Quote:
Originally Posted by graciegirl
One of the things is that the Stucco homes in Stonecrest are stuccoed OVER wood frames.
They both may be built quickly but the homes built in The Villages are built expertly. They have teams that ONLY do
House placement.
Footers and concrete.
Picking and carrying components
Rough framing
Fine framing.
Electrical.
Plumbing.
Window placements
Etc.
Etc.
There was even a team of mostly women who sealed every surface at the end, inside and outside. Along all baseboards etc.
The teams were scheduled in such a manner as to continue working each day, doing the job that they know well.
Both of the head builders of both of our homes had been with the Morses since Gary arrived from Michigan. They don't tolerate anything from their subs they don't like.
We have built a total of six homes in our lives or bought new to total ten homes. We did have ONE used home.
We have had more elaborate homes but none that were built better. They have building planned out to a science.
That didn't keep them from tearing out the tile in the kitchen on the order of the builder. (We really didn't see a flaw, but he wasn't satisfied with it.)
They know what they are doing. Buy in bulk, and have it carefully planned.
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Yes some of the homes are stucco over wood. While I'm not a fan of it, built my home with block, there is nothing wrong technically with stucco over frame. Whether the home is frame or block its is still built to Hurricane standards. I based my choice as to what I saw built on the commercial side and what you see is block. The oldest house in Florida is wood. Actually the teams you mentioned are the same for any builder. TV does not have the corner on good contractors. The current builder here likes using stucco over frame but will build with block if you so choose too. I have a friend that does remodeling in the Villages and I hear the stories about what he finds. TV does do a nice job but not any better then a quality builder should. TV does stand behind what they build but has some very tight time lines required from their builders. The bottom line is as a consumer its up to you to do your do diligence and make sure the builder does the right thing. Trust but verify. Once the walls are up you can't tell what the construction is like until you take it apart. I built 12 years ago when you could customize your construction. You also needed to do an inspection at different phases of he build. Having had built several custom homes over the years it was not my first rodeo. My builder unfortunately was a casualty of the down turn. Armstrong has been building in the area for a long time. He's just about finished here. Like most builders, even TV, are putting their home on minimum set backs. They pack them in like sardines. Fortunately I built before they were trying to get 3 homes where there should be two. The Villages does a very nice job, but the additional $100K for the same style home does compute with me. I'm glad I bought here when I did. I also like this end of the Villages better. It is closer to infrastructure. Stonecrest is unique as WalMart is right next door. You will not find shopping that close to any village. I also have the other advantage as this is an actual gated community. If the front gate does not like who wants to come in they can tell them to turn around and go home. It all depends what you are looking for in a community. I have less traffic here and all the amenities I can use. House has been through a few hurricanes and still standing. Good luck where ever you land.