[villagetinker]

Originally Posted by margaretmattson

Thanks. The floor plan they like is the Mason model. They were told Veranda homes are built as spec homes with no modifications or color choice.

They would prefer a built in wall unit or fireplace instead of two windows in the living area. The window areas would need to be filled in. Is this difficult and costly to do?

As noted in previous comments you need to be very careful that removing the windows will not void the 1-year warranty. IMHO, there is no need for a fireplace in Florida, and I agree with previous comments that this will detract from the house.

Now I have seen houses with full wall built in shelves and door or drawers, even done very well these seem to detract from the house as they remove the versatility of the original design. Here is my suggestion if the wall unit is a requirement. Get an ELECTRIC fireplace, these actually look very realistic, and do not require the chimney, also when you get tired of this they are easily removed. The windows can be removed, and concrete block installed, you may need to have a Professional Engineer design this modification for hurricane standards, I stumbled across this requirement for knee walls on a lanai enclosure project. The county building department can advise on this requirement.
You will need to get ARC approval for the window removal, and there will be at least 2 permits required, building and electrical. As for the built-in unit, there are several companies that do this, and you can contact them for cost estimates, etc.

I would expect this project to take several weeks and cost several thousand dollars.

I hope this helps.