Quote:
Originally Posted by biker1
There are actually two issues. Regarding the pitch of the roads, the location of catch basins, and the location and number of retention ponds, the developer appears to have consistently done a competent job. I say this because I see virtually no flooding of the roads, at least where I am, during very heavy rains. The second issue is the grading of the lots and the determination of where french drains need to be installed and the competency of the installation. In this regard, there are numerous examples of a mediocre job. I have seen dozens of instances where french drains were retroactively installed in my Village and at least one example where a french drain was initially installed but had to be redone because of poor installation. You might be temped to say "well they came back and installed them where they were needed". The issue is that you can now see exactly where they were retroactively installed because of poor regrading and sod installation. In addition, warranty has, in some cases, only agreed to address the issues after much back and forth with the homeowners.
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You hit the nail on the head! I agree 100% with your assessment of the situation in many areas south of 466A. I lived just north of 466A for 3+ years, and although the area was very flat (St. James), the drainage couldn't have been better. The lots were well prepared, and there was no real amount of standing water on lots just hours after the tropical storm came through in June of 2012. The lot that I live on here is a disgrace. I have an absolute river on both sides of my house when we have a heavy rain, and the yard has standing water for days after a rain.
Every neighbor on our block except for one is having water problems, and Villages Warranty is doing a great job of avoiding the obvious - poor design and grading. All but one on my block has attempted to get Villages Warranty to do something, and nothing of any significance has been done.
The houses across the street had the same problems, but a woman in one of the houses would come out and warn prospective buyers about the drainage problems (in the presence of their realtors). After a few weeks of this, the Villages decided to run a French drain behind the houses. Of course, this only works if there are still a number of homes left for sale in the neighborhood
While I love my neighbors, and my home (excepting the yard), I certainly would never buy south of 466A again, knowing what I know now. I certainly would advise prospective buyers to carefully examine lots after a rain, and if there appears to be a drainage problem, look elsewhere!! You will be fighting an uphill battle trying to get The Villages to fix it.