Looking for Tips/Suggestions for New Build in Villages
 

Hi! Thank you for all this wonderful information on this site. It is much appreciated.

We are planning to build new in the villages and have a few questions. I know a village rep will be able to help but thought I could get some helpful info from all of you while we are just in the beginning stages of planning. Thank you!

1-What are some upgrades that you think would be worth it to do while they are building instead of waiting until after. What might be more cost effective/easier to have them do?

2-Does anyone know approximately what it would cost to add a golf cart garage to the build.
The house we are thinking about does not come with one. We just wanted a ballpark from someone that knows or has done this recently

3-Do the villages give you the cost of stretches, or upgrades individually. I have seen others comment that they do not. I would like to know how much an upgrade is before I decide to do it.


Thank you so very much! ****I appreciate any tips or advice that might help when building.

What model do you want to build?

You can look online at house with and without golf cart garages to get an idea of the cost.

Whether you can add a golf cart garage may depend on your lot. Is the house situated on the lot so that there is room for a golf cart garage?

A VLS realtor can answer all three questions as we would just be speculating about a build that is almost a year out if you started today.

We did what you want to do in 2013, and as I understand it, the options are now much more limited. Send me a PM if you would like to discuss over the phone.

We were able to build a stretched Gardenia, 2 feet on the width, 4 feet on the garage, 4 feet on the lanai, and with the golf cart garage on the outside wall. Lots of specific stuff inside.

Thank you for your response. I am not looking for speculation about the future. I am looking for input from people that may have done this recently. If you have not no need to respond.

We are looking at the Bougainvillea Model. Wanted really to see input on what upgrades you did and felt they were cost effective and worthwhile. Thank you!

1. This is a matter of choice. We avoided after market changes that would require work inside the house. The one exception was window treatments. Outside additions (gutters, screen door, etc.) we will do after build.

2. Can not help.

3. Once you are in the design process, you will see the exact cost of options.

One can’t add gutters, only what required you have zero choices on screen doors, moving interior walls, adding extra outlets, fan/lights, the list goes on….
For most items, You get to look at pictures, not the product you are choosing for your home. Depending on your design person, you may or may not have any idea how much anything costs. You pick out and the big reveal is on your return to sign papers.

The Villages(R) Homefinder - Find Your Dream Home type “Bougainvillea”in the search box. It appears they have been building that model for a while?

2. Make sure the lot can accept a golf cart garage upgrade. Upgrade will range from approximately 20-25K. I say this because on the first model I chose, the upgrade was 20K. Then I switched models, and the upgrade for that model was 25K. My upgrade was just for the width, no length stretch. Oh, and this is fairly current; I close on my home on Dec. 26, 2024.

I know that you build a house thinking you won’t be selling it. However, this happens more often than not. Therefore, including a golf cart garage is more important than you think.

New build
 

We decided to do the floors and countertops that we wanted up front, instead of having the mess of doing them afterwards.
Two things we did but would wait and do after:

Paint the walls. We had them painted because we didn’t want to deal with it afterwards. It looks really nice, but the flat paint that they use is awful. It grabs every little bit of dirt and is very difficult to clean.

Put rollouts in the cabinets. The drawers are fine, but the hardware is cheap and can’t hold much weight. The drawers fall off of the tracks and height cannot be adjusted. We ended up ripping out the ones we had put in the pantry and replaced them with awesome ones from KitchenWise. I now have five rollouts in the pantry, instead of four, and they are fully adjustable and sturdy. KitchenWise was awesome to work with! Save the money up front and do it afterwards.

Only other suggestion is to pay close attention to electrical outlets. There are a couple places we wish we would have added them. We can still have it done, but much easier with the build.

Best of luck!

We built our 2nd house less than a year ago and the experience was much different from the first house that we built in 2017. This time we were not allowed to make any "stretches," so we ended up choosing a house with a larger floor plan than we would have chosen had we been allowed to stretch rooms. The only "structural" changes that we had a choice on was the size of the garage and lanai, and we made them as big as the lot would allow. We also added a pool which was very expensive, but it was really nice having it ready for use on day one. After that, our most expensive options were counter tops and flooring. Looking back, the limited options actually saved us from ourselves, in that we spent less money building this house than we had anticipated and it turned out just as nice as it would have had they let us go wild. The things we added after the fact, such as plantation shutters (from Home Depot), gutters (from Stipes), upgrades to the landscaping (from La Familia), etc. were much cheaper than we would have paid The Villages had they allowed those options this time around. Plus, we had the time to look around at different options and get competitive quotes. You should budget $25-30K for the golf cart garage and they will provide the cost of every option up front (there are no hidden costs). You can change your mind on anything up until you sign the contract, so you will have a day or two to think it over. Everyone from our sales rep, to our designer, to our builder were incredibly helpful and nice. It was an all around great experience so enjoy yourself and don't be afraid to ask questions. You will get better answers from them than on this forum.

Just moved in on our Osprey premier build, 2163sf living space. The cart garage was $27k. We also did the front bump and lanai bump. Both those we less $$$ than the cart garage. Those are the major upgrades allowed to the house.
Not much else to add these days, as they don’t let you even add an electrical outlet, which we wanted for at least one bathroom, for a bidet to plug into. I’m actually surprised that TV being a retirement community that more of us don’t have/use one.
I checked with an electrical contractor about adding one, they charge by 25’ increments, from the electrical panel. 75’ was $525. Tho literally on the other side of the wall of the half bath is an outlet, so I will just tap into that one, easy enough. We have solid surface flooring thruout, no carpet in the bedrooms. $3k to change the Villages white interior to a color of our choice.
We did upgrade to the mid level HVAC ($5k) which has a 2 speed fan. The third bump up in HVAC would have cost $15k, imo not worth it for what it does. Was not a fan of the one speed system in our lifestyle visit house.

Regrets
 

One upgrade we did not do and regret is the 4’ garage extension. Storage is limited and the extra four feet makes a big difference. Would recommend you consider that option.

My only suggestion is to not buy too close to a recreation center. The sound of pickleball being played all day can be annoying.

The design process allows you to make changes to almost everything non structural. The stretches are based on your lot size but you can stretch all 4 walls if it accommodates but doubt it will. You usually get 2 sides you can stretch. If you want a witches hat on the front bedroom windows this should be added during design as well.

They don’t give you a list of prices. You put in things you want to add then they have someone else look at it and come back with actual price for the home. You can’t ask how much is it to put in 4 outlets, you add it to the design and they give a complete price. This was the biggest issue we had when designing.

Our sales rep who we are friends with said additions (pool, shutters, etc) are about 30% more at build than if you did it after market. Not sure if that is still the case but it’s a matter of conscience. We did an after market pool, crown molding, gutters, and shutters, 5 years later still doing upgrades based on what we noticed we wanted.

Biggest issue will be flooring which will be a pain to do after market and the standard carpet the villages used won’t last 2 years. The other big thing is interior paint.

The design process is mostly all about the colors and the fixtures you want to have.

Go to as many open houses as you can to see the insides and get ideas. Things we originally wanted change after we saw other options.

I can help you with all of your questions about building. If you already have a sales representative then they can provide you with the information and it is recommended to get with them. I just completed the design process for myself as well
PM for additional information

Definitely stretch the lanai width at least to 12 feet,and length to cover the entire back of the house. Upgrade the flooring and add sliding glass doors to both back bedrooms. We didn't stretch the garage, wish we had. We also upgraded the countertops.

New Buyers
 

when you build go for the big house you can afford,but on the inside be Very Careful if you pick out top of the line Kitchen Appliance’s ,stove,refrigerator,sinks,freezer,washer, dryer DO NOT GO TOP OF THE LINE GET THE CHEAPEST OR BUY THEM WHEN YOU MOVE IN BECAUSE YOUR REAL ESTATE TAXES FOR EVER IS THE TOTAL PRICE OF THE HOUSE SO BUY THEN AFTER YOU MOVE IN GET THE CHEAPEST COUNTER TOPS.JUST A WORD TO THE WISE.

1) TV has to get a CO (Certification of Occupancy) in order to sell the home, so there's nothing they can leave undone. What they used to recommend was if you are set on having something different than they offer, get their cheapest version and after settlement "remodel your new home." We found this dumb and just chose the model, finishes, etc. that we could live with and be happy.

2) Have you looked at the models in real life? We "knew" which model we wanted looking through the floorplans, but once we did the Lifestyle visit and saw the footprint in real life, ALL the models we thought we liked were a hard no. I'd look for a model with AT LEAST a 2 + golf garage. I say "at least" because there's no REAL storage in these homes, and bumping up the garage to 2+, 3, or 4 car is the cheapest way, especially if you add a mini-split (A/C). The area above the garage gets too hot to store anything that could melt or soften and get sticky like rubber, plastic, etc. Obviously, you'll need a lot that will allow it. I think all the homes are built such that the front of the house is 18' from the road, so narrow pie shaped lots probably won't work.

3) Yes, they told us the cost of each stretch at the design center, and for the same reason I stated for larger garages, I'd do every stretch to the max that will fit the lot, although we only did a 4' deep stretch on the Laini, and it's been fine. They price of stretches isn't that much.

Lastly, we don't like the GE Profile appliances. The dishwasher doesn't work well, and we've spoke with others that feel the same. You have to run the sink hot water until it gets hot (~2mins) and then start the dishes, but it doesn't seem the dishwasher hits dishes with enough spray pressure to blow food off. The icemaker of the frig is God awful slow dispensing the meager amount of ice it can hold and jams if you try to dispense cubes. The G.E. service person said it's because sometimes cubes will stay doubled/tripled when dumped and that's too big for the dispenser; he said just use the crushed ice. The gas stove is fine.

Very few if any of these smaller designer homes are on lots wide enough to add a golf car garage. You might want to consider a design similar to what you want that includes the golf car garage or choose a newer pre-owned home that has all the things that you want already in place.

A witches hat? Is that like a turret? I don't know that I've seen a turret on a bedroom window before - usually above a kitchen table or dining area or main entry foyer. I don't know I've ever seen one in The Villages. Could you elaborate?

If a witches hat is offered it make the room so much larger. Without the hat, the front wall of bedroom is straight across, or a slight bump out. By changing to witches hat it added a 4’ alcove. Makes the room very design forward, and useful space.

You can view the space on TV website with models that offer various elevation.

Upgrades are limited, and depending on your designer, you may not know individual prices. Stretch everything they let
you, especially lanai and garage. Flooring would be a pain to redo yourself so we upgraded ours. If you have them paint the walls, ask about paying extra for Sherwin Williams paint upgrade they had back in 2021.We got the best HVAC unit offered. I would not upgrade anything else because you have a much better selection and quality and cost if you have it done yourself after moving in.

try and make sure your lanai does not face west. East is much better especially in the summer. check out the bond/taxes. Very expensive in the southern areas

We have a veranda on a corner lot, a full three car garage and a yard large enough for any full size pool. Can’t figure why it hasn’t drawn more attention from potential buyers. Still under all warranties etc. why build when you still have to upgrade landscaping, add gutters, a water filtration system and more when it’s already done?

Carl…. Carl…. You aren’t understanding her question. She wants to hear from people who have already built this model and what they upgraded and were happy or unhappy with.

Depending on style of home you will NOT be able to do the olf car garage also many are not able to be streteced and then its only 2 feet that you are able to do that on and not all models either

I have west and coming from Az I found it was not all that hot but then again mine is off to the side of the house..........

I would not do sliders on bedroom that makes furniture placement harder plus I like a darker bedroom not very bright light coming in.......

Insulation
 

Insulation and plywood flooring in the attic

Power shades work well with a western exposure.

The sunsets here can be spectacular, especially if you have a view lot.

Like the old adage says, it usually comes down to four things:

1. Price;
2. Location;
3. Location;
4. Location.

I had a neighbor that had his house on the market for three years. Couldn't figure out why he couldn't get the target price he had in his head. Eventually, with the pandemic and all, the market caught up to his asking price and he sold it. He was bewildered also. SMH.

Be aware of how the sunlight will affect living in your new house.

Our house faces east. Our lanai faces west, so it is very nice in the morning but not in the afternoon. We have a patio in the front of our house, so we often sit out there in the afternoon because it is shady.

Our bedrooms are on the east side of our house, so no light comes from those rooms into our living space. Since the west side of our house has two windows, we get plenty of light coming in our house. People whose house is too dark either get used to it or have solar tubes installed.

You will find with a new build prices are no negotiable. The sales people can help you with the cost for?????????? A golf cart garage. We have a two car garage and sa golf cart garage. Our golf cart is in the main garage section and I use the golf cart garage as my shop. A major problem in the villages is storage space. No one has on but I sure miss my basement

Thank you!
 

Thank you very much all your responses!

TL,DR the answers

but mine is and did it:
no traditional phone or cable outlets. All phone and cable outlets need to wired as ethernet. Nee to add additional outlets in the attic for easier security camera power, and ceiling mouted WIFI access points, with ethernet wire provided, and then have a whole house network solution in the wiring closet, using a Galaxy as the network wiring closet solution. Better coverage for WIFI around the house and for security cameras, etc.

We approached the problem of we put in now which is relatively permanent, tile, countertops, to make the house minimally functional and don't want the mess and hassle of aftermarket replacements/upgrades.

The one item I would have paid more for was the type of paint. The cheap white paint is very soft and difficult to keep clean with bumps, scratches, etc. I would have gone with the hardest type of paint, acrylic, alkyd, or whatever they offered. They use California Paints as their primary supplier, and the ULTRA AQUABORNE CERAMIC INTERIOR PAINT is the best paint the supplier offers for hardest paint.

good luck

Stretches
 

We are currently building a Sunflower designer home that comes standard with a golf cart garage. The garage stretch (4 ft. for $7K) was priced at $3500 per each two feet of stretch and the lanai (2 ft.) was $5000 per each two feet. That was all that would fit on our lot. My rep was able to give me those costs before the design meeting. Most other upgrade costs were unavailable. You can't add stretches later, at least feasibly.