[scrapple]

Originally Posted by philnpat

Gracie, what's missing is not having you as a neighbor

I agree with your wishful thinking! But as long as we're dreaming, I would like to be able to have a potting shed in the back yard to do the gardening and space to hang out in when I want to watch my plants grow. One that hubby could stand up in.

[784caroline]

On our Lantana, we added a 150 sq ft hexagonal room off of the master bedroom. We took one back window out and its now simply an entrance way to the new room. This room can be used as a sitting room, office space or a hobby room. The new room also connects (via pocket door) to the glass enclosed lanai space that has full ac/heat.

The extra space is wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ajbrown]

This is such a social community, I would love a way to sit out front and wave as folks walked by. I suspect they would often stop by for a chat. Something along the lines of a small covered "porch" for a few rocking chairs?

I have not gotten used to sitting in my garage as an option. I always start taking apart my golf cart

[twalker919]

walk in closet in both bedrooms.

garage large enough for two cars and a golf cart in the villas OR a wider drive way (wide enough for a golf cart to pass while two cars are parked side by side in the drive way).

the drive way would have to widened no more than than 6 feet to "fix" the wider drive way problem.....

[JenAjd]

We have a cottage series and for the most part it's good to keep up as well as the yard which we keep up, ourselves. BUT...would have liked a coat closet, a pantry and a bit larger garage too would be nice. The walk-in closet isn't as big as some villas I've been in. Over-all though we're pretty satisified as we did want to 'down-size'. Some day even this may be too much to keep up as we age. Again....sometimes it's "want vs (real) need". Alot of homes in other parts of the world are MUCH smaller than we have here and I think those folks would think we're very blessed.

[SALYBOW]

I cannot imagine why in the world they only have gutters over the entrances. We had to put some up along the front and rear of the home. I would like some sturdy steps to the garage attic. Since we have a large lot by TV standards I wish I had extended my guest rooms a little and made the garage bigger. That being said I thank God all the time for blessing me with such a beautiful home in such a wonderful area. So, I'll shut up now.
Tee Hee.

[VillagesFlorida]

Originally Posted by BeeGee

We've stayed in 2 BR CYVs in our stays in TV - one was the Woodlawn - love the layout - but the laundry was located in the Garage and to get to it we had to move the golf cart out (or crawl through it!!!) Very bad design, I think. The Amelia that we've stayed in has the laundry in Garage, too, but right outside the kitchen door. My question is has anyone purchased a Woodlawn or Marathon CYV and later redesigned the laundry area. Ideally, I'd like to have the laundry interior, but we like the 2 BR size. Hope you can help me.

We have lived in a Las Brisas (Woodlawn) courtyard villa for over 12 years. One of the few complaints I have had with this floor plan is the location of the laundry. The only way I can get to the washing machine is by going "sideways" between the car and the golf cart! Usually, this means folding in the rear-view mirror on the car and hoisting the laundry basket over my head! This narrow passage HAS encouraged me to keep any extra weight off, so I guess that is a good thing! I can see no way to move the laundry to the main part of the house. There just is not enough room. Perhaps if the floor plan had a galley-style kitchen, that would free up space somewhere. But, the beautiful kitchen layout is what sold me on this villa plan. I have had some lovely kitchens in my homes in that "other life" but none any more fun and enjoyable to work in as this one. It's amazing to me what we can learn to live with when other things become more important in our lives. Besides, that narrow garage may just keep me from ever needing the services of Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers!! Life is good!

[Maryland Girl]

Originally Posted by Mikitv

I would have liked the space in my laundry room next to the sink, larger so I could get my extra fridge in there that now sits in the garage. I could lose some of the space in master bedroom and make the other two bedrooms a little larger. I wish they would consider offering solar on the houses since we live in a sunny state and it would help the environment. We had to do so many things after market on a new house, that with the other 5 houses we built it was done at construca crime to have to rip out brand new carpet, even though it is pretty bad, to get the wood floor we wanted and then where does all that carpet go. Probably Landfill. tion time. It's I was shocked after living here months to realize when I bought my new dinner ware how shallow the cabinets are. Can't fit the dinner plates in there. Would be nice if they put pull out shelves in the pantry cabinet. They are so deep you have a long reach in and anything on the bottom you have to practically lay on the floor. Granted they are doing a little more on choices then they did a few years ago. Garages really need to be bigger. Not everyone has one small car and a golf cart. On our bridgeport they could have taken some of the kitchen area by my desk and made the garage bigger. We even added footage to the house while building but only what they would allow. I'll probably think of more. lol

Amen to this, especially the part about having to go in and ugrade a brand new home. We wanted/needed a CYV because of privacy and our 2 dogs and were able to purchase one in Edgewater Bungalows that was stretched, had a two-car garage on a large lot. The only thing we wished was that we could have made upgrades as the villa was being built. Now we want/need to go in and start ripping out here, adding there, upgrading this and that. I want to learn to live within the space we have-I'm tired of too much clutter-but I dread walking into a builder grade home and having my eyes roll up the dollar signs at the upgrades. My true wish is that I would walk into this home and not care about the cheap cabinets, appliances, materials, lack of finishes, etc. But I don't think that is going to happen. I have decided that I will do only targeted upgrades. We are not about to rebuild the house from scratch! So.....my wish? Let us make upgrades to the CYV's as they are being built. Yeah, I know, wishful thinking!!!

[Maryland Girl]

Originally Posted by VillagesFlorida

We have lived in a Las Brisas (Woodlawn) courtyard villa for over 12 years. One of the few complaints I have had with this floor plan is the location of the laundry. The only way I can get to the washing machine is by going "sideways" between the car and the golf cart! Usually, this means folding in the rear-view mirror on the car and hoisting the laundry basket over my head! This narrow passage HAS encouraged me to keep any extra weight off, so I guess that is a good thing! I can see no way to move the laundry to the main part of the house. There just is not enough room. Perhaps if the floor plan had a galley-style kitchen, that would free up space somewhere. But, the beautiful kitchen layout is what sold me on this villa plan. I have had some lovely kitchens in my homes in that "other life" but none any more fun and enjoyable to work in as this one. It's amazing to me what we can learn to live with when other things become more important in our lives. Besides, that narrow garage may just keep me from ever needing the services of Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers!! Life is good!

I just love your positive responses! Keep 'em coming; I/we need them to keep our perspective where it should be!

[Russ_Boston]

Originally Posted by ajbrown

This is such a social community, I would love a way to sit out front and wave as folks walked by. I suspect they would often stop by for a chat. Something along the lines of a small covered "porch" for a few rocking chairs?

I've seen many people who add, for the lack of a better phrase, a European style grotto on the front entrance. Probably not too much cost.

[otherbruddaDarrell]

Originally Posted by BeeGee

We've stayed in 2 BR CYVs in our stays in TV - one was the Woodlawn - love the layout - but the laundry was located in the Garage and to get to it we had to move the golf cart out (or crawl through it!!!) Very bad design, I think. The Amelia that we've stayed in has the laundry in Garage, too, but right outside the kitchen door. My question is has anyone purchased a Woodlawn or Marathon CYV and later redesigned the laundry area. Ideally, I'd like to have the laundry interior, but we like the 2 BR size. Hope you can help me.

We own a San Pedro (former model home)in the Rio Grande Villas and are one of the few that has an inside laundry and a pantry.
We just listed it with a realtor and is for sale.

[Russ_Boston]

There are many CYV styles that have indoor laundry.

[VillagesFlorida]

Originally Posted by Maryland Girl

I just love your positive responses! Keep 'em coming; I/we need them to keep our perspective where it should be!

Thank you, Maryland Girl. It's a lot easier and takes a lot less energy to be positive in our thinking. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001. Surgery was successful and I remain cancer-free. I have to believe that my relaxed life here in The Villages has contributed to my good health. How can we live here and NOT have a positive outlook? My belief is that if a person can't be happy here they will never be happy anywhere. This place isn't perfect but NO place is. I believe I said in another post that happiness means different things to different people. Trying to find happiness in external places and things doesn't always work. I often see golfers who can't seem to enjoy a game unless they are getting low scores on every hole. That is a definite set-up for misery! A great golf game for me is watching the undulating flight of a flock of bluebirds as they head across the fairway to a stand of pine trees. I still laugh when I recall the squirrel who stole my friend's snack bar out of the golf cart and proceeded to sit under an oak tree, peeling the wrapper and eating it all! How could I be angry, watching these antics? How can we not enjoy the beauty of a golf course as the sun sinks below the horizon? On a good day I break 100. On a good day my score is over 100! What did it really matter? I was too busy enjoying nature, the landscape, and my playing partners! So, getting back to the question, that narrow garage is nothing more than a challenge to me, and such a tiny negative in the grand scheme of life. As a cancer survivor I am just happy to be here, enjoying this fabulous lifestyle. It's all "gravy" to me and I couldn't have picked a better place to live out my "bonus" years!

[duffysmom]

Originally Posted by VillagesFlorida

Thank you, Maryland Girl. It's a lot easier and takes a lot less energy to be positive in our thinking. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001. Surgery was successful and I remain cancer-free. I have to believe that my relaxed life here in The Villages has contributed to my good health. How can we live here and NOT have a positive outlook? My belief is that if a person can't be happy here they will never be happy anywhere. This place isn't perfect but NO place is. I believe I said in another post that happiness means different things to different people. Trying to find happiness in external places and things doesn't always work. I often see golfers who can't seem to enjoy a game unless they are getting low scores on every hole. That is a definite set-up for misery! A great golf game for me is watching the undulating flight of a flock of bluebirds as they head across the fairway to a stand of pine trees. I still laugh when I recall the squirrel who stole my friend's snack bar out of the golf cart and proceeded to sit under an oak tree, peeling the wrapper and eating it all! How could I be angry, watching these antics? How can we not enjoy the beauty of a golf course as the sun sinks below the horizon? On a good day I break 100. On a good day my score is over 100! What did it really matter? I was too busy enjoying nature, the landscape, and my playing partners! So, getting back to the question, that narrow garage is nothing more than a challenge to me, and such a tiny negative in the grand scheme of life. As a cancer survivor I am just happy to be here, enjoying this fabulous lifestyle. It's all "gravy" to me and I couldn't have picked a better place to live out my "bonus" years!

You are a gracious lady and a role model for women everywhere.

[taylor111947]

What's missing is ME!