[Sunflower33]

My friend use magic stairs for electro it’s great. We used Pegasus for our water filter and softener it is wonderful we along with many friends got it over 5 years ago. Love it. Dress up your windows is a good place to get shutters. I use Micheles hideaway in Ocala for my electric shades on lania I’ve had one for 5 years and decided to do another a few months ago. They do a great job

[Chi-Town]

Originally Posted by Kenswing

We did our design process last month.

Appliances: We were told that they wouldn't leave the wall oven or cooktop hole empty. So we bought the cooktop, wall oven/microwave combo and dishwasher from them. Refrigerator and washer/dryer on our own. As to where to buy? We bought at Appliance Direct. But look around at Best Buy also. It might come down to who actually has inventory. Order early if buying on your own.

Crown Molding: We'll be using Creative Finish Carpentry after we close. Creative Finish Carpentry – Central Florida's Crown Moulding Specialists

Closets: We went with the builder wire for now. Will upgrade myself after we move in.

Ceiling Fans: We went with the builder white without even thinking about it. Dan's Fan City is a good source as is Lowes. Amazon if you can install yourself. We will probably upgrade the Master bedroom and Living room right away and the lanai later. https://www.dansfancity.com/dans-fan-city-leesburg

Attic Stairs: If you're looking for motorized stairs Majic Stairs look great. Majic Stairs | Push Button Motorized Retractable Stairs

Blinds: We had the builder put blinds on our master bedroom window only. We will do shutters when we move in. We're looking at Blinds Plus Shutters but haven't decided yet. Blinds Plus Shutters & Shades - The Best Blinds, Shades, And Shutters In Central Florida

Light Tubes: We are waiting until we move in to evaluate if we need tubes. If so we'll be going with The Solar Guys. The Solar Guys: The Villages & Central FL - Solatube(R) Skylight Experts

Security: Haven't made up our minds yet. Might just do Simply Safe on our own.

Smart Home: Not yet sure what we're doing but Villager Audio Video seems to be the go to guy. https://villagerav.com/

Air Conditioning: We went with their single unit upgraded system. It comes with an Ecobee smart thermostat.

Water Heater: We upgraded to a recirculating tankless water heater. The unit itself has the recirculation pump. They run a return line back to the unit from the farthest faucet.

Water Filter: You arrange direct with Nova. Get on their list early. https://novafilters.com/

Entertainment system: We ordered furniture from Babettes. Not sure if they have anything big enough for an 85" though. Ours is for a 70". We haven't bought our equipment yet but will probably just go to Best Buy.

Hope this helps.

Kenswing, I at one time thought your move to TV was never going to get here. I was wrong. Congratulations. And it's obvious that you sure did your homework.

[Max0431Zoe]

Sounds like you will not be sparing any expenses so my suggestion would be to interview several interior design individuals (not big firms) and pick the one that you feel will deliver your expectations. You will save money in the long run because the good ones can actually measure inside your home for furniture size and placement and have pieces custom made at factories in the Carolinas. We did this with our decorator in 3 homes and ended up with exactly what we wanted and under budget for well made furniture. A big plus was we had fun with it instead of being stressed out coordinating deliveries. We even went to gallery storage buildings in Miami for art for prices far under what you would pay in a working gallery.

[Rlheinz19@yahoo.com]

Originally Posted by Retiring

Any assistance is appreciated. Will visit design center in 2-3 weeks for new construction. Narrowed it down to 2 or 3 models.

I’ve been told some items are best to buy/install on my own post-closing. This is what I’ve been told, feel free to add, subtract, refute, etc.

Appliances (gas): take a credit, buy my own. If this is good advice where should I buy.

Crown Molding: might want it in a room or two. If not the builder, who do you recommend?

Closets: I do not want the builder special wire racks. Who do you recommend? Do they also do the pantry and laundry room?

Ceiling fans: Bedrooms ok from builder. Living room, might want to go high-end. Where to buy?

Attic stairs: Would like to go electric? Any suggestions?

Blinds: 48 hour blinds recommended. I want electric blinds for the lanai sliders.

Light tubes: Some love them, some hate them. Is it just another place for a leak to form? Your opinion…

Security: Want to install a quality alarm system, with monitoring. Maybe an exterior camera.

A partial smart house: Any thoughts? Lights, blinds, sound system, temperature, etc.

Air Conditioning: 2 AC systems, house and master bedrm. Is it best to have builder install both units? I saw this as standard in the formerly offered premiere series. BTW, I’ve begged them to build me a St. Charles, a quick no. Premiere no longer offered.

Recirc pump: Does tankless hot water need a recirc pump, should it have a pump, can it have a pump? BTW, I don’t mind waiting a minute for hot water. Waiting minutes might be annoying.

Nova water filter: Do I get this directly from Nova or the design center?

Entertainment center: Want BIG (85” min.) screen tv and associated DVD player/burner. Along with wall furniture to house tv and equipment. Who should I call?

Over the next week or two I will have more to ask. The above is all I can remember at this moment.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your experience. You can also PM me and I’ll give you my phone number if you would rather talk about it.

Blessings,
Frank

We came down last week with the same plan but there was a price increase on our model. We ended up buying a larger new home for about what it would have cost to build custom. Really hated to miss out on design process but better value in the end.

[joelfmi]

Having a degree in construction technology and being a licensed master plumber retired. whom is looking to move villages. My feeling that If you are going to redesign your home is that you take courses in designing your home and read books on design, or have a experienced construction licensed tradesman help you Because It is very costly to tear down walls and move utilities around if you decide to move these architectural features after they are installed. Pennywise dollars foolish.

[Grill Meister]

A note for you and Kenswing..........Lowes offers a 10% discount for veterans. My kinda place.

[stebooo]

Curious, if you WANT a st charles why not look for one. There here and sure the come up for sale or are you too far beyond that option.

[drrichard]

Entertainment system-- Bob's TV 753-5950. Did mine 15 years ago, updated some items since then, couldn't be more satisfoed, wouldn't let anyone else touch it!

[dkaufnelson]

I suggest you raise the ceilings in bedrooms as not that expensive and makes rooms appear so much bigger. Extending length or width of home and or garage not that expensive if you want larger rooms or to change floor plan slightly. Order appliances elsewhere and have them delivered the day after you close. Take the basic flooring and countertops and have them changed after you move in and can see which rooms are bright or dark to help you choose the right color solar tubes make a huge difference in darkened rooms or areas and can be added after you move in. Recommend you put in kitchen pantry cabinet with pull out drawers as difficult to add the pullout portion later. Also recommend corner lazy susans. Have ceilings wired and capped for fans and lights then by your own elsewhere and have an electrician install them. Buy your window treatments blinds shutters yourself after you move in. Choose least expensive sinks and countertops floors etc if you plan to upgrade them to quartz and tile later. Structural construction changes are the most important things to add before home is built such as extensions to garage Lanai etc and especially ceiling heights. Good luck.

[Pbthrockm@msn.com]

Oh my. Why not buy a existing premier home that has many features your looking for. Adding on everything you indicated will be pricey but also lots of work getting it all done. Sounds like you need independent builder and not Villages spec homes. Good luck.

[The VillageElder]

Attic: Go with Majic Stairs plus the "Versa Lift". The dealer/installer is a Villager. Have the Solar Guys line the attic with the reflective material. Install the largest solar vent fan, or multiple fans, depending on the attic. Never had the attic go over 98 degrees.

The stairs and lift will cost about $5k, but it is money well spent and a lot cheaper than a trip to the hospital.

[janechristie]

Please get insulation in your interior walls for a little bit of sound abatement; especially if you have bathrooms or bedrooms that share a wall.

[cj1040]

They dont build premiers any more because they take a larger lot and it is more cost effective for them to sell MORE smaller lots so that is that. We are building a Woodside and it has to have a larger lot (choose from the smaller ones they now offer) so that was a limitation. Then we could expand front and back and only 18 inches along one side. We were told that solar lights ruin the roof warranty and it is best to see if you really have dark areas and need one first. We went with quartz counters, changed the floor plan, flooring throughout, pre wire smart home, extra garage insulation, bought only the Bosch dishwasher from The Villages because they are expensive to install. We bought LG appliances from Home Depot at the Black Friday sales and they will deliver day after closing. They will hold them for you so maybe you can get a July 4 deal or something. We hate the scruffy landscaping that is standard - they have a $$$ allowance with your build so we chose other plants we wanted - the landscaper came to the design center to meet with us there. We used their closet company for masters only and blind company just for convenience - we will get bids and have other closets done after we move in. We got only the lanai fans and will shop for our own fan/light combos later - they capped off those areas. We still spent over 100,000 in upgrades - it all adds up very fast !

[brfree1411@aol.com]

Try CCO Style for the Entertainment center. They did a great job. We had it built to our specs to the wall. We also added cabinet/closets to the master & to the room used as an office. We are very pleased.

[valuemkt]

Originally Posted by dkaufnelson

I suggest you raise the ceilings in bedrooms as not that expensive and makes rooms appear so much bigger. Extending length or width of home and or garage not that expensive if you want larger rooms or to change floor plan slightly. Order appliances elsewhere and have them delivered the day after you close. Take the basic flooring and countertops and have them changed after you move in and can see which rooms are bright or dark to help you choose the right color solar tubes make a huge difference in darkened rooms or areas and can be added after you move in. Recommend you put in kitchen pantry cabinet with pull out drawers as difficult to add the pullout portion later. Also recommend corner lazy susans. Have ceilings wired and capped for fans and lights then by your own elsewhere and have an electrician install them. Buy your window treatments blinds shutters yourself after you move in. Choose least expensive sinks and countertops floors etc if you plan to upgrade them to quartz and tile later. Structural construction changes are the most important things to add before home is built such as extensions to garage Lanai etc and especially ceiling heights. Good luck.

We spent two years "upgrading" our Atlanta house before deciding to move down here. We looked at many many existing homes and each one was going to be another major renovation. So with the decision to build came the tenet that it was move-in ready .. appliances came days after close - but tearing out counters, flooring and the like was not acceptable - we didnt want the mess or the hassle .. it;s a free choice everyone gets to make.