[Villages Kahuna]

You’ll be bringing way too much stuff!

[coconutmama]

Agree with “stretch anywhere you can”, plus rounded drywall corners & don’t skimp on the baseboards. If your lot is wide enough, a 3 car garage will add a lot of value to the home. Also add water bib outside (especially out back so that each side has one) & add electric outlet to front door area, back & lanai of home. Never enough of them.

[VApeople]

Originally Posted by coconutmama

Agree with “stretch anywhere you can”

Why stretch? Just buy a bigger house.

When we had our house built in 2016, we liked both the Iris and Laurel Oak models. The Laurel Oak cost 10% more than the Iris but had 20% more interior space, so we got the Laurel Oak.

[jimbo2012]

Ask for a 3/4 lanai floor it is a no charge option.
this will raise the floor and avoid the tripping hazard

Ask for eased edges on driveway and walk way. again no charge

Windows in garage door

Ask about raising the lanai ceiling to 10' and 8' sliding doors

On the bird cage ask about Pano screening

Don't get the water softener pipes, they are all wrong

Call Nova Filters for the info

[Mazjaz]

We have built 3 homes in the past and this one was not pleasant at all and we would never build with The Villages ever again. Price hikes galore, changes to the original plan we were not informed about prior to the design meeting, and they will not give you pricing on anything. Expect to pay $75,000 over your budget because nothing will be priced out until the very end. In the end, you get a cookie cutter, over priced spec home that has little customizing.

[jimbo2012]

We did it twice, it was great experience and cost less that spec home

[Just jimmy]

Originally Posted by adeintl

We just selected a lot and are having a new home built in Newell, near the Franklin Rec Center. Meeting with the design team next week. I would like to hear from folks that have gone thru this experience. Seeking any words of wisdom or advice regarding this process.

Also, considering the color of the exterior, I was thinking of a light off white/beige but according to our designer gray is the most popular. Are darker colors less likely to show mold?

Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks!

Stretch the home wherever you can. Including the garage. We stretched the garage 4 feet deeper and everyone who sees it wishes they had done it. It is a tremendous amount of extra space. Much cheaper to do it when home is built. Have pool built at same time if you are putting one in. Don’t have to rip out lanai, landscaping, and sprinkler system. Or put up with the mess later.

[bark4me]

Originally Posted by adeintl

We just selected a lot and are having a new home built in Newell, near the Franklin Rec Center. Meeting with the design team next week. I would like to hear from folks that have gone thru this experience. Seeking any words of wisdom or advice regarding this process.

Also, considering the color of the exterior, I was thinking of a light off white/beige but according to our designer gray is the most popular. Are darker colors less likely to show mold?

Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks!

I suggest having insulation put in interior adjoining walls. These walls are paper thin and do not appear to be the normal thickness of standard drywall.
Also have 3/4 in plywood or horizontal 2x4s put on walls you plan on hanging anything of substance.

I haven't seen any of the newer homes with mold on exterior walls. That happens if/when you have too much vegetation blocking the sun that allows mold to grow. I would go with a light color because the dark colors will attract more heat making your home much hotter.

[jojoturf]

Closing on designer home next week! Very exciting!

One regret — picked Indigo model after touring model homes Feb 2022. Loved that models front pergola & butler’s pantry. And 3 bed/3 full bath. Villages website shows model with those features - today. Picked lot July 2022. Surprise! Pergola & pantry no longer available! Was not aware of the plethora of model choices seen on TV app. Suggest you look at ALL current model offerings.

Otherwise, design process (Amy rocks!) was quick. Had prepared list of must-haves; got all those items. Spent 2-3 hours over 2 days in Design Center. Drove new build areas for color choices. Build process has been smooth for remote folks like us. Asked realtor for photos, weekly. Visited once at 2 month mark. No delays. Ready for move in.

Good luck with your new home!

[Normal]

If you build a Gardenia/Saginaw add a half bath, it has been worth it. Also go with outlets, outlets outlets and make all your cabinets 48 inches in the kitchen. Furthermore, if your lanai faces East, expand it to its maximum. The Villages will also bring your lanai floor up to within 3/4 of an inch of the living room if you tell them you want it at no charge. Finally, have your garage floor done before you move in.

Good luck on your design experience and congratulations ������

PS. Heather is the designer to get if possible.

If you are thinking a pool…have it done now. People that wait till later……..really really really wait. The neighbor’s pool took almost 9 months because it was done “post construction.”

[rrdsg]

We’re happy with our “custom” home but didn’t love the process to get there. Be warned, when you are offered a choice, a price is attached to it and no one will tell you what it is until very late in the process. You can change then but it would be better, IMHO, if they were much more open up front. Were I to do it again, when offered with a choice, I’d ALWAYS ask “what is included for no up charge?” Often what is included is fine or can be replaced after move in for much less. An example, interior door handles, a simple handle selling on Amazon for $100 a dozen, $50 each from the builder. Even if you have to hire a handyman to install, you won’t spend nearly as much.

[Normal]

Originally Posted by rrdsg

We’re happy with our “custom” home but didn’t love the process to get there. Be warned, when you are offered a choice, a price is attached to it and no one will tell you what it is until very late in the process. You can change then but it would be better, IMHO, if they were much more open up front. Were I to do it again, when offered with a choice, I’d ALWAYS ask “what is included for no up charge?” Often what is included is fine or can be replaced after move in for much less. An example, interior door handles, a simple handle selling on Amazon for $100 a dozen, $50 each from the builder. Even if you have to hire a handyman to install, you won’t spend nearly as much.

And…taxes are based on the sale price before you do your upgrades. If a house is 450k at the time of sale, that is the amount you will be taxed on.

[Karmanng]

Originally Posted by adeintl

We just selected a lot and are having a new home built in Newell, near the Franklin Rec Center. Meeting with the design team next week. I would like to hear from folks that have gone thru this experience. Seeking any words of wisdom or advice regarding this process.

Also, considering the color of the exterior, I was thinking of a light off white/beige but according to our designer gray is the most popular. Are darker colors less likely to show mold?

Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks!

FYI Grey is now out of style.......its been in alot of recent magazines and its boring

[Karmanng]

Originally Posted by LisaFleck

We first visited the Villages last February and decided we wanted to build. All summer I scanned Houzz, Pinterest, Magazines, etc. I had my dream house ready. We walked into the Street of Dreams with our realtor (luckily he had warned us of the change) and everything I looked at he shook his head. Can’t get. Not even a gas stove! I went home and burst into tears! After much reflection we decided to proceed. We worked with Amy and she made the entire week as pain free and informative as possible. They start our house Friday in Newell and we are so excited! Once you are able to move past the lack of choices, you realize that if you want something different then choose the least expensive from the Villages choices and redo after market. I too recommend driving around and visiting the model homes. We actually changed our model three times! As mentioned before put in as many stretches as you can! Best of luck😋

YOU can have the GAS stove I wanted electric..........I bought a resale glad I did............

[VApeople]

Originally Posted by Mazjaz

Expect to pay $75,000 over your budget because nothing will be priced out until the very end.

Well, increase your budget. That is what we did 6 years ago.

We chose a house that we liked. After adding some reasonable things like a golf cart garage and an enlarged lanai, we ended up paying about 20% more.

I guess it is the same now.