Your Villages Building Experience..
 

Since it looks like we're going to be choosing a homesite and building a house, I'd love to hear from those of you that went through the process.

Your overall impression of the process. What is the process? How long did it take from start to finish? How long to pick all your finishes? How flexible are they to customization? What were some of your concerns during the process?
Granite during the build or after? Appliances? Window coverings?

Let me hear it all. I love details. :coolsmiley:

We did this 7 years ago, I imagine the process has changed a lot. Basically, we bought a lot, were informed that we had to start building within 6 months. We decided to start immediately, met with our sales rep to go over details and pick specifics for our house. Approved a set of preliminary plans (we had requested 4 stretches, could only get 3). 80 days from ground breaking to completion. Since we were not in the area, we were sent electronic photos of the process of the build.
What went wrong, we missed getting upgraded carpet, will be doing this shortly. We did not have tile laid on the diagonal (additional cost), in hindsight it probably would look better. there were a few other small items that there was no way to predict until after we lived in the house. Good luck with your project, hope this helps.

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Ditto to all for us - we designed/built 6 years ago. SO agree re diagonal tile - I balked due to cost 25% upcharge - I balked as our tile was $$$$. Every day now, I kick myself - not literally. Overall we did a good job with our design (a Holly model). Stretched as much as we could (smaller lot). We did make quite a few changes - biggest was have the builder make our lanai into a Florida Room - same level floor, HVAC in etc etc. We use it every day. And we optd for the color interior paint rather than white - wise choice for small $$. Back 6 years ago what we DID NOT LIKE about the process was that the Designer would/could not tell us the $$$$ charge for line items ie cost difference between this cabinet vs another... hopefully that's changed now.

In the end BE VERY CAREFUL regarding choices that may be very costly to change later such as tile, any stretches or changes to things as interior wall moves, outlet positioning, water spigot positions outside, etc etc.

We optd out of all appliances and bought a complete set of high-end LG stainless from Home Depot for a bit more $$ than our credit. Same for ceiling fans. We also had low-end cheap light fixtuures installed (had to have to close), but got much nicer ones around the house and I installed - sold the originals online.

Looking back, the one 'major' item I would change is the diagonal tile. oh well.
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We have seen built 11 of our homes. We are no stranger to it. This was the smoothest of them all.

We were here renting so we were at the site every night. Things were always prepared for the next day. Materials ready etc. The "boss" builder would occasionally leave notes for the subs, for example; "Remove all end caps in the kitchen and do it again right. " When it was time for the roof, on a very hot August day, 14 people arrived at seven and stayed until dark. When it was time to caulk the baseboards etc, three women did it expertly. When they were digging at the very first, they had a digging team. Teams for framing, teams for plumbing. Worked like clockwork.

This is now nine years ago. I am spending every day in this house during the last six months and sometimes I would like to hunt the builder down and tell him what a great house it is, what a good job and how much we enjoy it. I can't say enough good about this home. Please come to our house, O.P. and look around. Right now we won't invite you in but as soon as this virus thing is over you are very welcome.

P.S. On our choices, We saw a Seabrook model home finished and decorated and asked for every finish choice to be duplicated. Tiles were neutral. Good idea to choose neutrals in case you want to sell and go smaller or bigger later on. I know, I know, but neutral choices in tiles is always a good choice.

built a year plus ago. First, spent your money on the permanent items which you don't want to replace because that is expensive and disruptive , ie, tile, electrical, air conditioning, stretching, counter tops. Replacing these items are expensive, do it right the first time. Stretch first, ask questions later, see point one. Stretching is not that expensive vs what you get. If you want like natural light, get light tubes in strategic places. Small one in the bathroom, large one in the kitchen. If you want natural light in the garage, put in clear blocks or a light tube or two. If you are internet inclined, get the house ethernet wired for flexibility. Wired is faster, more secure and better for streaming. Have galaxy do the specs, NAT router and a gigabyte switch in addition to the modem in the wiring closet, I have two wiring closets as just one isn't big enough. At least one ethernet outlet in each room, forget the phone outlets, really!. You can still get wireless, and you can place the wifi modem in better places for better coverage or put in individual access points in the ceiling. Convert 2 gang outlets to 4 gang outlets near each rooms' entertainment center, to eliminate power strips. Get a whole house surge protector. don't skimp on air conditioning quality, go at least mid range. If gas, be sure to get an outlet outside where a bbq grille will go. Much better than tanks, and less danger. The standard appliances package is adequate, but better to get your preference at a box store. get gutters all around. Air condition the garage if you spend alot of time in the garage with a work bench added later.

Search and I have a post on how to internet wire a house.

sportsguy

Great stuff. Thanks everyone.

We plan on postponing the actual build by a couple of months after we choose the lot. When we come back to pick our finishes how much time should we allot? We plan on having a pool built too so I'm sure that will add to the time required.

Thanks again!

One thing our neighbors missed and regret 7 years later.........expanding the house with moving the INSIDE walls. Most expansions only move the external walls, our neighbor wish they knew the option of expanding the size of the house and moving the internal wall so the living room (which is placed between a bedroom & kitchen) would be larger.

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a bit off topic, but>

Our Holly designer house in Glichrist is now 6.5 years old. We designed the home thru TV Builders (not a Spec home). I was in Leesburg, she Lake Mary FL before moving to TV together. Being local, I came out a few times per week to watch construction, take photos etc. Was extremely pleased with all SubContractors and Head Builder.

So 6.5 years later.
Before the warranty expired we had a reputable home inspector check the entire house out - clean bill of health. Over those years, we have had>

2 nail pops in drywall (my fix)
1 little 'stairstep' slight crack in exterior stucco (my fix)
Master shower tile floor not draining properly (warranty)
A few grout cracks in kitchen tile floor (warranty)
Door entry side window not set properly (warranty)
Exterior drainage issue on home side (warranty)

That truly is about it for going on 7 years.
Overall the quality of our build was wonderful. Kudos+
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They give you a closing date on the day you begin building and in our case they were finished a week ahead and we would have had to pay a fine to change the closing date. I am thinking the build was just over three months.

Thanks. I'm a big proponent of doing it right the first time. I've never regretted spending the extra money doing it how we wanted it but I've certainly regretted cheaping out and wishing we had done something different.

Since you are the most recent to have built, how long did you spend with the design people picking your finishes and choosing what stretches you wanted?

We built 3 years ago. Flew in from out of state and spent 5 days here selecting finishes, hardware, etc. it really only took us 2 days selecting because we had a very good idea of what we wanted but everything had to be reviewed by architects which ate up 2 days (this was over a weekend so maybe you could shave a day off there). House was ready approx 80 days after we signed contract. We bought lot in Nov and did the design trip in January.

Agree with poster who suggested getting WiFi outlets in multiple rooms. Don’t need phone jacks- who needs landline anymore? Also agree that better to buy all your own appliances. We bought our own washer and dryer but went with builder provided for the rest. Even tho we upgraded they are still crap. Best to buy all your own and take the credit.

The phone jacks in my 7 year old house are all Cat 5 so they can be used for ethernet use. Only problem is the irrigation stuff takes up most of the low voltage cabinet.

First be sure you will be available for the required design time frame which starts ticking when you put down the deposit. We had 45 days and flights got cancelled the day we were scheduled to depart. Two-three days for selections. One day for architects to price out and one day to review for moves/adds/changes. Don’t forget central vacuum

Spent time looking at pre-owned houses for sale to get ideas. Go to a tile store at home to get ideas.

Select a house model you like and then be sure to have plot dimensions to check the stretch amount front to back and sideways.

CoachKandSportsguy

Wow! 11 homes. Bet you’ve set a record. How many in TV?

We built less than a year ago and we were pleased with the process. We were assigned a designer who we met us at The Street of Dreams and guided us through the process. We were done in less than 5 days (not full days). Make sure you have your model picked out and decide if you want to do any stretches. As far as interior and exterior finishes go, tour as many models and open houses as you can and write down your favorite things in each. The designer can look that up and do the same for you. You may even find one that you want to copy completely and that really speeds things up. We were pleased and impressed with the abundance of selections and the overall knowledge of our designer. Relax and have fun. You’ll be in your new house before you know it!

Current builds are about 5 months. I would definitely go with quartz, not granite. I prefer hardwood in main living areas rather than tile, but that's just me. Get your own appliances, lots of complaints on what builders are putting in.

Designed and built
 

Our build started last September.
We lived in Windermere (50 miles away) so had a lot of opportunities to go to open houses both new and preowned. And I mean for like 2 years we did this so we had a pretty complete list of what we wanted.
During the design, we gave them addresses of features we liked and the looked up what we saw so we would get the exact feature. Once the design was completed we were taken to several new homes to see the exact feature we picked out. So there were no surprises. So we have no wish I did that for our home.
We did tile throughout and on the diagonal. The build took 2 months and 12 days to complete.

Just finished, yes you can get the cost of any item, you don't get a list of what options you can get you have to ask them.

Stretches are a very good buy on sq ft basis, so max them out.

I did a lanai ceiling 10' rather than 8' dramatic difference, but I saw it it home under construction and asked about it. Also no center column have a 24' clear span view.

Flooring is very expensive 16-28,000, do it later.

Do a 3/4 lanai floor, it raises the floor almost flush with interior no cost option
Another is smooth curved sidewalk & drive no cost

Larger hot water $13

Look at as many homes under construction as you can for ideas.

Any option you select ask to see it in a home cabinets & counter tops

Quartz/granite 7-9K Corian looks like quartz 2K

No appliance

Garage door windows $100

Recess fridge 6"

ungraded landscaping super deal.

If you have a view lot the pano screen or have the horizontal bar at the top rather than the bottom.

Pool from T&D 65K & up, if paying cash do it later

As to interior walls rooms you can do almost anything

Construction currently underway with closing date Nov. 24.

Process started with lot selection and $2,500 "hold" deposit. We had 10 days to secure it fully with $10,000. (the $2,500 was returned to my credit card)

** "Winning" the lot is a whole other story! **

That started a 45-day clock within which we had to complete the design process and "contract" the build.

Design actually began virtually with about five separate 2-hr meetings to design the OML (outer mold line) of the house. This is where we stretched everything we could to accommodate our requirements.

The in-person design and selection process began on a Monday and the pool design meeting was the following Monday.

Within that first week, we completed all the selections, made adjustments to the basic OML and changed windows/sizes. Also within that week were meetings with landscape and closet design.

The pool took most of a day, but others will tell you it can take only 1/2 a day most of the time. Again, this depends on the specifics of the "customization."

After about two weeks, we contracted which requires 20 percent down. At that meeting, you are given the closing date. It will not be sooner. It will not be later. It is that date. That 20 percent does two major things: It secures the funding to buy and order all of your selections so they're on hand when needed for installation, and it guarantees no PMI on a mortgage (if you'll have one) since you will have instant 20 percent equity in the property.

If the house is completed early, it will sit there until your closing date. If you want to close early, you pay extra.

Our construction start date was Oct. 5. The house and pool are being built in integrated fashion and will be completed sooner. It's an assembly line in new neighborhoods, which is good in that all of your workforce is in one concentrated place until it's time to move down the road to the next row of lots.

So far, all is going quite well and quite fast. We visit about once a week and a friend stops by once a week. We've caught one minor issue thus far, but that's it. They are thorough and know what they're doing.

Curious, when we bought our lot the clock for finishing the design was 120 days.

I built recently and was extremely disappointed with the quality of the workmanship and list of items that needed to be fixed
I was told all these items would be taken care of during the one year warranty period however each item required an appointment with up to a four hour window
There were holes in the ceilings, grout covering the tile spacers, pieces of flooring missing, broken countertops, and a long list of obvious defects
If I did it again I would hire a home inspector and delay closing until the house is “finished”
I would take the inexpensive carpet and countertops, buy my own appliances. After closing I would rent while my contractors installed granite counters and tile floors
It will cost much less and you will control the quality of the workmanship

During the build I checked the work every few days, yes minor issues they missed, I simply emailed my designer who contacted the builder and was corrected.

I also left notes and put blue tape on minor stuff so the builder would see it.
The guest bath cabinet was not level, a few days later the cabinet, mirror & plumbers were there removing all of it. Now perfect

The only major error was my bird cage they had the wrong plans on site, I happened to be there. Met the TD supervisor who checked our contract he had new plans which were texted over in 30 minutes. If I wasn't there it would have to be taken down & redone.

When elec was being done I made numerous changes and went over everything with the sub as they were working (not supposed to do that) but they were very happy to do the work once rather than redo it.

Because I was on top of everything as of today there is nothing to adjust or fix.
So the walk thru in about two weeks will take 5 minutes. :coolsmiley:

Also not going to bothered with people coming in to fix stuff later.

100% happy with the quality of build (my designer) and the subs on the home, we close on the 29th.

Having built a few homes back in NY I had experience in construction.

Number 1:
You're not buying a house, you're buying a project. Number 4 is the floor plan. Numbers 1, 2 & 3 is location.
Check the satellite shot. You dont want to be near a Pickleball court or across the street from the mailbox station, or on a busy street.
After an 11 week build we moved into an empty house. I went out and bought a 32 in
TV, a blowup mattress and paper plates, and I was never happier. Then one piece of furniture would show up every Friday. Leave the old furniture behind, we just took one bed.

1) No one has mentioned insulation. I don’t know what the standard amount of insulation is, but adding 6” to 12” of extra blown in insulation in the ceiling should only add a few hundred dollars to the price but should be recuperated in the first year.

2) A more efficient HVAC system has a slower payback—several years—but then it’s gravy.

3) I love to take a bath, but I need a long, deep bathtub. Six feet long, two feet wide, and deep. The average bathtub is a waste. A larger one costs more, but it is more likely to get used. (By contrast, jacuzzis in bathtubs seldom get used, and shallow oval or triangular tubs are a waste. Get INTO the tub and make sure there is good neck support. Many baths are designed only for sitting up—too sharp at the edge.)

4) Put in lots of security grab bars in the bathrooms, whether horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. If horizontal, they double as towel rods. These have to be screwed into studs or into horizontal lumber set into the studs, so you need to plan for them in advance. One slip, fall, and trip to the E.R. Costs much more than do these grab bars. I have 15’ of horizontal bars and one vertical in my bathroom, and I’ve learned to use them all the time. They’ve saved me from many falls.

5) I installed kitchen cabinets in my bathroom over the sink, six feet wide and three feet high (two 24” doors and two 12” doors). I had a glass company put mirrors on the 24” doors. Thus, I have medicine cupboards six feet long and a foot deep. I also had four outlets put in the cupboard for recharging my shaver and things like that. I also had outlets installed below the counter for plugging in a blowdryer. It hangs from a hook below the counter.

6) Have Panasonic ultra quiet fans installed in all bathrooms and something similar in the kitchen over the stove. These must all vent to the outside. The bathroom fans should be 100 cubic feet per minute, and they should be wired to a timer that offers several presets. A stove should always have a strong but quiet fan above it and a range hood, and it has to vent outside so that smell of broccoli doesn’t fill the house. Don’t mount your microwave oven above the stove. That’s too high, anyway, for safety.

7) have your closets well-designed, ideally with a row of shelves as well as hanging room. (I use shelves instead of drawers.) Include hooks for hanging things, too. (Closets are easy to add later, but don’t skimp. They repay the cost on resale.)

We built 2 years ago. Used TV builders so it was almost turnkey (no washer/dryer). Chose a model and spent 4 days doing "street of dreams" selections. Mods: Stretched the garage, stainless appliances, tile walk in shower, extra outlets.
TV builder would not expoxy garage floor, install lights in ceiling fans, install steps in garage crawl space (but did put a light and switch)
So we did those with outside contractors.

Max out the garage, they can never be too large in FL.

Find out before you sign a contract how much the bond is because they increased it 30%. Much of what you read here are residents who built a long time ago. Anything older than 2-3 years is irrelevant. They have a quota of houses to built whether spec or pseudo custom.

Make sure your house doesn’t face East or west the A/C will be blaring.

Don’t believe the sales person about anything. It’s their job to sell you and you bring them referrals. They don’t care they just need to meet their sales. The standard appliances are junk ! If you buy them on your own MAKE sure you get an appliance credit. Don’t get sucked into attic ladder whatever you put up there will be destroyed from the heat humidity and bugs. The aluminum drainage is garbage and where they locate them. Figure that out on your own.

Compare pricing for the junk linoleum against vinyl plank flooring. Where they put in carpet they use the worst padding you can get and no strip between carpeting and other flooring. Don’t get a glass front door everyone can look inside.

If you want extras get quartz not granite. It’s poor quality granite they don’t seal it just like they don’t seal the grout in tile. For bathroom get your own shower head there is not enough flow from the ones they but in bulk! Same with fans ! Make sure you get your own especially one in the kitchen which for some reason then never install. On your own get backsplash other upgrades the design center process are crazy.

Pick out your own landscaping the stuff they put it dies and is junk. You need to be there to watch everything. If you want trim moulding you have to pay extra. Get soft close cabinets that are installed all the way to the top. Under cabinet lighting you can do on your own their price is nuts !

The more you do with TV is more time you spending dealing with warranty ! At closing be there and the next month because your grass will die.

Everything that isn’t fixed before closing will take you forever to get it done and they don’t document the repairs. My house is a year old. It took me a year to fix faucets falling off cracks all over house being repainted and the door and cracked tile.

Don’t use citizens bank you can get a better rate wherever you live now.
You don’t have to pay for title insurance the property is owned by TV. Everything the do called realtors tells you is not gospel. Find out on your own.

In the last 3 yrs the quality has been very mediocre. It also costs a lot more than they tell you. Make sure you get the original deed. I paid cash and they sent the deed to TV even tho it’s my house. I got a photocopy instead now I have to go to the county and pay for another original. I’m going to sell and move north where it’s cooler.

We had our Laurel Oak designer house built in Osceola Hills four years ago and I disagree with almost everything the previous poster said.

However, I have heard the bonds have increased significantly. Ours was $22K. I heard the bonds in Fenney were $29K and the bonds in Chitty Chattty were $38K.

Since our interest on the bond was 6%, we paid it off in 2018. Probably the interest rates on new bonds are lower.

Hi,
I'm replying for my friend who just moved into her beautiful new home in Deluna, but hasn't been able to get internet connected yet.
Home was built very quickly in about 2 months. Design center required about 2 days but tough now due to virus. Best to spend extra money on construction items to make rooms larger, stretches, extra elec outlets, size of cabinets, raising ceiling height etc. Order taller kitchen cabinets as you always need more cabinet space. Making ceilings higher in bedrooms... low cost but huge difference in appearance. She extended depth of home by 2' to allow converting her small walk in master shower into a gorgeous Roman type shower and added a much needed window above shower for extra light. This meant whole back of house had the same extra 2' which made all rooms at back of home deeper and thus bigger. Well worth the small extra cost. She widened kitchen island and had cabinets installed on both sides of island which greatly increased cabinet space. Best to take their credit for kitchen appliances and buy what you want elsewhere. Definitely cheaper to just take their basic countertops and linoleum floors and put in what you want later. Take their basic kitchen sink/faucet and replace later with something nicer and far less expensive than what they would charge you. They wanted $1200 for a white porcelain kitchen sink and she got a gorgeous granite sink for just $350! Get the color cabinets you like as expensive to change those. Order/install your own laundry room cabinets. Pat's in Leesburg has the identical wood kitchen cabinets for a fraction of the cost TV would charge you to add cabinets. If your kitchen pantry is the small closet type, pay extra and order the built in pantry with pull out drawers as so much more space than shelves. Order the corner lazy susan in kitchen corner if you have the space as stores so much more than just a regular corner cabinet. Make sure you check where and how many elec outlets in each room as important to have enough outlets where you want them, especially on lanai. Surprisingly stretches and raising ceiling heights wasn't that expensive. Get size windows you want for extra light and pay attention to direction home and rooms will face to decide where to spend money for larger windows/higher ceilings if facing north or east. Larger outside window trim makes a huge difference especially if your home is on a corner. Taller baseboards very attractive. If you plan to keep window shades, then just get theirs, but if you want nicer/different window treatments, just take the credit and get what you want later. The sliding window panels sold online or through Home depot online are inexpensive and so much prettier than vertical blinds on sliders. Sadly they still won't tell you the price difference for extras when making your choices, but you can always start with the basics they give you, then tell them you want new price for various upgrades, changes you want after your first price given. All in all, her home is beautiful and well worth the small, extra money she spent for construction changes, stretches, raising ceilings etc.
I just had my one year inspection by an independent home inspector and he found very few and only minor items that needed to be repaired. I agree that basically they do build quality homes here in TV and amazingly so quickly that most homes are ready in less than 3 months from the day you pick your lot!!
If you're picking a lot, you're obviously building south of rte 44, so strongly consider location before deciding where to build. Lots/homes in Marsh Bend/Deluna have quickest access to Brownwood town square and those in Chitty Chatty very long golf cart ride to ever reach Brownwood, which is a problem as golf carts are the only way you'll ever find parking places at Brownwood even now.
Good Luck and welcome to your dream retirement community!!

Easy Process
 

We picked out a corner lot in Aug 2011 and had 1 year to build. In Dec TV sales agent was encouraging us to build sooner in order to take advantage of a $12,000 incentive to do so. Old house sold and closed the end of Jan 2012. We came down and rented CYV through TVs relocation program until our house was built. We met with a designer to pick finishes etc for 2 days. She showed us the flooring and cabinets etc as installed in the various model homes and was expert at guiding us along the way. Very exciting but tiring indeed. Start of our Lily build was 2/13/12. We went every day to see the progress. Closed on home 4/11/12. Very few minor items on the punch list during walk thru. Our builder and his subs did an excellent job. Warranty had to fix one item after move in and that was a hardwood plank had come unglued and a hardwood door sill had a gouge in it. They were promptly fixed. Before 1 year was up had a reputable home inspection done. No real glaring issues found Only regret, not stretching back 1 foot on lanai and making our birdcage 1 foot wider. We are extremely happy with our home. Most of our home finishes etc were taken from the model home which we both loved. BTW, our Whirlpool Gold appliance package has held up very well. We didn’t see the need to run out and trade them in and get top of the line appliances since neither of us cook that much. I am sure the process has changed since 2012 but I am sure it will be an easy process for you. Good luck and enjoy your journey!

Excellent
 

These are excellent call outs & considerations!

Wow! Some absolutely great advice here. Thanks, Everyone!

So far we have it down to two models. The Laurel Oak and the Bridgeport. There has been a Villages couple that we've corresponded with that shared their experience with the upgrades and stretches they did on their Laurel Oak. You know who you are.. Thanks again!

So this is kind of where we're at now. I know we'll change our minds some once we get there and put eyes directly on things.

Will most likely add third car garage and maybe even a forward stretch. No such thing as a garage that's too big. Especially since the house we're leaving has a four car garage and a 40'X40' and a 25'X30' shop. :D

The wife is leaning toward vinyl plank flooring. She doesn't want carpet anywhere. I kinda like carpet in the bedrooms but she said I can have an area rug - lol..

I was worried about doing granite after the fact but am leaning that way. I'm not real familiar with quartz and what I've seen didn't give me the fizz like granite does. Will look at more quartz between now and then to give it its fair chance. Bottom line, wife has the say on this.

Will definitely do our own thing with appliances. Wife demands a range hood. The fan on the microwave just won't do. I'm trying to convince her that she doesn't need a double oven - lol

I know we'll need additional outlets and will learn more about ethernet outlets instead of phone line. I doubt we'll get a land line so that will be a waste for us. Also a hose bib on the lanai.

We plan on doing a pool during construction. We've heard the wait for a pool after the fact can be months and we would rather pay the markup now than have the intrusion of construction later.

I'm a big fan of insulation so that will certainly be something to look into.

At our current house we have a tankless water heater with hot water recirculation. We will look into having a recirc line installed during construction. Also need to look into having a larger gas meter. Our current heater is rated at 199,000 BTU's. Had to have a larger meter installed to accommodate. If we can't do it I won't cry too much..

Thanks again. This thread should be helpful to a lot of people. Some great things to take into consideration.

They can never be too large anywhere.. :1rotfl:

My wife and I had five homes built for us. Two years ago after my wife passed away I decided to build in the Villages, orange Blossom Gardens. I knew exactly what I wanted in my home and it only took 2 hrs and 15 minutes to make all selections with the designer at the Street of Dreams design center. I have Hammock plan and I stretched what I could. The options available were more then any other house I was involved in. I knew what I wanted and I was the only decision maker, so decisions could be made quickly. The home was built in about 75 days and finished more than 30 days prior to the estimated closing date. I went with the high end appliance package except I requested a GE Advantium Microwave, which the builder was able to get.

We built less than a year ago. We selected a lot and put down $10,000 in order for us to get 120 days to start the design. This gave us time to sell our house in Michigan. We rented a house in the villages starting August 1st last year. Second week of August was our design week. Took most of the week to get it done. We didn’t add a pool and that can add a significant amount of time to the process. We ordered a Iris 10 model with garage stretched 6ft and lanai stretched 4 ft. We used some of the garage space to add a utility room between the garage and kitchen. Only cost was additional doors and cabinets. Also added a large patio in back for grill, smoker, hammock, etc. Also added gas line for grill and smoker.
Once design was done we paid remaining amount needed to get to 20% on Friday of design week. We received a closing date of November 21. Wood for forms for concrete floor was dropped off at lot before the end of August. House probably could have been ready by November 1st if we were willing to pay to move closing date. We didn’t get fans, major light fixtures and appliances from the Villages. We ordered these while the house was being built and had them installed starting the day after closing. We moved in about 6 days after closing. We have been very happy with the entire process and of course the house.

Lots of good advice above. Agree with the stretches and garage. Add an extra outside water outlet, very cheap. We didn’t like the standard mirrors in baths so we had them not install any. Much easier then ripping out something And adding our own. We went with luxury vinyl flooring. Had lots of problems, Great Lakes eventually agreed to pull out all original flooring and replace at no cost. Took about 8 months to get it done but very pleased with the new floor. We had a great installer the second time who obviously knew what he was doing. The first floor was not done correctly which caused all the original problems. If I had to do it over again, I probably would get the standard flooring and replace after closing. We went with quartz, we had it in a previous home and we really like the ease of care. The design process and build went smoothly. We had some minor problems in the first year that were quickly addressed. The floors were the only major issue.

We were please with our sales agent and the construction crew, but not the design process (our closing was April 2020).

Since we were not living down here, we did the design process in a single week. It was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life! There are so many ways the process could be improved. Although the construction process seems to be efficient and well done, the design process stinks.

Opportunities for improvement include: allowing buyers to more freely browse the design center and make tentative selections BEFORE starting the formal design process; providing a clear schedule and milestones at the start of the process; proactive transparency around the full-range of available choices and selections (e.g. which Homecrest cabinet colors are not available in TV, what upgrades are available for garbage disposal, HVAC, garage opener); providing a floorplan that shows everything that is standard or typical (e.g. placement of outlets), transparency of pricing, having a broader range of materials and colors to select from (e.g., not everyone wants gray!); providing a list of top 10 enhancements buyers make when designing any house in TV such as widening driveway to go straight back from cart garage to street, and top 10 enhancements buyers make for each specific model), offering to provide the above information prior to start of formal design process. Good luck!

I was given pricing on each item no issue,
when we weren't sure of an option we were given homes to look at with them in a finished home.

We spent about 9 partial days in design and several trips in homes as I said above,

As for upgrades we asked and were given answers & cost on the spot or next day

you don't need a floor plan for standard, just visit the model you want.

Overall it was a great enjoyable experience, we're in the home now about a week


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for those who want to grill, have a natural gas outlet piped to where you will have a grill station or close near by. Natural gas grill is much easier and cheaper to use than propane tanks.

sportsguy

Looking at different lots and see prices of 11k to 99k...
What does it cost to build an average designer home on a lot you buy... 1900 Sq foot and just like the ones that are pre built...