Austin Oddities (Houston, Dallas, McKinney: hardwood floor, real estate, apartment)
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I've been researching the Austin are for a few months now and there are some things I've noticed that seem a bit odd. Maybe you locals can offer some explanation
1) Why no basements? I know that the water table is high and there can be problems with flash floods but there are new building techniques to keep a basement dry. With all the new spendy houses being built it seems odd that there are not more basements.
2) What is the deal with tile floors? I've seen tile in bathrooms and kitchens which is normal enough. I've even seen tile in foyers and the occasional dining room. Tile in the living room? Tile in the bedrooms?? Texas seems to be obsessed with tile floors. Do you have something against carpets or hardwood? Is it cultural? Is there some practical reason?
3) Carpool lanes? Do those toll roads have them? Is there any discount on the toll roads for using the carpool lanes? Can motorcyles use the carpool lanes?
4) Why aren't there more swimming pools? I've seen tons of pools in the Dallas and Houston markets but hardly any in Austin.
5) Why is SE Austin so cheap? I've had my eye on the area between McKinney Falls park and I-35. The houses seem to be nice enough. There is a state park and a couple golf courses nearby. It's a very short distance from where I'll be working. The prices in the area are substantially cheaper than other areas. I can't see any reason why the prices should be so much lower. Is it too close to the airport? Is there a flooding problem? Is it some sort of "wrong side of the tracks" bias?
I've been researching the Austin are for a few months now and there are some things I've noticed that seem a bit odd. Maybe you locals can offer some explanation
1) Why no basements? I know that the water table is high and there can be problems with flash floods but there are new building techniques to keep a basement dry. With all the new spendy houses being built it seems odd that there are not more basements.
From wikipedia <<Structurally, for houses, the basement walls typically form the foundation. In warmer climates, houses sometimes do not have basements because they are not necessary (although many still prefer them.) In colder climates, the foundation must be below the frostline. Unless constructed in very cold climates, the frost line is not so deep as to justify an entire level below the ground, although it is usually deep enough that a basement is the assumed standard. In places with odd stratified soil substrata or high water tables, such as most of Texas, Louisiana, and Florida, basements are usually not financially feasible unless the building is a large apartment or commercial structure.>>
In the hill country the land is solid limestone so a basement would be extremely expensive
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2) What is the deal with tile floors? I've seen tile in bathrooms and kitchens which is normal enough. I've even seen tile in foyers and the occasional dining room. Tile in the living room? Tile in the bedrooms?? Texas seems to be obsessed with tile floors. Do you have something against carpets or hardwood? Is it cultural? Is there some practical reason?
It is very mediterreanean - tile is cool in the hot summer. The humidty in the summer and dryness in the winter can wreak havoc on wood floors. Obviously this isnt a problem anymore as we have AC. Most new higher end houses are being built with wood/tile.
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3) Carpool lanes? Do those toll roads have them? Is there any discount on the toll roads for using the carpool lanes? Can motorcyles use the carpool lanes?
No carpool lanes. Despite what people say, austin traffic isnt that bad yet, carpool lanes havent been necessary.
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4) Why aren't there more swimming pools? I've seen tons of pools in the Dallas and Houston markets but hardly any in Austin.
dont know
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5) Why is SE Austin so cheap? I've had my eye on the area between McKinney Falls park and I-35. The houses seem to be nice enough. There is a state park and a couple golf courses nearby. It's a very short distance from where I'll be working. The prices in the area are substantially cheaper than other areas. I can't see any reason why the prices should be so much lower. Is it too close to the airport? Is there a flooding problem? Is it some sort of "wrong side of the tracks" bias?
SE and east are going to grow the fastest. Real estate is about momentum and the north and west side of town has had all the momentum for the last 10+ years. Now that things are quite built up north and west, it is the south and east's turn.
North and west= yuppie
South = more traditional austin
east = hispanic --> trendy downtown/gentrification
1) Why no basements?
4) Why aren't there more swimming pools?
I'm still new here myself, but I'll take a guess that the answer to these two questions is the solid rock that's just below the surface. It's not in all parts of the Austin area, I understand. But where the rock occurs, I imagine it's impractical and/or too expensive to dig out large areas.
An oddity that I've often wondered about myself: Why so many houses with such steeply pitched roofs? Is it a stylistic thing? Or does it serve some function?
The SE is going to rise quickly. There is a Canadian developer that is coming in and starting a 13,000 home site project in 2 years.
Some of the new spec homes have Walk out basements, but not many have true full underground jobs.
As far as the swimming pools go, it seems like Austinites prefer to swim in Barton Springs, Lake Travis, or the Barton Creek Greenbelt. There are quite a few public lap pools around as well.
I have found there to be a mix SE of 35. There are MANY brand new developments in excellent neighborhoods. Some have community pools, some do not. There are some older neighborhoods that seem a bit more trashy but from what I observed (and talking to our realtor) it would probably be incorrect to say that SE of the 35 is "bad" anymore. I think it was more that way in the "old" days...from what I've been told anyway.
Anything Immediately East of I35 downtown used to be the wrong side of the tracks. That is changing. Not everything East of 35 is the wrong side. That sounds like your saying Bastrop, Elgin, manor, RR, pflugerville, Georgetown, Hutto, Taylor, Thrall, Granger, La Grange, Smithville, Houston, etc..are bad, and I'm sure that's not what you're saying.
Tornados are quite rare, despite the buzz about them. If there is a tornado, people are told to go to an interior room with no windows...this is usually a bathroom or closet.
It is my understanding that pools are generally rare due to the rock in the western areas (can cost $50k for a decent sized pool) and shifting clay makes them expensive/crack prone to the east. They are there, so you CAN build them. Water, btw, is also more expensive here than Houston, not sure about Dallas.
For basements, again, it is the rock to the west. To the east, it is just cheaper and easier to build a second floor than to try and build a watertight basement.
Also, in the U.S., the hardwood floor era was traditionally before the 1950s. Since much of Austin's growth has been post 1960s, a lot of the construction used tile/carpet.
"The close of World War Two brought a housing boom which ironically spelled doom for the wood floor trade. New housing built for the vets could have the broadloom cost included in the loan. So although for a while hardwood was still laid, sanded and finished it was promptly covered up with wall to wall carpet before the new owners moved in. And soon with the use of plywood as a subfloor they just forgot about the hardwood altogether. So for about 30 years (1950-1980) the wood flooring industry struggled just for survival, most companies had to install carpet to stay in busines at all."
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