What is the Design Team Appt. like?

[nancy03743]

We bought a site in Fernandina to build an Iris. How do we prepare for the Design Team appointment? Can someone tell us what it was like for them?

Thank you,
Nancy

[YouNeverKnow]

We bought a site in Fernandina to build an Iris. How do we prepare for the Design Team appointment? Can someone tell us what it was like for them?

Thank you,
Nancy
Hi Nancy, we also bought in Fernandina but won't have our design meeting until July. We are in section 206, lot #20. Where is your lot? Good luck with your design and building process. :pepper2:

[CalcTeacher]

You should definitely search this site for "design appointment"...there's a wealth of information. Biggest things to consider are any stretches or bumps you might want to do. According to all the wise souls on this forum, no one has ever regretted increasing their outdoor space (via the lanai) or their garage space (storage is at a premium). Only your lot will dictate what you can or cannot do.

Next is all the cosmetic things: level of cabinets, granite versus quartz versus corian versus laminate countertops, flooring choices, etc. etc.

Again, your best bet is to search on this forum for anything related to design appointment! Good luck designing the house of your dreams!

[Count'n the days]

Congratulations. We are also building an Iris in Fernandina. We're on Greywood Ln and we close on 11/12.

We started by going several days early to check out the open houses and get ideas. We had the major things already selected when we met with our designer. With her we worked out the details and made selections based on what would fit in our budget. One of our most difficult decisions was the house color. Because there weren't many houses already built close by, we were able to choose from all the colors available.

I found the process to be more stressful than I anticipated. Everything went smoothly and our designer was very efficient and patient. I wish she had given us more guidance with our choices, but I think that may have been construed as pressuring us - which there was none from TV - only what we placed on ourselves to get what we wanted while staying within our budget.

I think most meetings are over a 3 day period (portions of each day). It helped to be able to meet and get away from it to digest things. She would pull the numbers together then we would know where we stood when we started the next day.

Our final choices were not always what we thought we wanted in the start. This included the model and lot. We're really happy with our choices and are excited to see the final product.

Best of of luck to you.

[nancy03743]

All your information was most helpful. Did not realize that it would involve 3 days for shorter periods of time so thank you. We too will be trying to stay within our budget & this will probably be difficult. We have 1280 Allaire Loop in Fernandina. We were told our home would be finished by end of March 2013. We will be wintering in Cocoa Beach and traveling back and forth to watch the build. Thanks very much for your help. Nancy & Richard

[nancy03743]

Hi Nancy, we also bought in Fernandina but won't have our design meeting until July. We are in section 206, lot #20. Where is your lot? Good luck with your design and building process. :pepper2:

Our design meeting is in January. We are section 205,155 at 1280 Allaire Loop Fernandina. Good luck to you as well! Nancy & Richard

[nancy03743]

You should definitely search this site for "design appointment"...there's a wealth of information. Biggest things to consider are any stretches or bumps you might want to do. According to all the wise souls on this forum, no one has ever regretted increasing their outdoor space (via the lanai) or their garage space (storage is at a premium). Only your lot will dictate what you can or cannot do.

Next is all the cosmetic things: level of cabinets, granite versus quartz versus corian versus laminate countertops, flooring choices, etc. etc.

Again, your best bet is to search on this forum for anything related to design appointment! Good luck designing the house of your dreams!

You are not going to believe this but I did not think to do a search on "design team appointment". Thank you for your information. Nancy & Richard

[WVMtnBoy]

Hi Nancy! The best advice I can give you is to have a firm idea of what, if any, additions you want to make to your house. My wife and I went through the process in early July and are moving into our home as we speak. If you want more room the bump outs are fairly inexpensive (about $1500 per 2') but well worth it, especially on the lanai and bedrooms. I would definitely recommend a golf car garage for extra space and storage if your model doesn't have it included. The standard interior colors are white and hayseed and other colors will cost additional. Look carefully at the models to get an understanding of the cabinets, flooring, lighting packages, etc. Also drive around and look at exterior colors because the same color can't be within 2-3 houses of each other. Check out door styles and colors and exterior lighting packages. We found the process to be extremely painless and actually enjoyable. Don't get stressed and have a good time with your designer. They're there to help...really!!!!

[A-4 Skyhawk]

Our design meeting is in January. We are section 205,155 at 1280 Allaire Loop Fernandina. Good luck to you as well! Nancy & Richard

Have you been introduced to kgentile1010 who is on your street 205-126??

[jimbo2012]

take the floor plan make a bunch of copies and draw different variations of changes you may like, we redid the master bath over a dozen times, then going back to models comparing our ideas and finally after a few days we nailed it down with the best use of the space with a 2' bump of one bedroom.

then moved the hvac and redid the laundry room, then only to find the designers did almost the same change in the new December models, and they did it better than I.

Drove around looking at exterior colors and landscaping on and off all this past week.

Now working on a spa plan on the lanai, but not done with that idea yet.

Need to get done in 60 days.

Make a list of must haves
like to haves etc.

[shalomuall]

Welcome. We closed on our Iris in Fernandina 206-7 Aug 30th. We love it. Wish we could spend more time there. It was a great process and we are very happy with the end result. Good luck!

[nancy03743]

Have you been introduced to kgentile1010 who is on your street 205-126??

No not yet...my husband Richard will love your screen name. He is a private pilot and his favorite plane is F14 Tomcat.

[nancy03743]

Hi Nancy! The best advice I can give you is to have a firm idea of what, if any, additions you want to make to your house. My wife and I went through the process in early July and are moving into our home as we speak. If you want more room the bump outs are fairly inexpensive (about $1500 per 2') but well worth it, especially on the lanai and bedrooms. I would definitely recommend a golf car garage for extra space and storage if your model doesn't have it included. The standard interior colors are white and hayseed and other colors will cost additional. Look carefully at the models to get an understanding of the cabinets, flooring, lighting packages, etc. Also drive around and look at exterior colors because the same color can't be within 2-3 houses of each other. Check out door styles and colors and exterior lighting packages. We found the process to be extremely painless and actually enjoyable. Don't get stressed and have a good time with your designer. They're there to help...really!!!!

Thank you so very much for this helpful information. Did not realize about the color of the houses being close to each other. We have added your information to our list of things to take into consideration. It is so great to find out from people like you who have already experienced. We appreciate your willingness to share. Nancy & Richard

[nancy03743]

take the floor plan make a bunch of copies and draw different variations of changes you may like, we redid the master bath over a dozen times, then going back to models comparing our ideas and finally after a few days we nailed it down with the best use of the space with a 2' bump of one bedroom.

then moved the hvac and redid the laundry room, then only to find the designers did almost the same change in the new December models, and they did it better than I.

Drove around looking at exterior colors and landscaping on and off all this past week.

Now working on a spa plan on the lanai, but not done with that idea yet.

Need to get done in 60 days.

Make a list of must haves
like to haves etc.

I like your idea of driving around looking at exterior colors, landscaping and making lists of "must haves" and "like to have." Thank you so much! Nancy & Richard

[hotrodgirl]

The process was both informative and painless! Mine took 3 very full days, but was split to 4, with two 1/2 days off. I used that time to go over choices, make notes, drive neighborhoods... Think of all the ways you wish to improve your property. Any stretches or bumps should take first priority. Any interior structural changes next. Make a list or spreadsheet of your wants and needs and prioritize that. The designer will walk you through many homes so that you can see flooring, fixtures, lighting, doors, hardware, cabinets, colors, etc. This is so helpful as you get to see the entire picture and not just a small sample. Make a list of questions you may have. We sat down at a big table and went completely through my list (it was a 2 page spreadsheet) while my designer made copious notes. Basically nothing was left unanswered and I felt it to be thorough and unrushed. Also ask for suggestions as they have been doing this quite a while and are there to listen and help you through the process! I did not find it stressful, and in retrospect I may have missed one or two things, but these are easily taken care of aftermarket. Best of luck to you and don't stress!

[Sunshine Mary]

You can't give them a color or the name of a street .IT MUST BE IN A MODEL HOUSE because if they go by the house and the people paint the house the color can be wrong,So they only take Model .I did not know that going into our meeting .

So go to the Model homes and look for your color and write the house and strew down. and can't pick the color next to your house.
Oh and go differ times of the day the color is differ BIG differ.

I like your idea of driving around looking at exterior colors, landscaping and making lists of "must haves" and "like to have." Thank you so much! Nancy & Richard

[nancy03743]

Welcome. We closed on our Iris in Fernandina 206-7 Aug 30th. We love it. Wish we could spend more time there. It was a great process and we are very happy with the end result. Good luck!

Thank you Sara...

[nancy03743]

The process was both informative and painless! Mine took 3 very full days, but was split to 4, with two 1/2 days off. I used that time to go over choices, make notes, drive neighborhoods... Think of all the ways you wish to improve your property. Any stretches or bumps should take first priority. Any interior structural changes next. Make a list or spreadsheet of your wants and needs and prioritize that. The designer will walk you through many homes so that you can see flooring, fixtures, lighting, doors, hardware, cabinets, colors, etc. This is so helpful as you get to see the entire picture and not just a small sample. Make a list of questions you may have. We sat down at a big table and went completely through my list (it was a 2 page spreadsheet) while my designer made copious notes. Basically nothing was left unanswered and I felt it to be thorough and unrushed. Also ask for suggestions as they have been doing this quite a while and are there to listen and help you through the process! I did not find it stressful, and in retrospect I may have missed one or two things, but these are easily taken care of aftermarket. Best of luck to you and don't stress!

Thank you very much! Nancy

[A-4 Skyhawk]

No not yet...my husband Richard will love your screen name. He is a private pilot and his favorite plane is F14 Tomcat.

Your Hubby flys with the Big Boys:crap2:

P.S. Jester :jester: (in an A-4) in Top Gun kicked Tom Cruise's butt who was in an F-14 . . . . . just saying. :girlneener:

P.S.S.S. WELCOME TO FERNANDINA !!!!

[jimbo2012]

One other point my rep suggested, since I will be submitting 6-10 1/4" scale drawing floor plan such as...... bumps - in/out, (yes you can bump in) roof designs, interior wall changes, electrical plan layout, exterior electric and water lines, also 4 lanai plans.

And with a bit over 60 days till that meeting likely more ideas will be added.

She suggested handing them all in first thing so the designs options can be priced out.
Since the design person doesn't do that we can go select colors and finishes rather than wait by submitting those possible changes latter.

[twiceis]

Hi Jimbo.....what changes were you able to make in the master bath. I had designed all 5 of our custom-built homes and needless to say, I want to make changes. We're building an Iris, and that floorplan, as with all of their designer floorplans, harkens back to the 1970's. I want to update the master bath and the island in the kitchen to the twenty-first century, so I need to know how flexible the designers are. I would appreciate learning from your experience. Thanks.

Ken Bornstein

[twiceis]

You sound like our kinda guy, Jimbo. Please tell me what model u built? We are building an Iris on Bureau Path in Gilchrist & we have our design appt April 9th. I notice your name pops up quite often. Did u move any walls...when did u do design?

Karin (future Gilly)

[jimbo2012]

You can move walls roof lines expand the house within the lines.

You can add bow or bay windows, how about a witches hat they are really nice

You dream it they will likely be able to do it.

I did 14 versions of the whispering pine.

But in the end 7 days before the design date found the perfect house just built and bought it.

[twiceis]

Hey Jimbo......looks like you never had a design meeting.....how are you so sure about moving walls. etc?

Ken Bornstein

[jimbo2012]

I had the changes pre approved, I also spoke to many people about how their process went.

What's your point?

[MSG@TV]

I had the changes pre approved, I also spoke to many people about how their process went.

What's your point?

Jimbo, how did you go about having the changes pre-approved? I'm asking because we are vacillating between two models, and whether or not certain changes can be made or not might help us decide.

[jimbo2012]

I was working on two also, my rep walked them into design or talked to them about certain options.

Where's your rep sleeping under rock?

This type of thing is their job.

Why don't you give me an idea of what you're trying to and which model maybe something I know, not sure?

[MSG@TV]

I was working on two also, my rep walked them into design or talked to them about certain options.

Where's your rep sleeping under rock?

This type of thing is their job.

Why don't you give me an idea of what you're trying to and which model maybe something I know, not sure?

I've got to get to work now, but I'll post or PM you later when I return. We finally have a design appointment!!!!:bigbow:

[Swampy]

Hi Jimbo: MSG is my better half. Our design appointment is scheduled for 4/22/13, and I think we will need a 6 month long design meeting until we get it all the way we want it to be.:boom:

Swampy