My contractor experience thus far
 

These are the services we've had performed so far and thought it would be helpful to share my experience. We had solar panels put on the roof for solar pool heat and Jack's From Jack's Solar was our contractor - 352-267-4903. They came when they said they would, worked like dogs and got the job done on time. Very good to work with and I would recommend.

Tile Seal....actually grout seal. We used Professional Carpet and Tile - Pat Moore - 352-516-3565. He was very pleasant to work with, came when he said he would did a great job on the tile and went above and beyond to make us happy. I would recommend.

We are using Stellar for our landscaping - 352-553-2597. They have been great so far. They mow, trim, pest control, fertilize and clean up well when they are finished. I would again recommend.



We also used Tim The Tool Man (Tim Miller) to put our attic stairs in 352-217-0561. He came when scheduled, was very pleasant to work with and got the job done quickly. Would recommend. We also hired him to come back next week for other odd jobs.

We also used Custom Home Closets for our office layout and all closets 352-748-9181. Tammy was very good to work with. She is patient and is willing to come to your house to do the layout. They install them next week.

For crown molding we used Creative Finish Carpentry (Mario Viola). 352-552-6555. These guys are like machines. They get the job done in record time and are very pleasant to work with. Would recommend.

For our window treatments we used 48 hour blinds 352-330-7310. Although Rick is hard to understand, he is eager to please. The blinds aren't in yet so We don't have them installed, but they did put temporary blinds up in our bedroom so we could sleep there until our
plantation shutters arrived. He is good to work with and would recommend.

Hope this is helpful to others when hiring contractors to do work on their home.

We also used The Villages Shuttle for our trip from the airport to The Water Front Inn. We had a great experience. They were on time, the van was very comfortable and the ride was smooth. I will use again.

We had our pool built when we built the home and The Villages uses T&D Pools. Vera was a pleasure to work with and they did a wonderful job. If anyone is looking to have their pool cared for T&D charred 20.50/wk to do it all. I would recommend their service. They are there every week like clock work. They have been servicing our pool for 5 weeks now and we are happy with their service.

Lastly, our builder was Paul Mulbauer and I cant say enough about him. His workmanship is outstanding. He answers our calls when we call him and he even stopped by the house to answer questions. Our contractors commented on how well the details in the house were executed. He is a real perfectionist and professional. We really got lucky on this one. We are extremely happy with everything so far.

Wow, thanks so much for the great recommendations. I have a feeling that you're a pleasant customer, which makes for good working conditions. I'll bet they all wished folks were as pleasant as you.

happinow - so good to "hear" from you - and to hear that things seem to be going real well! your post with phone numbers is like a service directory! will pring it out for my florida telephone book! thanx! may your future days go as smoothly!

yeah
 

Thanks for posting and sharing part of your journey for those of us who can only dream about such a move for now! Enjoy the journey!

So good to hear from you again. You put a great deal of information into your post which is very helpful. Thanks

When your plantation shutters are installed can you give an update on how it all goes? I'm planning on getting them also. If you don't mind, I may PM you to get a cost from you after they are in. Thanks again for such an informative post.

Welcome to TV, Happinow! Nice to see you back! Glad to read that everything is going well for you. Congratulations!

Happinow, Sounds like things are falling into place. Posts full of useful information like this one is why reading TOTV is so valuable for wannabees and those about to move to TV or those remodeling their homes in TV. Hope you are settling in well. :wave:

Welcome Back Happinow!
 

It's so good to see you posting again! Welcome Back!

You stated that you used Professional Carpet and Tile - Pat Moore - to seal your grout. Did he use one of the color seals or was it a clear seal. What did he do "above and beyond" the sealing that you were so pleased with? Thank you for your very informative post!

KC

Hello...good to hear from you!

Nice to see you back. Your posts were missed. It sounds like you've been super busy completing your new home. I too will hang on to it for your recommendations (thanks for names and numbers). Have you considered anyone for landscaping?

Thanks Happinow!

I copied and pasted your post into a folder I use contractor recommendations. Great info. And WELCOME BACK! So glad you are here again.

I also used Pat More 2 years ago and Tammi for the custom closets and agree I would highly recommend them. Jobs well done.

We did use Carl Siegel for our plantation shutters and love them. Hope everyone keeps posting recommendations of jobs well done.

Thank you for the good information. Have you ever posted these contractors on Angies List? I sometimes go there also to look at reviews on local contractors. The problem I have found though is the closest "home city" is Orlando, and not sure where others are posting there comments. But this seems to be a better forum update if we are careful about the "hearing all sides" issues and not just some irate customer with a vendetta or another contractor. At least that can't be done on Angeis list

THANKS for sharing Happinow!

Happinow, Welcome Home........

Nice to see you are back.
This list is extremely helpful since we close in 3 weeks.

We also used Pat More for sealing our grout, and he did use a clear sealer, so the final upshot is the grout color did not change after the sealer dried. We also highly recommend him to do work in your home.

Just a note on sealing before you spend $ make sure it's not already sealed.

If the water doesn't bead, look to see if the water darkens the grout pretty readily or not.
I find that some sealers don't make the water bead much, but still keeps the grout from darkening with the water.
If the grout quickly darkens with water (like water darkens a dry concrete sidewalk), it's not sealed.

It is so nice to hear of all your good experiences. Often, people don't post unless they have had a negative experiences. As I read your post, I kept looking for the negative. lol. You fooled me. I guess I'm getting programmed for negative. Hahaha

Happinow, welcome back to posting again!!

Bill :)

Wrong number Tim the tool man????
 

HI everyone. I posted a number on here for Tim the tool man (Tim miller) and I think it may be wrong because I'm trying to get a hold of him and I get a ladies voice that doesn't sound very professional. Could someone verify the number please?? Thanks a bunch.

You posted 352-217-0561. Close but no cigar. Try 352-217-0516.

PS - Dittos on the Welcome Back, even if you are a Steelers fan! Chuckle, yuk, yuk! Your being back on board makes TOTVs value climb like a homesick angel.....

Thanks for the correction
 

Thank you. I think I'm becoming dyslexic! Working with way too many numbers lately. I apologize for the number mix up. Everyone who copied it down for future reference, please change the number so you don't get frustrated dialing the wrong number over and over. I'll do better next time. The mind is a terrible thing to lose!!

Actually, I called the 217-0516 and that was the ladies voice. The correct number for Tim is 217-0561

Good gravy!! Sounds like we all need a 4th, 5th, 6th opinion. In all honesty I've never (yet) called or hired Tim. The # I quoted traces back to a previous posting here....so, if it was wrong then it's still wrong! Apologies....I think.

I don't know. Just know I called the "corrected" number first and got the lady's voice. I thought, "Gee is that a lady or Tim has a really high voice." So I tried the number 217-0561 and voila! It's Tim.

Sounds good enough for me. Thanks for going the extra step. I'm correcting my Roledex even as we speak.

I hope Happinow sees that she was right before she was wrong before she was......

Happinow, glad you came back and now you've made us "Happy Now".
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I Need Advise
 

I read and appreciated Happinow's list. I copied it and filed it for future use. I have a question that perhaps you can help me with. Do you have to seal the tile/grout in the entire house? I have lots of tile in all areas including the Roman shower. I can imagine this is very tedious and costly. I tried the water test and the grout darkened immediately. So I guess it's not sealed. What are the advantages of sealing and the disadvantage if we don't. Thank You

Welcome back Happinow. So good to hear from you! I am moving into my home this Friday, so all your recommendations are very much appreciated.

leenie24, Happy moving in to your new home! Hope everything goes smoothly. :wave:

Feeling silly
 

Oh geez......I realized after I was corrected that my original number was the right one. Talk about who's on first! Glad we got it right, finally. I guess Tim is a popular man!

Grout sealing
 

I believe that sealing the tile helps keep the grime out. When dirt builds up it is much harder to clean. The clear seal protects It from dirt getting settled in. They did my showers as well. The grout in the shower will still turn brown when wet after it is sealed but when it dries it will go back to it's original color. I have an expanded gardenia model and I think about 2,200 sq ft and our cost was 2,600. Our whole house is tile. It is pricey but he also cleans and buffs all of your tile and it looks really nice when he is finished. Hope that helps answer your questions.

?
 

We were told by our builder to not seal the tile for the first year.

And I have no idea why?

It does cancel the warranty on the tile to seal it. We have chosen to not seal our tile. We lived in our house in Hadley for three years and cleaned the floor frequently. Nothing ever changed as far as grout color.

If you knew me well, you would know I am an enthusiastic house cleaner, the product of generations of German haufraus. If it gets stained I will just add a little bleach to the water when we clean it. Henry is now our "Sharker". Bless his heart, he has taken over many of the chores that used to be mine. I am truly loving this retirement.

Many have sealed the grout themselves and it is no small task.

It is an option that can be done at any time. Either sealing it yourself or having it sealed. Our grout isn't "white white" but more of a ...greyish tanish grout. Not so quick to look dirty.

Just my take. I will be shrieking if it gets real dirty looking. This is a dirty place.

Yes I think it was pricey but if I follow you, you had the tile and the grout sealed.
My question is if the tile is a ceramic or porcelain tile you only need to seal the grout not the tile that type of tile is sealed in its manufacture?

The question I have is why your grout in the shower will still turn brown when wet?

It should not when sealed. :mad:

I think several of you may get the myths v facts here about this issue.


Also if you have the inclination it is an very easy $40 DIY project.
see this [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSf0QChllVg"]clip[/ame]


.

Jumbo, you are right they don't seal the ceramic tile, just the grout. They buff and clean the ceramic to make it shine. We still had a lot of residue left on our tile when we moved in and having the tile cleaned and buffed made it look beautiful. I would suggest, however, that if you are having contractors in and out at first, you wait until they are finished completing the "dirty" work. I did not even think when I had them come in before the crown molding and closet people. For two days after I had my tiled buffed and cleaned I had to go back through and re vacuum and mop. Talk about a back breaker! If I had to do it again, I would have the grout sealed after the interior contractors were finished. A lot less work for me.

Pretty tile
 

Jumbo, you are right they don't seal the ceramic tile, just the grout. They buff and clean the ceramic to make it shine. We still had a lot of residue left on our tile when we moved in and having the tile cleaned and buffed made it look beautiful. I would suggest, however, that if you are having contractors in and out at first, you wait until they are finished completing the "dirty" work. I did not even think when I had them come in before the crown molding and closet people. For two days after I had my tiled buffed and cleaned I had to go back through and re vacuum and mop. Talk about a back breaker! If I had to do it again, I would have the grout sealed after the interior contractors were finished. A lot less work for me.

Gracie, I fail to understand why and where is that stated?