Saturday shelterporn

Ah, if only Houstonist had $819,000 lying around — we'd buy 819,000 Frosties. Uh, on second thought, we'd pick up this Woodland Heights beauty instead. It's more practical, and there's a lot less chance of brain freeze.

William A. Wilson, the developer of Woodland Heights, built the house in 1905 on Bayland Avenue, the neighborhood's principal street. It was restored in 2003 and still has all the charm of an early 20th century home: porches, high ceilings, cherry wood floors and Craftsman-style woodwork. Downstairs are a large foyer, a family room, a study that opens onto a second front porch, a bedroom/playroom (with a full bath) and a gourmet kitchen with custom cabinets, granite countertops, double Thermador ovens, a Sub-Zero refrigerator and a five-burner gas range ... all of which would be really nice if we knew how to cook. Upstairs are four bedrooms with plenty of windows and (unusually for a home of this age) walk-in closets; the master bedroom has a covered balcony with a skyline view and a modern bath that fits in with the home's architecture and style. In the backyard, there's enough room for a pool — or, if you prefer grass, there's landscaping and a sprinkler system.

Part of what makes this house special, as the listing points out, is that the windows retain their original "brick pattern" upper halves — too often, restoration jobs don't include the windows, and bad windows can ruin an entire house. So, to the folks who redid this place: Good work. To everyone else: Can you loan us a few hundred thousand dollars? Bedrooms: four or five. Bathrooms: three. Square feet: 3,200. Price: $819,000.