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Originally Posted by UptownBee
We just bought a lot and have decided to build a Woodside model home with a 3 car garage. Could someone who has gone through the Woodside building process suggest some of the modifications they made to make it better?
Our sales agent had a lot of great suggestions but thought I'd reach out to The Villages community because he said a lot of the best modifications come from the buyers.
We will also be doing a expanded Lanai / birdcage and pool/hot-tub so if you have suggestions on that too it would really help. Not sure whether solar, gas, or electric pool heating is best.
Thanks.
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It was a great idea on your part to ask the question on TOTV. There are some excellent suggestions here.
We have the Mason model which is the Woodside in the Veranda series homes. The Veranda series are what they call "new construction homes," meaning the developer designs them with the modifications that they choose. We like most of the modifications that were chosen for our home.
We're in our second home in TV, the first was a "dream home" so we do have some experience with the design process.
Our Mason came with a 2' stretch on the two bedroom and living room side which has been useful. We also have the 3-car garage with a 4' forward stretch and a stretched lanai.
The laundry room stretch is an excellent idea as is a stretch on the rear side of the house making the living/dining room and the two bedrooms larger on that side.
I have heard that some owners have closed the closet in the small office/bedroom (next to the master) and turned that space around and made it into an extra pantry. That would be very handy and easily done during the build.
Do what your budget will allow. If it's larger rooms that you like, you'll be glad you made the stretch modifications while you were building. Stretches can also be done in the interior of the house itself, not just on exterior walls. You can expand the kitchen and nook area to make them wider for example. That stretch might follow into the dining room or into the office area. The stretches don't have to follow a straight though the house from one side to the other. Stretches are typically done in 2' increments.
You could stretch the laundry room to make it wider and make that stretch run across into the office area or the dining room.
You can add more cabinetry if you want. The standard kitchen has a shortage of pantry space.
The concrete slab in the lanai can be raised to be just below (3/4") the level of the floor in the house. There may be no additional charge for this. I'm not positive.
I think the 2-stage air conditioner compressor (variable speed) is worth the extra expense too. It makes for lower energy costs and keeps the humidity lower in the home.
Look at adding more recessed lighting (with dimmers) in the living room, dining room, and bedroom areas. If you do add recessed lighting, keep them away from ceiling fans. Otherwise, you will get annoying shadows when the fan and lights are on at the same time. It is kind of an unpleasant strobe effect, so keep any ceiling lighting further away from fans. That would apply to solar lighting too.
You want to go into those design appointments with as many choices and ideas that you can make pre-determined. It will save a lot of time and make the experience a lot more pleasant. Go to showcase and model homes and make a list of what you like. Any sales rep can look up what the backsplash is or anything like that. Consider things like exterior colors, shingles, flooring, door designs, cabinet colors, hardware, plumbing fixtures, etc. If you really want a home design education, stop by a showcase home when the sales rep Todd Pope is there. I haven't found a sharper team than Todd, his wife, and his daughter. They are all sales reps.
The design department is very good and the designers have some great ideas and options. You are wise to prepare yourself and be ready with lots of questions. Otherwise it might turn into a "shoulda, coulda, woulda experience," if you know what I mean.
Good luck and have fun with it.