really cool homes on that street.

I saw the listings of items at that estate sale and wondered how they managed to collect and store so much **** in one house!

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Couldn't remember the name of the street, so I went back and looked.

The house is on Braesvalley, just off Chimney Rock. It's very plain from the outside, but so interesting inside. Not sure if that is Meyerland or another neighborhood.

It had some kind of City of Houston historical designation near the door, but I didn't take a picture of it and I don't remember what it said. Anyone know if the city has an official designation and if it offers any kind of tear-down protection?

1) There are no such things as the good old days in construction.
2) Your authentic mid century modern home has most likely the following problems:
-bad insulation
-cracked foundation
-leaking roof
-tiny appliances
-terrible air conditioning/heating
-lead paint/asbestos insulation
-a terrible 'update' from the 70s, 90s, or 2010s.

Now is it on a lot with a bunch of trees, privacy, and close into the city? Sure do whatever you can to keep the charm. If its not, then just bulldoze it, build exactly what you want and put those $14,000 chairs everyone buys knock offs of in your study.

I've got some friends who have tried to keep up a house like that in town. After a few months the novelty wore off and they couldn't give two ****s about the retro feel. They just wanted appliances that worked and a building envelope that actually kept the heat, humidity, and rain out.

yeah, that's just north of the one I was thinking of. Still Meyerland.

Most of those homes flooded, so that adds a complicating factor

Quote:

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sounds like that MCM on Rutherglenn. I drive by that house nearly every day. Some really cool homes on that street.

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Mr Dubi grew up on Rutherglenn. What is the address?

/edit is see you updated further down to Braesvalley.

Glenbrook Valley is the only MCM historic district in Texas.

EclipseAg said:

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The Fife said:

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EclipseAg said:

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I'm lucky to have been able to find a decent 1959 ranch in a great area to slowly fix up.

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Do you have other houses around you that are original like yours? Or did they get demolished?

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Mine wasn't original - stuff like the bathrooms it came with were removed in the late '70s. Given that for the longest time they built houses in a way that made crawlspace moisture worse rather than better there really aren't very many that were able to survive due to wood rot.

The location is unique (can see downtown from the front yard, double sized lot), and I wanted something needing work because I was just going to redo everything anyway. I have managed to recreate a couple of vintage bathrooms (architectural salvage) and salvage the original thin strip flooring in the dining room to make that look like it could've come with the place though. The addition that's going on right now is also designed to look like it was built at the same time as the rest of the place and is turning more into a ranch with a lot of MCM elements like you'd see in CA and TX.

Going true MCM would require a bulldozer and an enormous expense. I'd love to try but it's just not in the budget.

House is on the market now. $635,000.

https://www.har.com/homedetail/5231-braesvalley-dr-houston-tx-77096/12058310

Very cool house. Love the exterior design.

I would just be hesitant to spend that kind of money on a home that has flooded twice.

The Instagram site ModTexas says it was designed by Brooks & Brooks in 1965. The HAR listing says the architect built it for his family in 1965 and sold it to the current owner in 1996. Interesting to get a little historical glimpse into the house.

Dream house hack for me. What a beautiful home!

Could you not just raise it a few feet? Practically the whole Nassau bay neighborhood has been raised.

Also, that house looks like a pain in the ass to live in.