[BRN_RI_FL]

My wife are in the process of going back to the Villages for our second trip and probably buying. We did the lifestyle preview visit last month where we stayed at the Alden Bungalows which we really liked. The villa we stayed in I'm sure was a very expensive home and we will not be able to afford anything as nice. What really surprised us, however, was the granite countertops in the kitchen. At the sink, they butted two pieces of granite up again each other using some colored caulking. It wasn't that obvious as we saw it on the second or third day but after seeing it, it looked like hell. The fact that that they would allow such poor quality on an expensive villa got me thinking of what else they may be letting slide. Any thoughts on what I need to be on the lookout for when buying here?

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Brucernelson

My wife are in the process of going back to the Villages for our second trip and probably buying. We did the lifestyle preview visit last month where we stayed at the Alden Bungalows which we really liked. The villa we stayed in I'm sure was a very expensive home and we will not be able to afford anything as nice. What really surprised us, however, was the granite countertops in the kitchen. At the sink, they butted two pieces of granite up again each other using some colored caulking. It wasn't that obvious as we saw it on the second or third day but after seeing it, it looked like hell. The fact that that they would allow such poor quality on an expensive villa got me thinking of what else they may be letting slide. Any thoughts on what I need to be on the lookout for when buying here?

We have built ten homes over the course of our lifetime and lived very close to our children who built two.

The short answer is NO, I don't think they cut corners. If there is an issue such as you observed, you would report it to warranty and then the sub contractor will be called by the builder to correct the problem. Their warranty is excellent.

When the house that we live in now was being built, five years ago, we visited every day. One day a sub contractor was removing tile from the kitchen on direction of the builder. It was not end capped properly and the builder told him to remove it. We hadn't noticed. Our first home was a designer and our second is a premier. There are different finishing details on some models series that others do not have, such as wider/higher base molding on premiers compared to designers and other things that come standard on different series of homes. Many people opt to buy homes without high end granite and have their own selection installed. There aren't many complaints about the homes but I have heard a couple about granite installation, choices being limited and not perfect install. If I were you I would call warranty and tell them about your experience. They may not be aware of it because the home you were staying in was being used as a lifestyle home.

The sub contractors hustle to please the builders who mostly all have been with the Morses for a long time. Call Warranty and tell them about the inferior install in the lifestyle rental, and talk to them about your concerns.. It will go directly to God's ears.

[CFrance]

There shouldn't even be any seams in a kitchen the size of a villa. There are several levels of granite quality, and what we saw while house hunting in 2011 was of the lesser quality, and there were seams. We did our Begonia designer kitchen, and two slabs of granite were used, with no seaming. The installer met us at Ultimate Granite with the templates and showed us how it would look.

The Villages builds a medium-quality home. Many people put/buy just the basics in and upgrade later using better materials. But what you must understand is that you are buying a terrific lifestyle, and you are getting a decent house in a fun environment. And the house is not going to fall down around your ears. It just isn't the top quality that you could get elsewhere. We've been in our house since 2011 (new spec home). The carpeting is a poor quality, which we replaced in the bedrooms and tiled in the living & dining rooms. We tiled the lanai, landscaped, finished the garage floor, bricked the walkway. Our kids will have something nice to keep or sell. I know it will still be standing for them.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by CFrance

There shouldn't even be any seams in a kitchen the size of a villa.

We recently had some friends visit TV with the LSP and were put up in Alden in what sounds like an identical villa. The kitchen had the same 45 degree angles on the peninsula where the sink is as our kitchen, and therefore has to have seams. Our kitchen (designer) only has one seam, at the midpoint of the sink, and the caulking is hardly noticeable after 3+ years. Since the 45's are to either side of the sink, they had to "waste" quite a bit of granite to do it in just 2 slabs. There was nothing that I would consider "cutting corners". The lighting fixtures were low end, but the bathroom fixtures were all Kohler and the ceiling fans were Kichler. The cabinets are medium contractor grade and as we all know, the contactor landscaping sucks. Anything that was wrong was handled by home warranty almost immediately. So no, I don't think they are cutting corners. But you also don't get top of the line appliances/cabinets/rugs/tile/etc., not for the price you pay.

[BRN_RI_FL]

Thanks all!
You set my mind at ease a bit.

[rjm1cc]

Good question but I think it will be hard to get an answer as we all will tend to think we made a good decision buying here.
I would suggest you rent a home for a few months and get to know the community and talk to the residences.
You can always find a home that had building problems but that does not mean it is the community standard.
I would also look at outside noise coming into the home. Bad storm, wind etc. Go to the pools and ask about the homes. I think you will find that quality changes over time.

I was told by person putting in window treatments that some developers are very good at making window openings the same size and others are not and he has to compensate for this in his work. You might measure the window opening to get an idea of how much construction quality was considered.

[graciegirl]

I don't think the landscaping put in by the developer is inferior. We have liked it both times. They plant bushes and trees that will weather the heat and sometimes frost. They usually don't put in Palm trees and other tropicals that are iffy.

When we had our pool put in, T&D dug up our bushes and planted them in a corner of the yard while they built/installed the pool...then replanted them when the pool was finished. They survived because they are hardy. Here is a picture of the replanted bushes that were part of our original foundation planting. A note...the difference between sparse foundation planting and waaaaaay too much is about 18 months. Things grow here fast and furiously.

[DeanFL]

I can't offer advice specific to granite, but>

When finalizing a move from MA to FL in 2005, I spent 1 day in 6 55+ communities in the area. One of which was The Villages. In the end, I decided not to purchase in TV, but a 1,000 home community 20 min away. 2 deciding factors against TV at the time - the bond, and my perceived thought that home build quality here was not top-notch.

After spending a lot of time around TV from '05<>'13, we decided to purchase here. Had a Designer home built in Glichrist (a Holly), and been here for 3 years.

My perception of build quality was wrong, and I wasted 8 years of not-living in TV... We had a pro home inspector check our house before the warranty expired - virtually perfect. The main area of concern was the install of the (expensive) floor tiles - had to have the master bath walk-in shower redone in an area, and some grout issues in the main house. And one wall than required more finish work. Was all corrected by the sub-contractors.

After 3+ years here, quality is an A. 2 small nail pops, a couple grout cracks, 2 delta faucets needing parts repl (warranty) fixes, some sod fixes. All mechanicals work perfect, the exterior/stucco is A+, and inside the home - perfect.

So, from us here - 2 THUMBS UP.

[CFrance]

I think by "cutting corners," I am thinking about quality of materials. Do I think they "cut corners" by not building a structurally sound building or installing windows that don't insulate well, or not enough insulation? No, I don't think they cut corners in that way. But I still think they build a medium-quality house. And lately they have been cutting corners by omitting certain items that used to come standard, such as the expanded laundry room in the Iris and ceiling fans in some of the houses south of 466A.

We have two angles in our Begonia kitchen counters--at least one is 45%, not sure about the other one. We were told by our installer to not choose any slab of granite that was less than a certain length and width, and then we would have no seams. That eliminated quite a few choices, but i am happy to have no seams anywhere. I don't think the builders take the same care with some details that after-market specialists do.

[village dreamer]

I have an iris and I think the windows are garbage, the caulking around the windows and floor /wall are all cracking, they must have used very cheap caulking. my house is 3 years old now.

[rhood]

The homes are structurally ok, but the inside installers are not craftsmen. They would be lost without a tube of silicon caulk.

[dietpepsi]

this is a very interesting topic I can tell you as a licensed electrician these are all built to the code but pushed to the absolute max limit of cheapness, these homes are built on moving sand a woodframe home will absorb that moving somewhat and not crack in the foundation however when a tornado comes through here you will be like one of the three little pigs at huffed and puffed! good block homes will still be standing however your roof would most likely be gone and cracks developed because of the rigidness of the walls, these pass the safety code if not they could not get homeowners insurance , as far as quality of workmanship well let's just say it is the absolute most lipstick that can be put on a pig! but it is still a pig ! The thing that scares me is the people to tell you what a great quality workmanship in a great home they are absolutely being fooled and drinking the Kool-Aid,, be very leery do not let the Disney dust get in your eyes. the is fact all of us will never really live long enough to see how this all turns out ,, these are just my opinions as a licensed electrician of 35 years I have almost completely rewired are home. One less thing ::you ask about cutting corners, some of these homes are so out of square they do not have corners!

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by rhood

The homes are structurally ok, but the inside installers are not craftsmen. They would be lost without a tube of silicon caulk.

I think I remember you as a craftsman, rhood.

However, we liked to see the team of women who sealed all baseboards and adjoining surfaces with caulk as one of the final steps of our home build.. Keeps bugs outside for one thing.

[rhood]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

I think I remember you as a craftsman, rhood.

However, we liked to see the team of women who sealed all baseboards and adjoining surfaces with caulk as one of the final steps of our home build.. Keeps bugs outside for one thing.

A tight seam will keep bugs out!

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by dietpepsi

this is a very interesting topic I can tell you is a licensed electrician these are all built to the code but pushed to the absolute max limit of cheapness, these homes are built on moving sand a woodframe home will absorb that moving somewhat and not crack in the foundation however when a tornado comes through here you will be like one of the three little pigs at huffed and puffed! good block homes will still be standing however your roof would most likely be gone and cracks developed because of the rigidness of the walls, these pass the safety code if not they could not get homeowners insurance , as far as quality of workmanship well let's just say it is the absolute most lipstick that can be put on a pig! but it is still a pig ! The thing that scares me is the people to tell you what a great quality workmanship in a great home they are absolutely being fooled and drinking the Kool-Aid,, be very leery do not let the Disney dust get in your eyes. the is fact all of us will never really live long enough to see how this all turns out ,, these are just my opinions as a licensed electrician of 35 years I have almost completely rewired are home. One less thing ::you ask about cutting corners, some of these homes are so out of square they do not have corners!

Pictures showing green wash which is ten year termite treatment and woman painting baseboards. We watched every step of the process and they did good.