[bike42]

Originally Posted by Heartnsoul

. . . we own a designer now. we absolutely love it but no golf cart garage which is the ONLY thing we wish we had added. . .

If you have room on your lot, have a golf cart garage added on! Construction here is very inexpensive (compared to "up north") and easy to do. Get bids from several contractors; you will be pleasantly surprised.

[keithwand]

We built a Sanibel with 3 car garage and love it. We had the same in Winter Park, FL but this time kept it at 2 baths rather than 4.
We have had 2 neighbors move from Designers on the golf course to Premiers on the interior lots for a variety of reasons including more privacy compared to golfers and balls hitting their homes.
It's still a bedroom 2 bath house and besides there is more turning radius for the scooters and with tile floors we'll be able to hold scooter races inside.
Get what you like and can afford.

[batman911]

Depends a lot on what is important to you. You could get a large lot on a golf course and save some money on the bond by going with a Designer. Then you could have the room to stretch and build what you want. We thought the Premier homes were too formal and, when we visited the neighborhoods, not as friendly as the Designer neighborhoods. Just our opinion. May be the greater distance between the homes.

[NJblue]

Originally Posted by Heartnsoul

thanks for all tips. we own a designer now. we absolutely love it but no golf cart garage which is the ONLY thing we wish we had added. I agree with Sun Direction Extremely important. Our lanai faces North so we are very fortunate to be able to sit out there Anytime in the shade and still have our pool in the sun.!! to us that is perfect. Sun coming into a Lanai is a deal breaker for us. We would never want to enclose a Lanai as that is why we moved to Fla to be able to sit outdoors , not be eaten alive by bugs etc.. I do love the floor plan of this premier we saw however another thing is I doubt we would ever used LR as it has kitchen and family room off it. Just alot to take in.

The most problematic time for the sun is during the summer. At that time of year, the sun passes almost directly overhead and hence at noon, your lanai will be shaded regardless of its orientation. In the late afternoon, however, the sun sets in the northwest sky, so a northern facing lanai will still get a fair amount of late afternoon sun. Counter-intuitively, a southern facing lanai provides the most protection from the summer sun. During the winter, it is the opposite - a southern facing lanai gets the most sun, but that's generally when it is most welcome.

[designerko]

We have a SW facing premier and the sun warms the pool from mid-day on, the sunsets are beautiful and we are in the shade of the deep covered lanai afternoons and evenings. Look at your prospective home at all times of the day since orientation is important, and desires differ for everyone.

My premier is 3 bed/2 baths like most of the designer homes, but all the rooms are bigger; being able to have more room around a king size bed was important to me and having a whirlpool tub in the master was a bonus as well. You can stretch a bedroom, but if the developer won't do something else (for me the jacuzzi) that may make the decision easier. All the ceilings are level at a higher level....instead of sloped to get the height, and that was minor to me. With the master separate from the other 2 bedrooms, I feel I can age in place and even have a live-in caretaker if necessary.

Don't just look at the 2 car garage but look at the overall sizes and compare garage sizes. I've seen some designer homes that are able to get in a golf cart, a small car, and a sedan. But if you plan to only have one car and a golf cart, then you need to identify if you are looking for extra storage, or simply ease in getting in and out of the car without bumping anything else.

It sounds like the premier is priced to take into account no golf cart garage. But the lot site can't be changed, so don't let the price tempt you since that is so important to you. You'll find another equally captivating home: designer or premier. Be sure to consider the bond on the various neighborhoods, too.

Good luck.