[cherylncliff]

I'm confused. We were down in TV looking at MANY models and open houses 2 weeks ago BUT did not get a chance to see the Juniper. Aside from being frame (I think) vs block construction - how is it different from the Lantana? On the plans listed in the new homes section of the villages website, they look virtually the same with the Juniper looking to be a bit bigger (a few inches here or there appear to add up -- HOWEVER - the Lantana is listed as being the bit larger one

Is block construction THAT much better? There is presently about a 20K difference in price between the two. I like the tray ceiling in the bedroom of the Juniper...Does the Lantana have more upgrades built into its base price to account for the difference?

We are trying to decide between those and the Iris (I like the offset entry and DH likes the golf car garage.) The Iris is a bit smaller but has the tray ceiling in the MBR and the Golf car garage built into the base price and is still block construction...

We know the Lantana needs a larger (wider) lot if we want the golf car garage - and it would also increase the price even more!

Any input is always appreciated and we've found this to be one of the best sources around! . We are several months away from wanting to build but if the perfect house or lot would become available, we'd go forward sooner.

[Bonny]

Because the Juniper is frame, it is a little bigger than the Lantana. That's what I have.
Block vs stucco is really a preference. I'm from Michigan & loved vinyl siding so I went with the frame.
It's very hard to tell what would make up a price difference beside the fact that stucco is more than frame. With most homes here being pre-built, the upgrades are different from house to house.

[sschuler1]

We ended up with siding on our home, and we are glad that we won't have to paint in a few years. Hose it down, and you're done!

We are amazed at how well insulated the home has been. We haven't had to turn the heat on almost at all. The few really cold days we turned it on in the morning to take the chill off the air, and then turned it off and it was fine the rest of the day. It stayed nice and warm.

Hope this helps you make your decision.

[Lobwedge60]

“We are amazed at how well insulated the home has been. We haven't had to turn the heat on almost at all. The few really cold days we turned it on in the morning to take the chill off the air, and then turned it off and it was fine the rest of the day. It stayed nice and warm.”

I don’t want to hijack this but we are looking at new Iris and since all new homes use heat pumps I wanted to know how they performed in the frigid weather you had in January. I heard they don’t do well below 32 degrees. We fell in love with the Iris with the open kitchen and butlers cabinet.

[NJblue]

It sounds like your gut is telling you to go with the Juniper by the way that you are talking about the negatives of the Lantana. If so, go with your gut.

Everyone has their own feelings about "worth". The Iris (and Lily) were not available when we made our decision. When we looked at the Juniper versus the Lantana the Lantana was a clear winner. We much preferred the stucco to the frame from an appearance perspective (the frame was too "northern" for us; we have always had frame up north and wanted something that looked "Florida" rather than "New Jersey suburbs".)

We also preferred the stucco from a storm resistence perspective. As we sat in our closet during the tornado warning a week or so ago, it was somewhat comforting to know that we had a bit more structurally sound than 2x4s between us and the potential tornado (or hurricane).

As to the size difference, the few inches is not noticeable to us.

The block is also less prone to termites than an all-wood structure.