I have to rant about The Villages sod installation.

[djlnc]

We purchased new construction in the village of Richmond last year. I was very unhappy with the hills and valleys in the back yard sod. Called the warranty number and they sent a fellow out to look at it. He said essentially "Don't believe your lying eyes". Said it would even out, that they do meticulous work to level the yard before sodding.
I think back to that when I do work in the yard and I find signs like these of the wonderful workmanship.

[LeRoySmith]

We purchased new construction in the village of Richmond last year. I was very unhappy with the hills and valleys in the back yard sod. Called the warranty number and they sent a fellow out to look at it. He said essentially "Don't believe your lying eyes". Said it would even out, that they do meticulous work to level the yard before sodding.
I think back to that when I do work in the yard and I find signs like these of the wonderful workmanship.

Mine looked like it was laid over bowling balls. I called to voice my concern, they sent a yard roller. I called a month later to say the roller didn't work and they replaced the sod. Had I not been there they would have laid out over beer uneven ground, again. Just tell them you aren't happy and they will fix it, be reasonable but firm.

[MsPCGenius]

We have the same issue with our 2 yr old house. Back yard is very lumpy-bumpy, but it is not due to uneven ground. We have been able to easily determine that in several spots, the sod floats above the ground -- in other words, the roots have taken hold but not strong enough to pull the sod even to the ground. We thought about renting an aerator, but don't feel it necessary as many of the mounds have actually begun to settle. As the grass greens up and becomes healthy, the roots are beginning to take hold.

[fdpaq0580]

New build purchase in 2013. Over size corner lot. After low area kept flooding noticed a spongy area there. Put a shovel in and pulled up the sod had been laid over a large piece of rug, 4'×8' approx. Pulled up the carpet and found 3/4" plywood sheet 4'×8'. Drug out the filthy, rotting plywood and discovered a metal grate covering some kind of equipment vault in the ground. I was shown a pristine lawn. I ended up with a large metal grate that drains water into this concrete vault for who knows what. Later, I mentioned it to our sales rep who claimed he knew nothing of it. I would be lying if I said my experience did not color my opinion of the builder, ethics, honesty, quality and integrity. It was a definite attempt to present our property as something better than it is. But, I like our location, lot, house. Since I don't care about the drain/vault, it doesn't change how we feel about our home, no problem. Someone else might have made a huge stink, sued for fraud, misrepresentation of property, and more. But, over all, we enjoy living here, but that doesn't blind us to the faults and short commings of TV.

[Stu from NYC]

New build purchase in 2013. Over size corner lot. After low area kept flooding noticed a spongy area there. Put a shovel in and pulled up the sod had been laid over a large piece of rug, 4'×8' approx. Pulled up the carpet and found 3/4" plywood sheet 4'×8'. Drug out the filthy, rotting plywood and discovered a metal grate covering some kind of equipment vault in the ground. I was shown a pristine lawn. I ended up with a large metal grate that drains water into this concrete vault for who knows what. Later, I mentioned it to our sales rep who claimed he knew nothing of it. I would be lying if I said my experience did not color my opinion of the builder, ethics, honesty, quality and integrity. It was a definite attempt to present our property as something better than it is. But, I like our location, lot, house. Since I don't care about the drain/vault, it doesn't change how we feel about our home, no problem. Someone else might have made a huge stink, sued for fraud, misrepresentation of property, and more. But, over all, we enjoy living here, but that doesn't blind us to the faults and short commings of TV.

Sorry this happened to you but not sure the builder/developer was at fault. My guess is a sub was to lazy to take trash to the dump or whever it should have gone.

May years ago something similar happened to my parents. Come to think of it large boulders were left against the foundation of our home in Va and over time shifted and caused a major water leak.

[Topspinmo]

Even in my lot that was built in 2003 I find construction trash throughout yard when I have dig down foot. IMO I’m guessing the contractors dump all the construction trash in yard and cover it up.

[fdpaq0580]

Sorry this happened to you but not sure the builder/developer was at fault. My guess is a sub was to lazy to take trash to the dump or whever it should have gone.

May years ago something similar happened to my parents. Come to think of it large boulders were left against the foundation of our home in Va and over time shifted and caused a major water leak.

The developer has a number of "builders/contractors" working in several places at the same time. Each builder builds so many homes in a "village". Our paperwork names the builder responsible for construction of or home. He is responsible for our structure, he has several subs for electric, plumbing, etc. There is supposed to be an inspector/overseer who checks each phase of the project. If the workers and supervisors all do their jobs correctly, the end result is a walk through with zero "fix it" items. And, zero crap purposely hidden to improve price and saleability, as well as save on the cost of cleaning and properly disposing of possibly harmful chemicals, trash and waste. A tale like ours and others here shows a genuine lack of integrity and honesty along with greed that flows from the designers, developers,all the way to the subs and even some of the individual workers stealing the equipment and appliances that they just put in.
I love living in TV. But, when it comes to the developer, builders, etc, [B]its all about the money![/B
Jmho, based on 10+ years here.

[fdpaq0580]

We purchased new construction in the village of Richmond last year. I was very unhappy with the hills and valleys in the back yard sod. Called the warranty number and they sent a fellow out to look at it. He said essentially "Don't believe your lying eyes". Said it would even out, that they do meticulous work to level the yard before sodding.
I think back to that when I do work in the yard and I find signs like these of the wonderful workmanship.

At this point you can probably see that you are not alone. Just like most fast-food, what you get isn't anything like the picture in the commercial.

[krash]

Our new home that we bought back in 2007 also had problems of leaking pipes behind walls, leaking window sills, and a box of shingles left on the roof that were not discovered until we wanted to enclose our lanai. The guest bathroom tub did not drain, and we found chunks of garbage and construction debris in the pipe.
We tore out the cheap carpet to install tile, and found under the carpet were a dozen cigarette butts and some food greasy wrappers. It finally dawned on us why stains were appearing although we never spilled anything. When we took out the formica counters, we found more cigarette butts, soda cans, chicken bones, food wrappers, and lots of dead cockroaches on the floor behind the cabinets.
Quality control is definitely lacking.

[fdpaq0580]

Our new home that we bought back in 2007 also had problems of leaking pipes behind walls, leaking window sills, and a box of shingles left on the roof that were not discovered until we wanted to enclose our lanai. The guest bathroom tub did not drain, and we found chunks of garbage and construction debris in the pipe.
We tore out the cheap carpet to install tile, and found under the carpet were a dozen cigarette butts and some food greasy wrappers. It finally dawned on us why stains were appearing although we never spilled anything. When we took out the formica counters, we found more cigarette butts, soda cans, chicken bones, food wrappers, and lots of dead cockroaches on the floor behind the cabinets.
Quality control is definitely lacking.

Welcome to The Villages and the quality lifestyle they provide. Like when Dorothy went to see the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz. He didn't want her to see the man behind the curtain.

[kimgarwel12@gmail.com]

We moved into our home in 2020 and swear to God it was built on a dump site. My husband has found everything under the sod except for decent soil for the grass to grow. Our yard always looks like it has the mange. He's tried seeding, sodding, fertilizing, weed killing, plugging, etc., to no avail. It's uneven all over, bare in spots, roots exposed. Nothing will grow!! We've pretty much given up......just live with what we've got.

[asianthree]

Every couple of days in the evening we stopped at our build, inside and out we picked up trash, cans, Modello bottles, pipes, hoses, and threw them in the dumpster.

At final grade before sod we took rakes with us to remove large rocks, and whatever junk was left, threw it in the dumpster.

When they built our pool the guys actually said it was the first time they didn’t see a waste dump in our yard.

Then again we have built 3 houses up north and saw the same trash, we picked up every week. One house we contracted on our own, usually with people we knew personally and still picked up trash, less but still onsite trash. So it’s pretty common no matter where a house is built.

[RRGuyNJ]

We were going to have a barn torn down and a new building put up on our property in NC. The contractor said he could bury some of the debris to help with the cost of hauling it off to the landfill. I said no thanks, haul it off. I have been told that when the house was built in NC, a lot of the debris was buried in a small pasture on the property. Now I notice dips forming after a lot of the lumber has rotted away. It's hard to get away from the Corner Cutter mentality some contractors have.

[CarlR33]

Up north the cookie cutter homes were built with similar issues. All the houses where the main water line came in had dips in the lawn soil along the water line run because they did not fill it properly. Some homes the main sewer line was not allowed to settle so several years later owners found the sewer backing up in the now dip in the line and had to dig the entire line to the street to repair at their cost. Driveway slabs would also settle and have to be repaired. When I did construction had to randomly tell the trades to not throw the butts in the wall cavity.

[Shelbyh]

We purchased new construction in the village of Richmond last year. I was very unhappy with the hills and valleys in the back yard sod. Called the warranty number and they sent a fellow out to look at it. He said essentially "Don't believe your lying eyes". Said it would even out, that they do meticulous work to level the yard before sodding.
I think back to that when I do work in the yard and I find signs like these of the wonderful workmanship.

Yes ours felt uneven as well but recently it has filled in and will likely improve. My husband plans on over seeding and may even do a few other tricks to help. We are just used to lush Ohio grass.

[Robojo]

New build purchase in 2013. Over size corner lot. After low area kept flooding noticed a spongy area there. Put a shovel in and pulled up the sod had been laid over a large piece of rug, 4'×8' approx. Pulled up the carpet and found 3/4" plywood sheet 4'×8'. Drug out the filthy, rotting plywood and discovered a metal grate covering some kind of equipment vault in the ground. I was shown a pristine lawn. I ended up with a large metal grate that drains water into this concrete vault for who knows what. Later, I mentioned it to our sales rep who claimed he knew nothing of it. I would be lying if I said my experience did not color my opinion of the builder, ethics, honesty, quality and integrity. It was a definite attempt to present our property as something better than it is. But, I like our location, lot, house. Since I don't care about the drain/vault, it doesn't change how we feel about our home, no problem. Someone else might have made a huge stink, sued for fraud, misrepresentation of property, and more. But, over all, we enjoy living here, but that doesn't blind us to the faults and short commings of TV.

So you were lied to and ripped off and you're okay with it. Sound iffy to me.

[Wondering]

We purchased new construction in the village of Richmond last year. I was very unhappy with the hills and valleys in the back yard sod. Called the warranty number and they sent a fellow out to look at it. He said essentially "Don't believe your lying eyes". Said it would even out, that they do meticulous work to level the yard before sodding.
I think back to that when I do work in the yard and I find signs like these of the wonderful workmanship.
The sod companies use to roll the new lawns before closing. Maybe they aren't doing that anymore.

[HORNET]

On my first home in The Villages “ 2009”, when the Landscaper removed the sod to put walls and stone, I was surprised of the trash that was buried by the builder. The landscaper told me that builders have a reputation of letting the workers dispose of their cans and garbage before laying the sod. It probably a time thing.

[Miboater]

Yes ours felt uneven as well but recently it has filled in and will likely improve. My husband plans on over seeding and may even do a few other tricks to help. We are just used to lush Ohio grass.

If you have a new house with St. Augustine grass there is no over-seeding as you can't grow it from seed. I has pretty good luck with the sod plugs from Lowe's and a healthy dose of Black Kow.

[fdpaq0580]

Every couple of days in the evening we stopped at our build, inside and out we picked up trash, cans, Modello bottles, pipes, hoses, and threw them in the dumpster.

At final grade before sod we took rakes with us to remove large rocks, and whatever junk was left, threw it in the dumpster.

When they built our pool the guys actually said it was the first time they didn’t see a waste dump in our yard.

Then again we have built 3 houses up north and saw the same trash, we picked up every week. One house we contracted on our own, usually with people we knew personally and still picked up trash, less but still onsite trash. So it’s pretty common no matter where a house is built.

Just because it's common doesn't make it right. The builder is 100% responsible. Everyone was paid to do it right. They knowingly and willfully took money they did not honestly earn. They owe you money for the work you did. They failed with no justification.

[fdpaq0580]

So you were lied to and ripped off and you're okay with it. Sound iffy to me.

No, I'm not okay with it. But I have dealt with it in my own way. We put in a pool and maxed our lanai. The construction of that (because we were here and watched over their shoulders) cleaned up the great majority of crap the home builders left. As for the grate/below ground vault/drain, I had already had cleaned that away myself.
No, I'm not okay with it. But it's over now, as far as I am concerned. Wife and I just enjoy what we have. But I am more than happy to let buyers or potential buyers know my story and suggest they do their diligence by asking potential neighbors and quiz the sales rep and see what they tell you about the experiences that somay here have had. Lied to, yes. Ripped off? The property was still, imo worth (more or less) what we paid for it, even though it was not as it appeared.

[nn0wheremann]

New build purchase in 2013. Over size corner lot. After low area kept flooding noticed a spongy area there. Put a shovel in and pulled up the sod had been laid over a large piece of rug, 4'×8' approx. Pulled up the carpet and found 3/4" plywood sheet 4'×8'. Drug out the filthy, rotting plywood and discovered a metal grate covering some kind of equipment vault in the ground. I was shown a pristine lawn. I ended up with a large metal grate that drains water into this concrete vault for who knows what. Later, I mentioned it to our sales rep who claimed he knew nothing of it. I would be lying if I said my experience did not color my opinion of the builder, ethics, honesty, quality and integrity. It was a definite attempt to present our property as something better than it is. But, I like our location, lot, house. Since I don't care about the drain/vault, it doesn't change how we feel about our home, no problem. Someone else might have made a huge stink, sued for fraud, misrepresentation of property, and more. But, over all, we enjoy living here, but that doesn't blind us to the faults and short commings of TV.
That vault full of water might be a mosquito hatchery. The county assessor might have a reference to it on your property record card. Check it out. Could be you don’t own that bit of land next to your property.

[nn0wheremann]

If you have a new house with St. Augustine grass there is no over-seeding as you can't grow it from seed. I has pretty good luck with the sod plugs from Lowe's and a healthy dose of Black Kow.
After Massey killed a swath of my StAugustine grass I overseeded it with bahia grass seed and some rye grass. The rye grass greened up quick, then died with the hot weather. Wet season got the bahia up, but eventually the St Augustine spread over the dead patch.

[Lea N]

Our new home that we bought back in 2007 also had problems of leaking pipes behind walls, leaking window sills, and a box of shingles left on the roof that were not discovered until we wanted to enclose our lanai. The guest bathroom tub did not drain, and we found chunks of garbage and construction debris in the pipe.
We tore out the cheap carpet to install tile, and found under the carpet were a dozen cigarette butts and some food greasy wrappers. It finally dawned on us why stains were appearing although we never spilled anything. When we took out the formica counters, we found more cigarette butts, soda cans, chicken bones, food wrappers, and lots of dead cockroaches on the floor behind the cabinets.
Quality control is definitely lacking.

Wow!! Unbelievable. This and what others have written made my jaw drop. Certainly no pride of workmanship but I suppose that has been gone for a long time.

[MollyJo]

The developer has a number of "builders/contractors" working in several places at the same time. Each builder builds so many homes in a "village". Our paperwork names the builder responsible for construction of or home. He is responsible for our structure, he has several subs for electric, plumbing, etc. There is supposed to be an inspector/overseer who checks each phase of the project. If the workers and supervisors all do their jobs correctly, the end result is a walk through with zero "fix it" items. And, zero crap purposely hidden to improve price and saleability, as well as save on the cost of cleaning and properly disposing of possibly harmful chemicals, trash and waste. A tale like ours and others here shows a genuine lack of integrity and honesty along with greed that flows from the designers, developers,all the way to the subs and even some of the individual workers stealing the equipment and appliances that they just put in.
I love living in TV. But, when it comes to the developer, builders, etc, [B]its all about the money![/B
Jmho, based on 10+ years here.
I’m glad to see these issues being discussed. Maybe it will get the attention of someone who is interested in doing something about it.

[LeRoySmith]

We were going to have a barn torn down and a new building put up on our property in NC. The contractor said he could bury some of the debris to help with the cost of hauling it off to the landfill. I said no thanks, haul it off. I have been told that when the house was built in NC, a lot of the debris was buried in a small pasture on the property. Now I notice dips forming after a lot of the lumber has rotted away. It's hard to get away from the Corner Cutter mentality some contractors have.

That used to be pretty standard practice in the Midwest. When I was in my late teens (in the 70s) I bulldozed several barns and buried them on site. Standard procedure was to dig a hole next to the barn 60 or 80 feet in diameter 6 feet deep, push the barn in the hole and do figure 8s on it until it's a giant pile of toothpicks, push dirt on top of it, spread rye.

[fdpaq0580]

That used to be pretty standard practice in the Midwest. When I was in my late teens (in the 70s) I bulldozed several barns and buried them on site. Standard procedure was to dig a hole next to the barn 60 or 80 feet in diameter 6 feet deep, push the barn in the hole and do figure 8s on it until it's a giant pile of toothpicks, push dirt on top of it, spread rye.

Standard practice, yeah! But when did "sweeping the trash under the rug" become standard practice for , so called, honest high quality builders/businesses? Acceptable? Never! Dishonest? I think so.

[fdpaq0580]

I’m glad to see these issues being discussed. Maybe it will get the attention of someone who is interested in doing something about it.

Me too. But, don't hold your breath.

[LeRoySmith]

Standard practice, yeah! But when did "sweeping the trash under the rug" become standard practice for , so called, honest high quality builders/businesses? Acceptable? Never! Dishonest? I think so.

Yeah, there's a huge difference between the developer and a dirt poor dirt farmer trying to scrape by. Those folks knew how to save a penny. I think that may be where I come by my "thrifty" ways.

[fdpaq0580]

Yeah, there's a huge difference between the developer and a dirt poor dirt farmer trying to scrape by. Those folks knew how to save a penny. I think that may be where I come by my "thrifty" ways.

"Thrifty". Good.

[Pondboy]

The sod companies use to roll the new lawns before closing. Maybe they aren't doing that anymore.

No, it’s in squares. Probably 3’ x 3’. I’ve seen them lay it. It comes on pallets, truckload by truckload. Not a fun job.