March 6, 2007
Mueller Releases Home Designs
Catellus Development Group has disclosed the identities of the six home-builders that will be included in the Mueller redevelopment project: David Weekley Homes, Meritage Homes, Standard Pacific Homes, The Muskin Co., Saldaña Homes and Streetman Homes. Of these, Streetman, Saldana, and Muskin are from Austin. David Weekly is based in Houston, Meritage is based in Arizona, and Standard Pacific is based in California. They primarily build single family houses on the periphery of Austin near newly constructed highways and water treatment plants, but Muskin has done some central work. Hard to tell what Saldaña has been doing - they appear to have built their website based on the Mueller project. That said, Saldaña is the most centrally located of any of the builders ('02 TID!).
The house designs are less than thrilling. Some are way too Sprawlathon 2005. The nicest take their cues from the traditional Austin bungalow. The worst look like they belong in Dallas or Round Rock. The pic above is from Standard Pacific: limestone-encrusted with multiple peaked roofs, no porch and windows that don't quite seem to fit. Did your kid draw that for you? HIRE AN ARCHITECT! The image to the left is from Saldaña - wood sides, nice windows and a big, covered porch. Most of the rest fit somewhere between these two. How come no local modern builders were included? Worse, what happened to the "live-work shop houses"? They were the most exciting part of the original plan, but appear to have fallen by the wayside in favor of Weekley's row houses.
One thing that separates Muller from other new suburbs is that garage doors are not the primary feature of the front of the house (they face alleys in the back). Instead, the street is faced with windows, doors, and maybe someone sitting on the porch. That alone should make Mueller a superior neighborhood in which to walk. Plus, there will be destinations (parks, an elementary school, lots of retail, public transportation, maybe a job) that don't require a life risking scramble across a large street. Double plus, if other people are out walking, that creates an additional incentive to go out for a stroll instead of watching 24 (we're betting Jack will find a way to escape from the Russian consulate). Yes, the house designs could be better, but this is still one of the most exciting developments in Austin. There is also a substantial "affordable homes" component. Click here for more information.
UPDATE: Click here to participate in a survey to help plan Mueller homes.
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What they don't show you is the house next door which is 4 feet away from yours. Damn suburbs!
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Yeah, I saw them yesterday in between bouts of trying to make babies so I can get me one of them pretty li'l low-income houses.
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Unfortunately, i think my hand is infertile. :(
Question:
Do y'all know if they're making houses for single low-income people with fertility disabilities? Cause I'll quit my shit-wages job if it means I get a house.
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Or stupid peeps too. Cause I meant to say "keep". I'll keep my shit-wages job if I can get me one of them houses.
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I see something wrong with these renderings... TREES!! There aren't going to be many of those on this site, at least not for another 30 years. Sure you might have some twigs with leaves on them but you will be hard pressed to find some shade on the entire site.
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I agree about the design plans. The blueprints are "hand sketched" in a loopy font, with terrible resolution and a pathetic amount of information.
But, most annoyingly, the company did not post prices during the unveiling. How are we to know what house to bid on if we don't know even the most general of price range?
Mueller / Catellus needs to step it up and treat its potential buyers with respect. We are highly-educated, Jane Jacobs-reading, highly-cynical lifetime urbanites. This isn't the Colombian Exposition with plaster facades. This is a home and way of life.
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We did our app yesterday. I can't believe the lack of prices. At least the David Weekly homes have relative prices on their website. And it looks like almost everything else is going to be 300k+ so maybe they just figure people who can afford 300k+ don't care about the price? Or demand will be so high that people will just sign up and pay whatever? Who knows. I'd still like to live there.
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HUH? I have no idea what you said. What's a Columbine Explosion?
I just want a damn house and these are supposed to be affordable. That's like - $50,000. So where can I get my damn $50,000 house and how many babies do I need to make first before I can get it?
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I dunno if they were updated after you looked at them or if you went stress-blind, but they do have price ranges on the site for all the homes. They just aren't flashing or yellow or got lights around it. It's almost like they want you to read what they have to say or somethin'.
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They updated since the 5th.
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Yah, that's right, cause I looked at them yesterday and I noticed they were $120,000 for the affordable (my ass) housing and that's when I hatched my plan to get ol'pappy a home at the airport.
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I still don't see the prices. Where are they? I see floorplans, elevations, features, no price range. What page is that information on? Email links to urban.austinist [at] gmail.com. MT won't let you post links uless you have TypeKey.
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Before any potential Mueller homebuyers get too excited, consider the 134 page “Mueller Master Community Covenant” that will govern all homeowners there. This is part of their Homeowner's Association (or HOA), which is the bane of every suburb. (And now, apparently, the city.)
This draconian document--which, for example, prohibits you from making any exterior improvement without approval from an architectural committee--can be found by searching the Official Public Records (OPR) under Instrument # 2004238007 at the Travis County Clerk’s website at this URL: tccweb.co.travis.tx.us
If you're serious about buying here, take a look at this document. Since this will likely be your largest single investment ever, it is worth the time. Don't get trapped in an HOA unwittingly; at least know what you're getting into before you take on your mortgage.
Take it from someone who wishes she knew better before buying her house.
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Tiffany - thanks for keeping Austin WEIRD!
Other lady, you gotta click the Residential tab at the top of the page, then click Residential Homes, then scroll down for the prices. They're listed under all the builder descriptions like under David Weekly Homes it says:
Row Houses from the low $200,000's
Yard Houses from the low to mid $200,000's
Mueller Affordable Homes Program - Row Houses from $120,000's
Mueller Affordable Homes Program - Yard Houses from $140,000's
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Let's see if this idiot website still hates me. Will you let me post? Si, o no? Si, o no? Si, o no?
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Tiffany - thanks for keeping Austin WEIRD!
Other lady, you gotta click the Residential tab at the top of the page, then click Residential Homes, then scroll down for the prices. They're listed under all the builder descriptions like under David Weekly Homes it says:
Row Houses from the low $200,000's
Yard Houses from the low to mid $200,000's
Mueller Affordable Homes Program - Row Houses from $120,000's
Mueller Affordable Homes Program - Yard Houses from $140,000's
Here's the page, http://www.muelleraustin.com/builders.html
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ah shit. there they all are. should be more comin' soon. i feel like such a n00b but the damn screen was processing for maybe 5 minutes.
sorry peeps.
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I think all neighborhoods that offer FHA loans have to have an HOA. And all neighborhoods that don't offer FHA loans are going to have an HOA. So umm... I don't know where you would find a new neighborhood without an HOA.
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Tim--
HOAs are not a requirement of FHA loans. Not sure where you're getting that, but it's simply not true. And you're probably right that you can't find a new neighborhood without an HOA, but I'm saying 1) that shouldn't have to be the case, but 2) since that is the case, at least read the document before you sign on the dotted line. They are far more insidious and have way more power than most people who aren't lawyers realize.
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Most of the drawings look like they have a 'porch' in the sense that houses in Allandale/Crestview do - i.e. somewhere to stand while you fumble with your keys to get in the house. Nothing "like Hyde Park" for sure.
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Sorry I'm slow on the draw here:
wwput: There are trees which is pretty incredible considering it's an old airport. They've transplanted over 500 mature trees so far. True, they've probably decimated a forest in Bastrop to do it, but there are trees.
mdahmus: Yes - porches abound on yard and row homes, and cars are allegedly kept in the garages at the back of the homes. According to the rules from the HOA (though not in practice. yet)
Garreth
who drunk the koolaid and lives and works at Mueller