[l2ridehd]

Every Villages model home has some pros and some cons. Some of the cons can be resolved and others are more difficult. In our search we focused on some of the designer models and have seen some solutions to there issues, but would really like to hear what others have done to compensate or find creative ways to deal with these problems. IMHO these are some pluses and minuses.

Lantana/Juniper. Lots of great space, large laundry room, 3 real bedrooms with closets, and lanai is very open. BUT, very limited cabinets in kitchen, no entry closet, breakfast nook and dining room both open to living area, and bedrooms not split.

Gardenia/Camellia. Great open living area, breakfast nook separated, lanai open and slider from master, split floor plan, and good traffic flow. BUT tiny tiny bedrooms and very limited closet space, no entry closet, general lack of storage space and small laundry room.

Royal Palm/Cypress. Great kitchen and breakfast nook space with lots of storage, larger guest bedrooms all with closets, large closets in master, entry closet, large laundry room with window, split floor plan and sheltered lanai. BUT lanai enclosed on 3 sides, living room has no windows, and second slider to lanai is in a guest bedroom.

Some of these problems are easy to solve. You can add storage space in garage if you have an extended or golf cart garage, you can add a birdcage if the lot allows, you can add solar tubes to areas that have less light, or utilize spaces differently from original design.

What have you found for pros and cons and what creative ideas have you done to take advantage or resolve them?