[KEVIN & JOSIE]

Has anyone else noticed the downsizing of the kitchens in some of the new Villas? How can you function with so little wall cabinets?

Homefinder - The Villages(R) Homes and Villas for Sale

[JoMar]

Those that buy them

[Rango]

Originally Posted by JoMar

Those that buy them

[rjm1cc]

What is a kitchen?

[Serenoa]

I agree, I've seen studio apartments with bigger kitchens. I don't get it....for years folks had been asking for bigger garages in Courtyard Villas & TV finally listened. But I've never heard anyone suggest that the kitchens would be better if smaller. They are extremely undersized for a $250K+ CV.

[sallybowron]

Originally Posted by KEVIN & JOSIE

Has anyone else noticed the downsizing of the kitchens in some of the new Villas? How can you function with so little wall cabinets?

Homefinder - The Villages(R) Homes and Villas for Sale

We are in that situation. I bought a steel mesh rack and we keep canned good, extra cookware, things stored in tupperware, etc out in the garage. It works very well.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Serenoa

I agree, I've seen studio apartments with bigger kitchens. I don't get it....for years folks had been asking for bigger garages in Courtyard Villas & TV finally listened. But I've never heard anyone suggest that the kitchens would be better if smaller. They are extremely undersized for a $250K+ CV.

There are other choices in that price range.

[villagetinker]

IMHO, I would not keep any food items in the garage due to summer heat.

As for additional storage, I was looking at an open set of shelves behind a door in the laundry room that is always open. I have know idea if your house would support it, but we added a window seat (matching cabinets) and additional cabinets on either side of the window for additional storage.

The only other option might be to change out pullout shelves for wire racks or a different type of pullout storage unit that might offer more room.

Hope this helps.

[thelegges]

As we look for a possible 4th home, I can love the view, but if the kitchen counter is too small, than it’s a NO. Maybe it’s thought that retirement means you don’t cook as much. I find we cook everyday and eat out couple times a month.

[sbarron01]

Had to laugh b/c that kitchen pic has 1 more cabinet than my current kitchen. That's why moving to our old-but-new-to-us house in The Villages next wk seems like such opulence! Currently in a row house in DC; smaller urban homes = less of everything. And forget about storing things in the garage...what garage?!

[Abby10]

Originally Posted by KEVIN & JOSIE

Has anyone else noticed the downsizing of the kitchens in some of the new Villas? How can you function with so little wall cabinets?

Homefinder - The Villages(R) Homes and Villas for Sale

If I'm thinking of the right model, I believe I was in one like that this past December. Notice the louvered doors opposite the kitchen. If I'm not mistaken behind those doors is a huge walk-in pantry. We were shocked when we opened it and saw how much storage space was in there. Also there's probably some storage on the other side of that island as well. One reason not to go by the website pictures alone if you're considering a purchase.

As far as counter space goes, I have a large island similar to the one in the picture in my home up north. I do all of my food prep on that counter. Not only does it offer plenty of space but I prefer working on a counter that is open versus one with cabinets overhead. Also, islands like the one in the picture are usually quite a bit wider than normal counters.

They have done some amazing things with the newer villas. I particularly liked some of the new bathroom layouts.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Abby10

Notice the louvered doors opposite the kitchen. If I'm not mistaken behind those doors is a huge walk-in pantry.

Do you mean the bi-fold doors? I don't see doors with louvers.

[charmed59]

Originally Posted by coffeebean

Do you mean the bi-fold doors? I don't see doors with louvers.

Yup, the bi-fold doors are a pantry.

[pklein9747]

This is just like our Bonita villa here in Hadley. I would definitely give up some of our wall cabinets for a golf cart garage. And did you see that bathroom???!!!! It I didn't just love our villa and neighborhood location, I would definitely think about moving down to Marsh Bend.

[NotGolfer]

If you're shopping online it can be deceitful. We nearly purchased a house that way before we actually came down and looked 1st before buying. SOOOO glad we didn't do the former as we did then check out the "said house" and boy was it much different than online. It was tiny! NOT sure what model is was (it was 10 yrs ago) but we'd not have been happy. We wanted to down-size but I think we'd not have stayed long in that home.

As for cabinet space---if you're looking for a kitchen that meets your needs it's always good to really look at different models before making your decision! Our present kitchen seemed larger before we moved in but then as we were putting items away we discovered it was lacking a bit. We made a pantry (hard to explain it hear) by cutting into a wall into the laundry-room and placing a store-bought cabinet in that. NOT all models would allow this. I know of several folks who've done this however.