[beady]

We live in a condo, in an end unit. The next building is 20 feet away with trees in between. The back yard faces a road, again with trees as a buffer. Across from the front is an open field.

In TV that is a rare find unless you have a golf front home. I am concerned about being so close to neighbors on what appears to be 3 sides.

We will be down to TV on September 12 and hopefully purchase a home, can't wait, but the close proximity of neighbors is a bit troublesome.

[Frank2]

Initially, I felt the way you do about having neighbors so close to one another. However, I've discovered it's not a issue to be concerned about as you'll find most neighbors are friendly, helpful and keep to themselves unless invited.

Also, the configuration and location of homes on the sites are such that there are no windows that look directly into the neighbors living quarters. Mostly they are across from your neighbor's garage. You'll also find that you are not home long enough to let this worry you.

I'm certain that if you look long enough, and are willing to incur the expense, you can find a home that has the privacy you think you need.

I suggest you come to the Villages and rent a unit to experience the, "closeness" of your neighbor first hand.

Good luck and we welcome you to the Villages, neighbor.

[golfnut]

I've never found it to be an issue, I think Frank covered the subject. One other thing I've noticed is many people put in plantings between houses that are back to back to provide a buffer. Myself, we bought a house that backs to a secondary road and put in some low palms, bottle brush and ligustrums that shield the lanai from the road for what little traffic does go by.

[nanci2539]

This is probably my only concern - privacy. I just don't want to see, smell or even hear what my neighbors are having for breakfast! Nor do I want them to hear our occasional squabbles or our conversations if we talk on a cell in the lanai. Moving from Boston to IL was shell shock for us. We had two acres of land in Boston that backed up to woods. The closest home was a city block away. I could wave to my neighbors but we had complete privacy.

In IL; we have homes around us, pretty close. We're very lucky to have 1/3 acre of land, more than most people have in our area. We spent over five years putting in what we call creative landscaping. Our back yard neighbor's patio is in view of my deck and patio but with the trees and schrubs we put in, it blocks the view and plus it's pretty to look at.

So, where we will be picky about the lot we end up with, if you find a home you love but don't like how close you are to your neighbor, the first thing I would do is put in lots of trees, bushes, prairie grass, etc to block the view. It's worth the investment.

[golfnut]

One other thing I noticed in FLA is that many of the plantings grow pretty quick.

[LG]

After they see you naked once, they will never look you way again!! :joke:

[golfnut]

so true

[swrinfla]

Back in St. Louis, I had only 3 feet or even less between me and my next door neighbors, so the ten and more feet I've got here is wonderful ;D
But, up north my back yard had nearly 100 feet to an alley, with an 8-foot fence at the alley. Here, there aren't any alleys, and my neighbors behind me are pretty g.d. close. Fortunately, they're usually here only a month or two out of the year. I do worry that they may put in a pool, so I occasionally think about what sort of plantings I can add to screen that. That seems to be down the road, however.
Bottom line: you either make early friends with your neighbors on all sides or you end up being unhappy. Far better, you make friends!

[saratogaman]

You can do what we did...purchase a home on a deeper lot. Our lot backs up to other future homes with deep lots so that we all will have a lot of space between us. You will pay a premium for a larger lot...we paid an extra $34,000 and it's well worth it. There's probably 130-150 feet between the house backs. The sides are close, but there are no windows on the sides anyway.

[BUC]

You could do the unthinkable and build a fence in the back yard of the property you paid for plus the property taxes you pay!!!

[Nursee]

I have some great screens on my lanai. All that can be seen from the outside is shadows. It's not prefect but it helps.

Mary Ann

[mejahu]

Originally Posted by BUC

You could do the unthinkable and build a fence in the back yard of the property you paid for plus the property taxes you pay!!!

With those revolutionary ideas, you are in danger of being "tarred and feathered". :joke: To many rules and regulations these days.

[Lil Dancer]

It's easy to create visual privacy with screens, shades or plantings, but noise is another thing. Our lanai butts up to our neighbor's lanai in the back, only about 30 feet apart, and they keep the door from their house to their lanai open virtually all the time. We hear everything . What is a problem for us is they keep their television on all day long in their living room, and they're hard of hearing so it is blasting, and we try to sit on our lanai and we hear it word for word. We've spoken with them a few times, and nothing seems to get better. So, I think it depends on your neighbors, and their lifestyle, how considerate they are, and the distance between the homes as far as how much noise there will be. We're going to try enclosing our lanai with soundproof glass or acrylic, and see if that is an improvement. We rarely hear neighbors on the sides. good luck!

[pili]

Nan2539,

It seems you are facing the same issue we are. We also live in Illinois (Barrington) and we have one acre lot. I don't see or hear my neighbors (and they are wonderful people) unless I want to. Being too close to other homes is an issue for us. What type of home are you considering? I'm thinking of Ranch or Designer because the Villas are not very pretty on the outside (all the same). We plan to visit TV next May. Our goal date to move is early 2009.

Pili

[Avista]

Nan, My husband and I were raised in Cary--just 2 more stops on the train.