Quote:
Originally Posted by Misky1951
I've always heard that you get more home for your dollar outside TV.
My cousin visited and we looked at several retirement communities from leesburg to ocala.
The only new homes were at Top of the World. Looking at homes in both totw and TV in the $250-300k range, the quality was much better in totw. Have to say I was disappointed in the new home quality in the st Catherine area.
But there were no comparison on activities with TV. Not even close.
So it comes down to lifestyle. For me. It was the activities. I think my cousin feels the same way.
When we visited all these retirement areas, I never revealed that I was from TV. It was interesting to hear the locals talk about TV. A lot of crazy stories!
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Most people, when they talk about “quality,” mean the quality of the kitchen cabinets and the faucets, or what nice little extras they get without perceiving that they are paying extra. Perhaps they mean drywall in the garage or architectural quality shingles instead of cheaper shingles that won’t last as long. Unfortunately, most know nothing about quality construction. A lot of contractors and builders do things the way they always have, rather than constantly studying, learning about new and better methods and products. Would you want a heart surgeon who does things they way they were done in 1980? You shouldn’t! Building practices today are much better and more complicated than they used to be.
For example, what is the rating of the windows? Are they heat reflecting so the house will stay cooler? What is the rating of the frames? How much insulation is in the walls and ceilings? How is air flow maintained from the soffit venting in the attic? Is the insulation just the bare minimum, or well beyond it? (Lots of people here could be spending $100 a month less on cooling in the summer if they had proper insulation.) If the walls are stick built, how are they bolted to the slab? How will they respond in a hurricane? How are the roof trusses attached to the walls? Are they thoroughly strapped down or just nailed? If the walls are concrete block, is there rebar running from the slab to the roof, and are the cavities where the rebar runs filled with concrete? If the walls are stick built, what sort of sheathing is used? Is it attached according to the exact prescribed nail pattern, and do the nails actually go into the studs, or is the carpenter just guessing with a nail gun? On the roof sheathing, the nail pattern is especially important, and the nails have to go into the trusses. That doesn’t happen without measuring and marking. How is the flashing done around windows to keep out rain? I’ve seen so many carpenters do this wrong, and it’s the homeowner pays. I’ve made carpenters pull out half a dozen big windows and start over. How tight is the house? How many air flows per hour? Was a blower test done? What is the quality of the vents in the bathroom? Are they quiet, and do they exhaust a lot of air? Is there a range hood over the stove that vents outside and is quiet, or do cooking smells fill the house? What about the water heater and air conditioner and heater? Are they the minimum or are they the best energy saving versions? Top quality can save you a LOT of money.
I could go on for a long time about this. I love The Villages, and my 22 year old house is working well, though it needs a lot more insulation, which I will have blown in next fall. However, I’m not sure if ANY homes built in this part of the state follow the best practices unless they are custom built for someone who knows about these things and demands them and pays for them. Quality is more than just what we see when we walk into a house.