[edphilly]

Warranty.
All new homeowners need to check their glass windows, slider windows, and door windows for scratches. Check them at different times of the day at various angles. We did not see scratches in our lanai slider until a few months after we moved in. Rather than call immediately about our find we decided to wait until a full inspection (10-11 months after settlement) was completed and submitted. To our surprise the builder's, James Cichielo, representative stated the glass scratch should have been recognized during the walk through. In addition to the scratch we found, which we had to point out to the inspector, the inspector discovered a few other smaller-lighter scratches. The inspector believes, and we tend to agree, the scratches were caused by the cleaners (builder's clean up prior to settlement) who most likely used a razor blade to remove tape and paper that was affixed to the glass slider. After some insistence, we were able to have the glass slider representative inspect the glass and he determined the scratches were on the outer-side of the glass and it could have been caused by a razor blade. Now we have to replace the glass at the expense of a few hundred dollars. Needless to say, we are unhappy with the builder who contract the cleaners.

[tainsley]

When we went through our walkthru end of July, we showed the builder all the scratches on the frames of our windows. Before we left they were fixed. The builder actually noticed that the glass in the sliders were all scratched up and told us they would replace the doors. I will make sure all the windows are scratch free when I come back next month.

[CarGuys]

Originally Posted by tainsley

When we went through our walkthru end of July, we showed the builder all the scratches on the frames of our windows. Before we left they were fixed. The builder actually noticed that the glass in the sliders were all scratched up and told us they would replace the doors. I will make sure all the windows are scratch free when I come back next month.

I will make sure I look close when we close next year. Thanks! Seems it's slam bam thank you take your money and run now a days.

[graciegirl]

We are building now and have built several times in our lives.

The process of building here is so far superior to any we have encountered that there is no comparison.

Each night the home is swept clean. debris removed and the site left uncluttered.

When the stucco was applied, the windows were covered with heavy plastic. They have done each step so many times that ultimate protection for the work of other teams is in place. When the window people work on the small windows up high they put down cloths on the roof so as not to hurt the shingles for example. Sometimes two or three teams doing different projects are on site at one time. It looks like a herd of bees.

It took one half day to paint the exterior of our home because the painting crew, like the plumbing crew and the electrical crew and the roofing crew and the planting crew consisted of a group, sometimes a LARGE group of people who work together flawlessly and like a team and work far past quitting time. The next days work is anticipated with needed supplies delivered the day before. There has been work done on our home almost every day of every week.

Remember this. BE SURE you have made the decisions that you can live with because any change...ANY change, even changing the paint color far in advance will cost you $250. AND if your home is done before the closing date they gave you, which it most likely will be, moving it up will cost you the same $250.

Since this is our second home, when we found warrenty issues with the first home, which were small and few; trouble with the garage door sticking, some regrouting, they were handled within 24 hours.

We are pretty impressed.

[Uptown Girl]

Originally Posted by hforward

I will make sure I look close when we close next year. Thanks! Seems it's slam bam thank you take your money and run now a days.

hforward,
Judging from our own experience and all we have diligently observed as building goes on around us, you just got the best, the very honest and overall true assessment from Graciegirl.
She covered it.

Rest assured that your home will be one you will be very satisfied with for as long as you choose to inhabit it. And judging by posters who have purchased "pre-loved" homes here in TV, they are most satisfied as well.

I have been known to be a perfectionist in my day.... and have also been guilty of micromanaging out of worry that someone who doesn't have my standards of quality will somehow ruin my "gig". That is often the case in the outside world.

No need here. Relax and enjoy the journey.

[English Ivy]

Yes, they build a pretty good home here and have it down to a science. However, that does not mean it's perfect. Don't be so drunk on your favorite Villages beverage that you don't carefully inspect your new construction home immediately upon closing and move-in.

We also had to have all three panes of our triple slider replaced because of numerous scratches. One pane continued to be replaced two more times because the new ones had defects. Think fingerprints in-between the two panes which cannot be cleaned.

My husband was going to install additional shelving in our master closet. When he put the level on the closet wall, the level rocked back and forth. Some of the studs in that area were warped and had to be replaced through the outside by tearing off the siding and vapor barrier.

We had a lot of other small issues dealing with nicks & chips & dings & poor workmanship. They were all addressed and corrected. I'm just saying to carefully look at everything and make sure you're getting the best product for the money you're paying.

[CarGuys]

I have been known to be a perfectionist in my day.... and have also been guilty of micromanaging out of worry that someone who doesn't have my standards of quality will somehow ruin my "gig". That is often the case in the outside world.

No need here. Relax and enjoy the journey.[/QUOTE]

I'll try- Will take awhile, 40 years of Eveyone's Automotive Problems makes you like Ronald Regan, ) What was that - Trust but Verify Russian thing!

I am a perfectionist. In the Automotive field Most CarGuys are.

There is no excuse for 75% of the lug nuts left on, or hey 90% of them spark plugs working is ok right,. Heck 65 % of your brakes is passing don't worry about it?

I look at a house going up. My wife sees us sitting in the living room or lani in the future, What do I see - Anything not plumb or square warped not in line, cracked cement twisted boards cheap primer not real paint no insulation in the garage or garage ceilings and a take it or leave it shoping list on selections. As Graci stated get you wallet out if you want a change!

If you were treated this way in a car dealership you would walk. Villagers if they want to live here can't walk. It's TV way or the highway.

How many of you got to sit down with your builder not a sales person the official builder. Please correct me if this is possible.

This makes it hard to relax. Sorry no put down just my feelings at this point of my life. Why I'm moving here to loose those feelings, and to slow down some.

Please excuse what must sound like a rant. Right now tonight I am not enjoying the journey. Maybe tomorrow I might.

Like many We just gave way our home, The estate house sale was a disaster we are having to pay to haul it away or give it away, Mover just broke my 100 year old curved Grand Mothers glass antique Curio. They mis judged the truck size so we had to move for a week straight the remainder of our " Stuff" in my pickup to the rental home,

And I'm still up getting happy posting with all you nice people.



OCD- Herv

[Uptown Girl]

herv,
I get what you're saying, truly I do. I must sound like a Pollyanna tripping through the daisies to you about now.
I know that when someone hits your toe with a hammer, (so to speak) it's hard to focus on anything else but your toe. Been there repeatedly.

I don't believe ANY home comes out perfect. I have had experience with building a number of homes, some very customized. I'm not a novice.
I was a little surprised (at first) at the way they do their building process here, but then (as a former business owner) I thought about it.

If this development business were mine, if TV was mine, this is exactly how I would run it. It's a brilliant plan and keeps things humming along. Can you imagine, that on this scale, how things would get backed up if everyone purchasing a home got to have their thumb in every detail that existed?

You know, as a carguy, that the worst thing to experience is someone looking over your shoulder while you are under the hood fixing their car, and asking questions and touching your tools and second guessing your diagnosis.

As a carguy, you're the expert. The proper thing for them to do is, get out of your way and let you do your job. Can you miss something or screw up on occasion? Sure, but would you do it deliberately? Not if you value your reputation.
And if something you attended to (or your help attended to) turned out to be less than your standard, wouldn't you do your best to make it right (within reason?)
There seems to be no complaint about TV making it right. THAT is what I'm talking about. They come, they listen, they don't complain, and they address it ASAP.
These people aren't knowingly using sub-standard materials or slapping things together any which way. Any worker, or sub contractor can be replaced in a heartbeat if they are not up to par. There are people lined up at the door to work here.

I did not know (before I moved in) that my builder had decided the carpeting installed in our villa neighborhood was not up to standard (for whatever reason.) He had it all removed and replaced BEFORE any of us moved in. They didn't try to palm it off and wait to see if anyone complained. Is it the best carpeting in the world? No, but it is a decent, name brand carpet and so far I have no complaints.
I still maintain, that overall, these homes are a VERY good value, and they want you to be pleased. If I didn't believe that to be true, I wouldn't be here.
The lifestyle is wonderful, but means nothing if I can't lay my head down at night and be happy with my home.
You will be satisfied too. Even if you aren't convinced at the moment.
Debbie

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by hforward

I have been known to be a perfectionist in my day.... and have also been guilty of micromanaging out of worry that someone who doesn't have my standards of quality will somehow ruin my "gig". That is often the case in the outside world.

No need here. Relax and enjoy the journey.

I'll try- Will take awhile, 40 years of Eveyone's Automotive Problems makes you like Ronald Regan, ) What was that - Trust but Verify Russian thing!

I am a perfectionist. In the Automotive field Most CarGuys are.

There is no excuse for 75% of the lug nuts left on, or hey 90% of them spark plugs working is ok right,. Heck 65 % of your brakes is passing don't worry about it?

I look at a house going up. My wife sees us sitting in the living room or lani in the future, What do I see - Anything not plumb or square warped not in line, cracked cement twisted boards cheap primer not real paint no insulation in the garage or garage ceilings and a take it or leave it shoping list on selections. As Graci stated get you wallet out if you want a change!

If you were treated this way in a car dealership you would walk. Villagers if they want to live here can't walk. It's TV way or the highway.

How many of you got to sit down with your builder not a sales person the official builder. Please correct me if this is possible.

This makes it hard to relax. Sorry no put down just my feelings at this point of my life. Why I'm moving here to loose those feelings, and to slow down some.

Please excuse what must sound like a rant. Right now tonight I am not enjoying the journey. Maybe tomorrow I might.

Like many We just gave way our home, The estate house sale was a disaster we are having to pay to haul it away or give it away, Mover just broke my 100 year old curved Grand Mothers glass antique Curio. They mis judged the truck size so we had to move for a week straight the remainder of our " Stuff" in my pickup to the rental home,

And I'm still up getting happy posting with all you nice people.



OCD- Herv[/QUOTE]

We took a loss on our home too Herv, That is the way things are nowadays..ACTUALLY, we didn't lose money, but we didn't make much compared to what it would have sold for six-seven years ago. We had to give away a lot of things we thought were valuable treasures and heirlooms, but the kids didn't want them and it appeared no one else wanted to buy. We are moving into a smaller home than the one we lived in and we are older and the "tote and carry" mechanism on both our bodies isn't working quite as well as it used to. It is difficult, tiring and emotionally exhausting to go through the process of moving across country at any age.

I agree with you and English Ivy. Every house we have ever built and the last couple were a little more expensive than the first three. Every house has had imperfect wall surfaces and some out of plumb issues...every house. I don't think it is possible to build anything, anywhere without some slight imperfections in levels and corners.

My husband and I have so enjoyed watching this process that we are at the site every day, sometimes twice, sometimes three times.

We had custom homes built the last two times we built and on this one that frankly cost more than those, we did NOT sit down with the builder and didn't even do the choices thing with the designer. We didn't have much time as both homes sold within three weeks..(Our home in Hadley and our home in Cincinnati) we zipped down here to close on this home, found a lot and said, just do it exactly like this model home.

We lived in our home in Hadley (that we bought as new construction but didn't have built) for three years and found it to be decently constructed and well worth the price...Not as big as those you could get for the same price in other areas of Florida perhaps, (but in THOSE areas homes are increasingly losing their value) We didn't take a loss on our home in Hadley by the way.

I have been so pleased with what we have seen so far in the building process. We did catch one oopsie, of not huge dimensions, but if it hadn't have been caught it was not really a flaw, just a slightly different interpretation.

I am known to be pretty much of a type A personality in lots of things and I am a clean freak, so you could say I am a bit of a perfectionist, but after watching the building process on the other homes, this process is hands down the best. (Even if we couldn't have that grand staircase...lol)

Oh...and the paint chip colors are Sherwin Williams...builder grade.

I didn't want paint, that shiny stuff that you can scrub. Flat is in..and of course I am like your wife, how it will look is pretty important to me.

But back to understanding what you are going through RIGHT NOW. It was one of the most demanding times of our life, not the hardest or the worst and not heart breaking, just difficult to get rid of the things, the tools, the stuff that you have needed and used all of your life to just throw them away and to pack boxes and to move stuff around. Oh our aching backs and our aching hearts!

We got through all that and have been renting here for about six weeks and it is funny how much better we are feeling being here and seeing that the dream we had hoped for is shaping up.

Please P.M. us and call us when you arrive and we will have something cold to drink and something good to eat and give you both a couple of welcoming hugs and a long chat about our recent "adventures".

I believe it is gonna be fine. It will be fun to RELAX.

[aljetmet]

Originally Posted by tainsley

When we went through our walkthru end of July, we showed the builder all the scratches on the frames of our windows. Before we left they were fixed. The builder actually noticed that the glass in the sliders were all scratched up and told us they would replace the doors. I will make sure all the windows are scratch free when I come back next month.

I have read advice in TOTV to have a professional come in just before the year warranty is up to inspect your new home for defects. This is IMHO sound advice. However, cosmetic issues that can be caused say the day after you buy the home such as scratches on windows should be reported immediately. That's the reason there is a walk through in the first place.

You're not going to find that studs in the walls are warped but you should be able to see dents in your cabinets, scratches , cracks etc. Doesn't matter how good the builder is, accidents do happen....

[CarGuys]

[QUOTE=Uptown Girl;388064]herv,
I get what you're saying, truly I do. I must sound like a Pollyanna tripping through the daisies to you about now.
I know that when someone hits your toe with a hammer, (so to speak) it's hard to focus on anything else but your toe. Been there repeatedly.

Thanks for the reality check, Appreciate the feedback. Nice to know they do come back and fix it.

Can't go wrong with that now can you! Tripping through the daisies, Haaa LOL love it!

Am I the only one going half insane after the moving process. I'm sitting in the corner rocking back and forth singing cume by ya!

I won't even go into the Time Warner installation /nightmare that happened today at our Rental Home, Eeeeeee Gadds. Deep [ breath!

Thanks Herv