Construction Details
 

Does any one know if the villages list details on their homes are constructed? Things like how they insulate, how many psi concrete that is used window , wall framed at 16" or 24" on center etc. I went to OTOFTW and from working in building trades it appears they construct a very quality home. They explain the details what is used and how the homes are constructed. Yes all home builder have to meet building code requirements Question is which one goes above the minimum requirement . I have not found any information from the villages

No, they do not.

We live south of 44 and walked thru many of the homes being constructed in Marsh Bend and DeLuna. Also a few in Chitty Chatty and St Catherines.

Vinyl sided homes are 2x4 wood stick construction on 16" centers. Stucco homes are cinder block outer walks with interior walls 2x4 wood stick construction.

Both will have a small number of steel 2x4 or 2x6 studs. Roof trusses are wood and fabricated off site at a factory and trucked in.

Craft construction? Not really. A reasonable job done to meet building code. Yes, sometimes there are mistakes made and not corrected. Neighbor's 1-year inspection revealed cracked trusses in the attic.

Inspections highly recommended both within the first 30 days after closing, as well as before the 1 year anniversary.

In summary, construction is good enough to build a solid home. No real craftsmanship is visible.

Thks Mike
I currently own a villa so I know how mine is framed. I haven't seen or heard any information from the villages on details. I hate to use OTOTW for comparison but they the only other builder besides the villages I have looked at here. OTOTW builds only build with block walls . All the interior parts of the block walls are with a R 7.5
foam board any gaps such as for electrical boxes. Th. ey use re bar every couple of feet in. the box walls construction Your HAVC duct in the attic by code is r6 but they use r8 and so forth. Theses are examples of details I am looking for in villages homes
Like they say you you can't just a book by its cover its in the details

code rqmnts are always minimum why exceedasthis isn't custom bldg ????

[QUOTE=wlasowicz;1953314]Thks Mike
I currently own a villa so I know how mine is framed. I haven't seen or heard any information from the villages on details. I hate to use OTOTW for comparison but they the only other builder besides the villages I have looked at here. OTOTW builds only build with block walls . All the interior parts of the block walls are with a R 7.5
foam board any gaps such as for electrical boxes. Th. ey use re bar every couple of feet in. the box walls construction Your HAVC duct in the attic by code is r6 but they use r8 and so forth. Theses are examples of details I am looking for in villages homes

Several years ago I looked at OTOTW and went through a few homes in various stages of construction. I believe the build quality is considerably better at OTOTW. However, the lifestyle and activities departments cannot compare to TV. Just wish the Championship courses were better maintained here.

But if a builder exceeds the code requirement than a builder who just meets the code for equal or less money which would you choose? I be curious to see what the warranty claims are for the villages but you and I will never see that. I'm sure you would not buy a car that has a lot of warranty claim versus aa competitor car for equal value

OP, you can get a copy of your actual home plans from Sumter County building department If it is not more than 10 years old, ours were 16 pages of info, in PDF format and they were emailed to me.

I don't think there is any correlation between meeting or exceeding the building code and the warranty claims. Warranty claims are mostly due to poor workmanship or low quality appliances or building materials. My biggest complaints about The Villages houses are the cheap windows and garage doors/openers, and that every house has carpet, even those priced over a million dollars. But, overall, I think the construction quality is pretty good.

I have plans and minor details when I bought it but as a potential buyer villages appear not to often those detail . It appears they just want to sell the lifestyle and sell lower quality homes unless you have mega bucks for a custom home

Correct. But, that is what most people want, so that is what they sell. They could upgrade the windows, but it would cost thousands more and most people wouldn't even notice.

Our home is constructed so well. We are not new to having homes built. We have had eleven built in total.

I have not heard complaints on this forum and I have been an avid user for fifteen years and people are lined up to buy them here. The premium lots when released are usually gone in hours.

So if you think On Top of the World is better. Buy there.

We like our house and really enjoy the quality.

You refer to premium lots in your response. You must be able to afford very high end homes which builders around the country will put in higher materials in high end homes. Working as a skilled trade man with other co workers in trades as electricians pipefitter welders painter and carpenters for 15 plus years I think I can tell if the material is cheap or poor workman ship. I have also been thru several large addition on my home up north. The rate they are building homes here outside (outside the high end ones) you would have to wonder if they substituting cheaper available material the job done. People don't complain probably they don't know any better Your probably the exception

Our first home here before we moved year around was a newly built Designer in Hadley. It was a stick home. Enjoyed it for four years. We had our second home built here. We have friends with the full range of homes and prices and I really haven't heard complaints in fifteen years.

How they build homes here is highly skilled. They have teams of workers who only do certain things. They have the team who digs and lays the rudiments, one who frames, one who drywalls, etc. It is on a precise schedule. On the night before the roofers come, for example, all materials are delivered. Our head builder had them take down tile in the kitchen that I saw no flaw with. When we closed on our first home here, we had a check list of minor things that needed attention. The builder in charge took our list and used his phone and in five minutes the guy arrived with a new bulb for the lamp post. Someone arrived to caulk an area by the sink. Someone else arrived with the sink stopper. Afterwards both times we had minor things that needed attention and they were dealt with immediately. Here is a picture of our first home here. We enjoyed both of them.

Interesting read through this forum. I know a bit about building. I have been in charge of many commercial construction projects up to 10 Million dollars. I have owned about 10 homes in my life of various types and have an engineering degree. I know enough to be dangerous. I own 2 homes in the villages, one is 9 years old (stick built) and 1 is 6 years old (block and stucco). Let's be honest, these are mostly spec built homes that follow similar plans. they have about 30 plans or so they repeat over and over. These are NOT custom built homes with huge amounts of "craftsmanship" whatever that is. In manufacturing, we would call it "mass customization".
So that being said, would you rather buy a Toyota or a custom built car from a "craftsman". I will take the Toyota. That is what these houses are - because they build so many they have Quality control and they have perfected the process. Repitition and continuous improvement. My 2 houses, after 6 and 9 years and MANY renters, look like the day I bought them for the most part. No cracked concrete, no settling despite being built on sand. No window issues, leaks. NOTHING. If you look at the progression of the Jasmine for instance from North to South, they keep improving them but they are the same layout. Very consistent quality.
So my opinion is that the villages builds a quality house for a fair price. Each house IS unique, and you can even have one built just the way you like it, but it has to be one of their models. Mass customization. You are buying a Toyota, but one that comes with an amazing lifestyle. Sure, you can buy cheaper somewhere else and maybe get more "craftsmanship", but you KNOW what you are getting in TV - a good Quality home that will last. I do believe the houses south of 466 are better built than those closer to Spanish Springs - practice makes perfect and you can see it when you walk through the houses.
That's my opinion - take it for what it is worth.

This is the only place I know that builds homes and sells so many, they have to build towns and medical centers for support. Something must be right.