Talk of The Villages Florida - Home Construction Quality

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Goldwingnut (Post 1910162)

Having watched, in great detail, several dozen homes being built here in The Villages I can tell you that mistakes are few and the quality of work is very good. The men and women building these homes have honed their skills and know their trades. I've talked to some of the workers in many of the trades and to a person everyone is glad for the success of the development because it means guaranteed work for years to come, something rare in the construction trades. When asked about the quality of work they all say the same thing, their foremen are very tough on them and demand quality, the screwups don't last long and don't get passed from one contractor to another. Too many screwups leads to poor quality work which leads to lost contracts and there are 4 or 5 more companies that will do the same job. They seem to take great pride in their work.

Yes, in some of the spec homes builder's grade fixtures and finishes are used, just like everywhere else, this is adequate for the desires of most, many want to upgrade. I replace all the appliances within the first 2 years because I didn't like the noise, they made or the configuration (side-by-side frig), it was a choice, but not one everyone makes. Looking at the newer spec homes, most come with many upgrades that were previously found in the custom-built homes in response to mark demand.

CYV's used to be built with poured concrete exterior walls, that changed shortly after moving south of SR44 to CMU walls. The CMU give greater ease of flexibility in the design and layout of the homes plus it cut the construction methods from three to two being used.

I've heard some people complain that they take shortcut and that's how they build so fast. This is a false statement. The speed of the building is a testament to the high level of coordination that is going on to build the new communities. You wouldn't call a Mercedes or a BMW poor constructed just because it comes off the assembly line in a few hours, of course not, it's a refined and well organized manufacturing process, the same can be said about homes built here in The Villages.

Yes, there will be some complaints because sometimes there will be errors that were overlooked. I expect to see some of those complaints on this thread over the next few days. Considering this will be only a couple of people out of the 2500-4000 homes they are building every year and the percentage is very small.

Don Wiley aka GoldWingNut,
I think I messed my response up by incorrectly posting. What kind of noises did your appliances make? We have GE Profile and the icebox has 5 fans. At least one of them seems to be running all the time to the point it is annoying. GE repair has not been able to correct it. Says it’s pretty much normal. Our home is still under warranty <1yr old.

Our appliances are all Samsung, but I am guessing that no matter what brand, the contractors use the cheapest/lower models. We had so many problems with the microwave, dishwasher, etc. that we had frequent visits and chatted with the repairman. He confirmed that we had low end models that were prone to problems and noisier. We have an open concept large Iris, so the noise is continuous, but we are getting used to it. We will update to the top-of-the-line when the time comes.

I would build a designer to get what I want next time or buy from a first owner with good taste who upgraded.

Also, don't expect square corners or straight walls. While construction is relatively good, techniques and objectives are different in TV. Gramps was a Master Carpenter and much of the family worked in construction. Maybe we expect more precision... like in our home up north. BTW, we have a hip roof stucco to better handle high wind storms ..and I R an engineer! We are happy with our new home south of 44, but will do a bit more upgrading and correction than we thought.

Quote:

Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 1910197)

I don't agree that there is a higher level of construction quality "up north". Most builders everywhere use inexpensive windows in new construction, and copper piping is rarely used for interior plumbing anymore. I don't know what conduit you are referring to. Also, concrete block is a structural material, but brick is not. Brick is used as a cosmetic facade. The structural part of a brick wall is usually wood studs.

In Chicago all electrical work must run thru metal pipe, no romex. Metal is also required for all inside water service so copper it is, except they are allowing plastic for inside sewer pipe. The majority of older houses are Chicago Common brick/cinder block load bearing walls.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catalina36 (Post 1910203)

When I purchased a home in TV, I was told the Stucco homes required pressure washing, and painting every so many years. Also the walls can develop cracks from settling. With the vinyl siding homes and there are many, you just have to wash the siding every couple of years. Note, It is easier to wash siding then stucco. Another I read where a HIP roof is stronger against high winds then a Gable roof. A house with a Gable roof can sustain damage to siding and trim where as the HIP roof directs the wind upward??

We have one of each, they recommend power washing the stucco every year and the vinyl twice a years. We have had no cracks in our stucco to date, it's 4 years old.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catalina36 (Post 1910209)

When discussing home construction and storms some homeowners mention hurricanes that came across TV. I mean really what speed of wind are you talking maybe 50 or at the most 60 mph??? By the time a hurricane enters TV it is most likely down sized to Gale Winds. Up north on the coastal areas like Long Island we have had over 100 mph winds from hurricanes and most likely 98% of the vinyl sided homes sustained NO DAMAGE.

February 2, 2007, the villages tornado.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CFrance (Post 1910339)

The only question I have regarding the time to build a house is the concrete issue. I am no expert, but isn't it supposed to cure for 30 days before being built upon? Or is that old news.

We had cracks in our lanai in our designer, and when we ripped up the carpet in the living and dining room, we found serious cracks in the slab that had to be addressed. You could tell the house had shifted by looking at the door from the laundry room into the garage, which used to be shut tighter than a drum, but eventually you could see through to the garage at one point. And I watched a tile in the entrance to the master bedroom slowly crack right to left.

I think they're decent houses, but expect some issues. In our CYV, when you flip the light switch to the lanai, the television goes off briefly! But I'm a happy camper.

I owned a steel warehouse and the city had to cut through our driveway when they put in storm sewers. They filled over with concrete that allowed 70,000 lb. trucks to drive on the same day, never had a problem, driveway is still there 10 years later.

Quote:

Originally Posted by John_W (Post 1910459)

Hurricane Irma eye wall came directly over TV in 2017 with winds of 85 - 95 mph and with 12-15 inches of rain.

Irma continues to weaken after passing through Central Florida

https://www.weather.gov/images/mfl/H...tAnimation.gif

Turtle Mound Golf Course at Buena Vista & 466A

https://scontent-mia3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...ef&oe=606433C7

The historic side of TV

https://scontent-mia3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...a7&oe=60677C2A

Golf Cart Tunnel at Havana CC under Morse

https://scontent-mia3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...66&oe=60659316

That was our first Hurricane, was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be, I slept through most of it. I was in a few tornados including the one down here in 2007 and those are much worse.

What does CMU stand for?

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimhurtt@twc.com (Post 1910482)

What does CMU stand for?

Concrete masonry unit.

Also known as concrete block.

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Mayes (Post 1910136)

Hi all. My wife and I are seriously considering moving to TV along with a couple of other options. My main question concerns the quality of the homes in TV. We are most interested in a new home that is CMU. Does anyone have any feedback, good or bad, on the construction quality?

The home construction quality here is hit and miss. The builders are given "x" amount of time to do each section or job and if something breaks in the meantime, they are told to leave it and go on. If the homeowner finds it, they will fix the problem but if they do not, that's money saved for them.

That's a sad way to do business, but that's the way Developer here operates. In our first year, we have over 100 things wrong with the house that we found that had to be fixed. It really was shameful!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sherry8bal (Post 1910487)

We have been here 4 years and had to have one floor tile re-glued and that is it. We have owned a lot of homes both new and re-sales the quality of this home is above all of the others we have owned. You must have bought the legendary lemon house that everyone has heard about LOL.

Thank you all so much for the feedback and comments. Most of the comments were favorable of the build quality. I fully expect some issues with a new construction but I feel better about the overall quality and responsiveness through the warranty process if there are issues. Thanks again!!!