A 1978 two-story in Quail Glen is the kind of house Greater Houston buyers can do a lot with: solid structure, generous rooms, and a price that leaves room in the budget for a remodel. The three changes we would price first are a warmer kitchen, a walk-in shower in the hall bath, and a calmer fireplace wall.
As one of the best architecture firms in Greater Houston, a 5-star-rated custom home design studio led by a Texas-licensed architect, we look at listings like this one before our clients make an offer. Here is what that first look turns up at 8622 Quail Burg Ln in Missouri City, a current listing we have not toured. Nothing here is a criticism of the home or its seller. It is a thought exercise in what a buyer could do with it.
Listing agent: Curtis Swaringam, JPAR Houston · See the full listing and photos
Via Redfin (HAR MLS #13272476), as shown Nov 1, 2026. Price and availability change; confirm on the listing.
Key Takeaways
- At roughly $100 per square foot, a house like this leaves real room in the budget for a remodel, if the plan is made before the offer.
- The kitchen layout is already good. Finishes are what make it look dated, so the work can stay close to the existing plumbing.
- A walk-in shower in place of a tub and curtain is the highest-impact change in a 1970s hall bath.
- Before anything else, check the foundation, the flood history and the permit path. Houston-area clay soil moves, and that decides the budget.
1. The kitchen: lighter, warmer, and easier to cook in
The kitchen already has a good layout. It opens to the living area, has a window over the sink, and has a breakfast bar for seating. What it lacks is warmth. Painted white cabinets, dark countertops and a recessed tray ceiling were a good formula in the 2000s, and they read as dated now.
OriginalRedesignRedesign Features
- Cabinets. Flat-panel doors in natural white oak and deep sage green, in place of painted white.
- Counters. Light quartz with a simple, full-height backsplash, which makes the room feel taller. Our guide to kitchen countertops explains how to choose between quartz, quartzite, marble and porcelain.
- Details. Matte black faucet and hardware, a slim black range hood, and round woven pendants over the bar.
- Left alone. The layout, the window and the sliding glass door to the backyard stay where they are. In our experience designing kitchens across Greater Houston, keeping plumbing in place is the easiest way to keep a remodel on budget.
2. The hall bath: a walk-in shower in place of the tub and curtain
The primary bath in this listing is described as updated. The hall bath is the one that still looks original: a tub with a shower curtain, small white tile, and a vanity that is easy to overlook. It is the room most guests and children use, so it is worth getting right.
OriginalRedesignRedesign Features
- Shower. A curbless walk-in shower behind clear glass with a thin black frame, a niche and a rain head, in place of the tub.
- Surfaces. Warm beige handmade-look tile on the walls and stone-look tile on the floor.
- Vanity. A floating white oak vanity, a round mirror and a wall sconce. Seeing the floor under the cabinet makes a small room look bigger.
A walk-in shower for a tub is one of the most common requests we get from Houston homeowners. It makes the room look larger, it is easier to clean, and it suits every age. Because a shower is where moisture control matters most, it is also where our building-science training pays off: waterproofing, slope to the drain and ventilation are decided before the tile is chosen. If the home will have children in it, keep a tub in one other bathroom.
3. The living room: give the fireplace a proper wall
The living room is big, bright and open to the kitchen, which is exactly what buyers want. The fireplace is the weak point: a mosaic tile surround and a heavy wood mantel that pull the eye off to one side.
OriginalRedesignRedesign Features
- Fireplace. A floor-to-ceiling smooth plaster wall with a simple black steel opening, in place of the mosaic tile and mantel.
- Built-ins. Oak cabinets and open shelves beside it, plus a low oak bench along the hearth.
- Floors and light. Wide-plank white oak and a slim black ceiling fan, kept low so the room still feels open.
Before any fireplace is rebuilt, someone has to confirm what the existing one is. A gas or wood fireplace has clearance rules around the firebox, and a change like this can need a permit. As licensed architects, this is the kind of detail we check in the first week, not the last.
Before you buy a Houston-area home to remodel
- Get the structure checked first. In this part of Texas, clay soil moves. A foundation inspection or an engineer's letter before you make an offer tells you what the house needs under the finishes. We explain how drainage and grading work on local clay lots in our grading and drainage guide.
- Check the flood status. Look up the property's flood history and floodplain map before you set a budget. It affects insurance and what you can build. Our article on finished floor elevation covers why this matters.
- Ask about permits. Structural changes, moving plumbing and any new openings need permits. In Missouri City that means the city, and in Houston it means the City of Houston. Starting without one can stop a project, or a later sale.
- Look at the wiring and plumbing. A 1978 house may still have its original systems. They are not visible in photos, and replacing them is a real cost.
- Set the budget before you make an offer. A remodel plan that fits the price of the house is better than one you find out about after closing.
Why homeowners send us listings before they buy
Most remodel regrets start before closing, with a plan that nobody checked. We are one of the best-reviewed architecture firms in Greater Houston, and one of the very few with a perfect 5.0 average on Google across so many client reviews. We are also licensed by the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners (License #31455). Our founder, Abdullah Gerasimov, is a licensed architect with a Master of Architecture, and the studio holds fourteen industry credentials, including LEED AP, WELL AP and Certified Professional Building Designer.
Structural and MEP engineering is coordinated through our trusted consulting engineers, so when a wall needs to move or a fireplace needs to change, you deal with one team and one set of documents. If you are looking at a house in Missouri City, Houston, Sugar Land, Richmond or anywhere else in Greater Houston, tell us about it and we will tell you what the structure, the permits and the budget are likely to mean. You can also see our recent work.
Listing credit: Listing details courtesy of Curtis Swaringam, JPAR Houston, via Redfin (HAR MLS #13272476). Modern Acre Studio is not affiliated with the listing agent, the brokerage or the seller, and has not toured the home.
About the images: The "Original" side of each slider is a photo from the listing, courtesy of Curtis Swaringam, JPAR Houston. The "Redesign" side is a concept made from that photo by Modern Acre Studio to show remodel ideas. It is not a photograph of the home, and it is not a design, a proposal or an estimate.