Builders of new houses using 1/4 round at baseboards. So strange...
 

No idea why I'm posting this now. I actually meant to mention it to my builder when we did our walk through with him. But all the new houses I saw in Lake Denham and the other nearby areas had short baseboard and then 1/4 round at the flooring. Generally this is done on floor replacements when they can't put the new flooring under the baseboard and don't want to remove and replace the baseboard.

It really cheapens the look. 4" baseboard with 1/4 round looks smaller and just kind of crappy. Why would they do this on all the new construction. Some of the more expensive model homes in the new Eastport area had bigger baseboard and no 1/4 round, so they were done correctly.

Is it quarter round or shoe molding? The more common molding at the floor is shoe molding. It is installed to create a certain appearance to the house, and it is not uncommon in new houses. Some people think it provides a more formal look. I would not agree that molding at the floor is mostly used for floor replacements. If I were replacing my floors, I would also replace the baseboards, even with the additional expense.

You answered your own question. "some of the MORE EXPENSIVE models have bigger baseboard and no 1/4 round". Those are the 2 key words in caps.

Why do they do that? ... Cutting corners generates more profit.

Also common do-it-the-cheapest-way things that are super cheap to do properly, or with quality parts, while house is under construction, but are costly after walls are painted...
Using push-pull water shut offs, and a plastic main water shutoff. Lack of outside outlets on all sides of the house. Using substandard appliances. No insulation above garage and lanai ceilings. No blocking in the walls for mounting TVs, grab bars, or curtains. One lever water shutoff for washer. A dryer vent connection recessed into the wall. A water overflow pan under the washer (that drains outside). Cabinetry too shallow for standard depth refrigerators. Crabgrass. Skimping on the number of irrigation zones. Gutters. No prewire for security systems. No surge protection for incoming power and cable feeds. Double hung windows that have only one window that can open. Lack of storage such as a pantry, shallow garage depth, etc.
So many missing things are omitted that you cannot see, or don't notice.

It’s because they used luxury vinyl flooring instead of ceramic tile. LVF acts like a floating floor and the shoe mold is used to cover the necessary gap required to allow for expansion and contraction.

Profits for the 1%. It’s difficult not to be jealous…

Yep

In looking at the designer and premier houses on The Villages website, some of them have shoe molding and some do not. It's hard to tell which wood colored floors are floating floors, but some have shoe molding and some do not. And, some of the houses with ceramic tile floors do have shoe molding. You can install a floating floor without using shoe molding, especially in a new house, but you need to install the flooring before you install the baseboard.

We have shoe molding on our laminate flooring and I actually like it. The flooring was installed by the previous owners of our home. The baseboards look like they have dimension with the shoe molding. We have round corners on our walls which was an upgrade when the home was built. The shoe molding around those corners looks really nice. I would imagine I'm liking the look because who ever installed the floors did an excellent job installing the shoe molding too. The cuts are perfect.

We’ve officially hit the end of the internet, if we are discussing quarter round on floors.

slight addition. :throwtomatoes:

shoe mold
 

You have your choice when you have concrete floors that are not completely level. If you install anything other than carpet you will have gaps. You can fill them with shoe mold or 1/4 round or fill them with caulk. I prefer the shoe mold to caulk.

Yeah I guess I do know why. Because I was curious if there was some reason I didn’t know. But it’s not a cost savings, actually cost more. They could put the LVP down first with appropriate gap and then put the baseboard.

Seems wasteful to install baseboards, then floor, then come back to cover the gap.

Sorry, I am not jealous at all. The Developer family works hard and provides a necessary and well-regarded product. I do not begrudge them or their success at all. I’m tired of hearing “1%”. Success does not come easy in many businesses especially the one you are jealous of. Their success rides on all the hard work and risks of the previous generations going back to Harold Swartz. The family is simply continuing that tradition.

I completely agree. Plus adding 1/4 round doesn't save them money.