[frankr]

We were looking in the Village of Hemmingway at the new CYV and they all have pine needles in the front and the back yards. We were told that we could not plant grass as they wanted all of the villas to look alike. We were told that we couldn't even plant in the back behind the wall. Does anyone know if this is true? We could understand them wanting all of the fronts to look the same but as for behind the wall it would be our property and if we want to maintain grass I should think it would be our right to do so. We do know that there are restrictions and we understand their reasoning for the front but not the rear. We just wanted to know if anyone else had heard about this restriction and had planted grass anyway.

Frank & Ginny

[chelsea24]

Sorry Frank I don't know the exact restriction, but I had heard when they were building those that they would not be putting down sod. Maybe someone knows if there's a restriction if you wanted to put in some on your own. :dontknow:

Seems the developer is cutting corners in a bad economy.

[samhass]

I guess I'm a pagan. I would want grass so would look at homes somewhere else.

[graciegirl]

Two weeks ago when we were at TV, we looked at Villas and that is what they told us. We bought a house.

[JohnN]

I don't think it's cutting corners (though it's less expensive perhaps) as much as cutting back on water usage, that will be a big issue as time goes by. When I get there, I plan a "easy landscape" and hopefully no grass in a villa, so it's fine by me.

[Dutchman]

JohnN, my thoughts too. Are their restrictions on tearing out the sod on a villa and replacing with non-watering material?

[Bubbalarry]

They just don't want grass period and want to keep the communities maintenance free.

We have a CYV in Hillcrest @ Hadley and removed all the pine for landscaping rock both front and back.

Sometimes TV go brain dead. Here they want to conserve water and they put in plants that require water and mix them with ones that don't need as much if any.

They use a hose with holes to distribute the water. Even though its setup like a sprinkler system it actually works like a drip system.

So remove those pine needles as they hold bugs that will penetrate your home. Many landscapers have told me how scary it is when they take out the pine. Many have been bitten buy some bad critters.

SO BEWARE

[pm10]

So is there more patio area in the back, or is it all the straw?

[punkpup]

We just did a Lifestyle Preview specifically to look at this new configuration of the CYV's. I'm sure we gave our sales rep fits cuz we were so upset about the change in landscape policy for the CYV's that we made her show us 5 million of them so we could be assured that we would be able to find one we liked when we are prepared to purchase. Mostly we were concerned because of cement being used in the courtyards but we discovered that there is no specific formula .... some have more some have less and the configuration differs with each structure so there's something for everyone. We saw several which would meet our needs perfectly.

Here's my take on the whole landscape thing. Although the pine needles are good for the pH of the soil they are not so great for mammals including humans as it seems that they harbor ticks. They seem to harbor less critters than the Pine bark chunks though. I didn't ask about re-landscaping with grass in the front though as I don't really want grass, it is both water and labor intensive but as far as landscaping in the back I believe you can plant anything you want including a vegetable garden which you cannot do anywhere but in the rear of a CYV, so grass would be OK.!

I have heard of people living in other style homes planting veggies under trees or other plants where they are not visible. Even the rep knows folks who do that and get away with it as long as the veggies are well camouflaged. Herbs are a lot easier as they look ornamental anyway.

[JohnN]

Dutchman,
I plan to do what Bubbalarry has done when I get a CYV.
I think you have to pass it by the Architectural Review Board, but it's pretty common

[Bubbalarry]

This should answer your backyard question. All units should have the same amount of concrete slab for a pool, spa, or patio. Yes its large enough for a pool and a screened in area. Be careful that your landscaper doesn't try to rip you off with poor quality screening. If you can tear it like paper its not good enough.

[frankr]

The way that we understood it was that even the back of the CYV had to remain with the pine needles and that you could not ever change it and that approval to change it was not even a consideration. If it is a water issue then why are they still building other homes with grass? As others have said the pine needles attract insects and other critters. The pine needles also look terrible after they have weathered and would need to be replaced.

[Barefoot]

We love our Courtyard Villa. IMHO, I think purchasers are worrying way too much about the Developer climbing a Villa wall to see what they're up to in their backyard. I wouldn't be shy about replacing pine needles with grass or river rock. I think the "rules" are to protect the owners so the exterior fronts look similar. I don't personally believe that the Developer gives a hoot what you do in your backyard behind your walls.

[njgranny]

Now I have a picture in my head of the developer climbing all those walls.

[chelsea24]

Just another comment on the pine needles, our landscapper said the same thing about all the spiders (some poisonous) that live under all that. We got rid of it completely. Not because of what the landscapper said, just because I love the look of grass and trees. :bigthumbsup: