Your Villages Building Experience..

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Old 09-09-2020, 06:32 AM
jrieker68 jrieker68 is offline
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Current builds are about 5 months. I would definitely go with quartz, not granite. I prefer hardwood in main living areas rather than tile, but that's just me. Get your own appliances, lots of complaints on what builders are putting in.
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Old 09-09-2020, 07:01 AM
grumpy@turton.us grumpy@turton.us is offline
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Default Designed and built

Our build started last September.
We lived in Windermere (50 miles away) so had a lot of opportunities to go to open houses both new and preowned. And I mean for like 2 years we did this so we had a pretty complete list of what we wanted.
During the design, we gave them addresses of features we liked and the looked up what we saw so we would get the exact feature. Once the design was completed we were taken to several new homes to see the exact feature we picked out. So there were no surprises. So we have no wish I did that for our home.
We did tile throughout and on the diagonal. The build took 2 months and 12 days to complete.
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Old 09-09-2020, 07:02 AM
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Just finished, yes you can get the cost of any item, you don't get a list of what options you can get you have to ask them.

Stretches are a very good buy on sq ft basis, so max them out.

I did a lanai ceiling 10' rather than 8' dramatic difference, but I saw it it home under construction and asked about it. Also no center column have a 24' clear span view.

Flooring is very expensive 16-28,000, do it later.

Do a 3/4 lanai floor, it raises the floor almost flush with interior no cost option
Another is smooth curved sidewalk & drive no cost

Larger hot water $13

Look at as many homes under construction as you can for ideas.

Any option you select ask to see it in a home cabinets & counter tops

Quartz/granite 7-9K Corian looks like quartz 2K

No appliance

Garage door windows $100

Recess fridge 6"

ungraded landscaping super deal.

If you have a view lot the pano screen or have the horizontal bar at the top rather than the bottom.

Pool from T&D 65K & up, if paying cash do it later

As to interior walls rooms you can do almost anything
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Old 09-09-2020, 07:05 AM
txfan txfan is offline
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Construction currently underway with closing date Nov. 24.

Process started with lot selection and $2,500 "hold" deposit. We had 10 days to secure it fully with $10,000. (the $2,500 was returned to my credit card)

** "Winning" the lot is a whole other story! **

That started a 45-day clock within which we had to complete the design process and "contract" the build.

Design actually began virtually with about five separate 2-hr meetings to design the OML (outer mold line) of the house. This is where we stretched everything we could to accommodate our requirements.

The in-person design and selection process began on a Monday and the pool design meeting was the following Monday.

Within that first week, we completed all the selections, made adjustments to the basic OML and changed windows/sizes. Also within that week were meetings with landscape and closet design.

The pool took most of a day, but others will tell you it can take only 1/2 a day most of the time. Again, this depends on the specifics of the "customization."

After about two weeks, we contracted which requires 20 percent down. At that meeting, you are given the closing date. It will not be sooner. It will not be later. It is that date. That 20 percent does two major things: It secures the funding to buy and order all of your selections so they're on hand when needed for installation, and it guarantees no PMI on a mortgage (if you'll have one) since you will have instant 20 percent equity in the property.

If the house is completed early, it will sit there until your closing date. If you want to close early, you pay extra.

Our construction start date was Oct. 5. The house and pool are being built in integrated fashion and will be completed sooner. It's an assembly line in new neighborhoods, which is good in that all of your workforce is in one concentrated place until it's time to move down the road to the next row of lots.

So far, all is going quite well and quite fast. We visit about once a week and a friend stops by once a week. We've caught one minor issue thus far, but that's it. They are thorough and know what they're doing.

Last edited by txfan; 09-09-2020 at 07:18 AM. Reason: typos
  #20  
Old 09-09-2020, 07:11 AM
grumpy@turton.us grumpy@turton.us is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by txfan View Post
Construction currently underway with closing date Nov. 24.

Process started with lot selection and $2,500 "hold" deposit. We had 10 days to secure it fully with $10,000. (the $2,500 was returned to my credit card)

** "Winning" the lot is a whole other story! **

That started a 45-day clock within which we had to complete the design process and "contract" the build.

Design actually began virtually with about five separate 2-hr meetings to design the OML (outer mold line) of the house. This is where we stretched everything we could to accommodate our requirements.

The in-person design and selection process began on a Monday and the pool design meeting was the following Monday.

Within that first week, we completed all the selections, made adjustments to the basic OML and changed windows/sizes. Also within that week were meetings with landscape and closet design.

The pool took most of a day, but others will tell you it can take only 1/2 a day most of the time. Again, this depends on the specifics of the "customization."

After about two weeks, we contracted which requires 20 percent down. At that meeting, you are given the closing date. It will not be sooner. It will not be later. It is that date. That 20 percent does two major things: It secures the funding to buy and order all of your selections so they're on hand when needed for installation, and it guarantees no PMI on a mortgage (if you'll have one) since you will have instant 20 percent equity in the property.

If the house is completed early, it will sit there until your closing date. If you want to close early, you pay extra.

Our construction start date was Oct. 5. The house and pool are being build in integrated fashion and will be completed sooner. It's an assembly line in new neighborhoods, which is good in that all of your workforce is in one concentrated place until it's time to move down the road to the next row of lots.

So far, all is going quite well and quite fast. We visit about once a week and a friend stops by once a week. We've caught one minor issue thus far, but that's it. They are thorough and know what they're doing.
Curious, when we bought our lot the clock for finishing the design was 120 days.
  #21  
Old 09-09-2020, 07:22 AM
Travelhunter Travelhunter is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenswing View Post
Since it looks like we're going to be choosing a homesite and building a house, I'd love to hear from those of you that went through the process.

Your overall impression of the process. What is the process? How long did it take from start to finish? How long to pick all your finishes? How flexible are they to customization? What were some of your concerns during the process?
Granite during the build or after? Appliances? Window coverings?

Let me hear it all. I love details.
I built recently and was extremely disappointed with the quality of the workmanship and list of items that needed to be fixed
I was told all these items would be taken care of during the one year warranty period however each item required an appointment with up to a four hour window
There were holes in the ceilings, grout covering the tile spacers, pieces of flooring missing, broken countertops, and a long list of obvious defects
If I did it again I would hire a home inspector and delay closing until the house is “finished”
I would take the inexpensive carpet and countertops, buy my own appliances. After closing I would rent while my contractors installed granite counters and tile floors
It will cost much less and you will control the quality of the workmanship
  #22  
Old 09-09-2020, 07:55 AM
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During the build I checked the work every few days, yes minor issues they missed, I simply emailed my designer who contacted the builder and was corrected.

I also left notes and put blue tape on minor stuff so the builder would see it.
The guest bath cabinet was not level, a few days later the cabinet, mirror & plumbers were there removing all of it. Now perfect

The only major error was my bird cage they had the wrong plans on site, I happened to be there. Met the TD supervisor who checked our contract he had new plans which were texted over in 30 minutes. If I wasn't there it would have to be taken down & redone.

When elec was being done I made numerous changes and went over everything with the sub as they were working (not supposed to do that) but they were very happy to do the work once rather than redo it.

Because I was on top of everything as of today there is nothing to adjust or fix.
So the walk thru in about two weeks will take 5 minutes.

Also not going to bothered with people coming in to fix stuff later.

100% happy with the quality of build (my designer) and the subs on the home, we close on the 29th.

Having built a few homes back in NY I had experience in construction.
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Old 09-09-2020, 08:58 AM
steve1025 steve1025 is offline
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Number 1:
You're not buying a house, you're buying a project. Number 4 is the floor plan. Numbers 1, 2 & 3 is location.
Check the satellite shot. You dont want to be near a Pickleball court or across the street from the mailbox station, or on a busy street.
After an 11 week build we moved into an empty house. I went out and bought a 32 in
TV, a blowup mattress and paper plates, and I was never happier. Then one piece of furniture would show up every Friday. Leave the old furniture behind, we just took one bed.
  #24  
Old 09-09-2020, 09:11 AM
MandoMan MandoMan is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenswing View Post
Since it looks like we're going to be choosing a homesite and building a house, I'd love to hear from those of you that went through the process.

Your overall impression of the process. What is the process? How long did it take from start to finish? How long to pick all your finishes? How flexible are they to customization? What were some of your concerns during the process?
Granite during the build or after? Appliances? Window coverings?

Let me hear it all. I love details.
1) No one has mentioned insulation. I don’t know what the standard amount of insulation is, but adding 6” to 12” of extra blown in insulation in the ceiling should only add a few hundred dollars to the price but should be recuperated in the first year.

2) A more efficient HVAC system has a slower payback—several years—but then it’s gravy.

3) I love to take a bath, but I need a long, deep bathtub. Six feet long, two feet wide, and deep. The average bathtub is a waste. A larger one costs more, but it is more likely to get used. (By contrast, jacuzzis in bathtubs seldom get used, and shallow oval or triangular tubs are a waste. Get INTO the tub and make sure there is good neck support. Many baths are designed only for sitting up—too sharp at the edge.)

4) Put in lots of security grab bars in the bathrooms, whether horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. If horizontal, they double as towel rods. These have to be screwed into studs or into horizontal lumber set into the studs, so you need to plan for them in advance. One slip, fall, and trip to the E.R. Costs much more than do these grab bars. I have 15’ of horizontal bars and one vertical in my bathroom, and I’ve learned to use them all the time. They’ve saved me from many falls.

5) I installed kitchen cabinets in my bathroom over the sink, six feet wide and three feet high (two 24” doors and two 12” doors). I had a glass company put mirrors on the 24” doors. Thus, I have medicine cupboards six feet long and a foot deep. I also had four outlets put in the cupboard for recharging my shaver and things like that. I also had outlets installed below the counter for plugging in a blowdryer. It hangs from a hook below the counter.

6) Have Panasonic ultra quiet fans installed in all bathrooms and something similar in the kitchen over the stove. These must all vent to the outside. The bathroom fans should be 100 cubic feet per minute, and they should be wired to a timer that offers several presets. A stove should always have a strong but quiet fan above it and a range hood, and it has to vent outside so that smell of broccoli doesn’t fill the house. Don’t mount your microwave oven above the stove. That’s too high, anyway, for safety.

7) have your closets well-designed, ideally with a row of shelves as well as hanging room. (I use shelves instead of drawers.) Include hooks for hanging things, too. (Closets are easy to add later, but don’t skimp. They repay the cost on resale.)
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Old 09-09-2020, 09:17 AM
Dgodin Dgodin is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenswing View Post
Since it looks like we're going to be choosing a homesite and building a house, I'd love to hear from those of you that went through the process.

Your overall impression of the process. What is the process? How long did it take from start to finish? How long to pick all your finishes? How flexible are they to customization? What were some of your concerns during the process?
Granite during the build or after? Appliances? Window coverings?

Let me hear it all. I love details.
We built 2 years ago. Used TV builders so it was almost turnkey (no washer/dryer). Chose a model and spent 4 days doing "street of dreams" selections. Mods: Stretched the garage, stainless appliances, tile walk in shower, extra outlets.
TV builder would not expoxy garage floor, install lights in ceiling fans, install steps in garage crawl space (but did put a light and switch)
So we did those with outside contractors.
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Old 09-09-2020, 09:42 AM
Altavia Altavia is offline
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Max out the garage, they can never be too large in FL.
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Old 09-09-2020, 10:11 AM
KRM0614 KRM0614 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenswing View Post
Since it looks like we're going to be choosing a homesite and building a house, I'd love to hear from those of you that went through the process.

Your overall impression of the process. What is the process? How long did it take from start to finish? How long to pick all your finishes? How flexible are they to customization? What were some of your concerns during the process?
Granite during the build or after? Appliances? Window coverings?

Let me hear it all. I love details.
Find out before you sign a contract how much the bond is because they increased it 30%. Much of what you read here are residents who built a long time ago. Anything older than 2-3 years is irrelevant. They have a quota of houses to built whether spec or pseudo custom.

Make sure your house doesn’t face East or west the A/C will be blaring.

Don’t believe the sales person about anything. It’s their job to sell you and you bring them referrals. They don’t care they just need to meet their sales. The standard appliances are junk ! If you buy them on your own MAKE sure you get an appliance credit. Don’t get sucked into attic ladder whatever you put up there will be destroyed from the heat humidity and bugs. The aluminum drainage is garbage and where they locate them. Figure that out on your own.

Compare pricing for the junk linoleum against vinyl plank flooring. Where they put in carpet they use the worst padding you can get and no strip between carpeting and other flooring. Don’t get a glass front door everyone can look inside.

If you want extras get quartz not granite. It’s poor quality granite they don’t seal it just like they don’t seal the grout in tile. For bathroom get your own shower head there is not enough flow from the ones they but in bulk! Same with fans ! Make sure you get your own especially one in the kitchen which for some reason then never install. On your own get backsplash other upgrades the design center process are crazy.

Pick out your own landscaping the stuff they put it dies and is junk. You need to be there to watch everything. If you want trim moulding you have to pay extra. Get soft close cabinets that are installed all the way to the top. Under cabinet lighting you can do on your own their price is nuts !

The more you do with TV is more time you spending dealing with warranty ! At closing be there and the next month because your grass will die.

Everything that isn’t fixed before closing will take you forever to get it done and they don’t document the repairs. My house is a year old. It took me a year to fix faucets falling off cracks all over house being repainted and the door and cracked tile.

Don’t use citizens bank you can get a better rate wherever you live now.
You don’t have to pay for title insurance the property is owned by TV. Everything the do called realtors tells you is not gospel. Find out on your own.

In the last 3 yrs the quality has been very mediocre. It also costs a lot more than they tell you. Make sure you get the original deed. I paid cash and they sent the deed to TV even tho it’s my house. I got a photocopy instead now I have to go to the county and pay for another original. I’m going to sell and move north where it’s cooler.
  #28  
Old 09-09-2020, 11:08 AM
VApeople VApeople is offline
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We had our Laurel Oak designer house built in Osceola Hills four years ago and I disagree with almost everything the previous poster said.

However, I have heard the bonds have increased significantly. Ours was $22K. I heard the bonds in Fenney were $29K and the bonds in Chitty Chattty were $38K.

Since our interest on the bond was 6%, we paid it off in 2018. Probably the interest rates on new bonds are lower.
  #29  
Old 09-09-2020, 02:18 PM
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Hi,
I'm replying for my friend who just moved into her beautiful new home in Deluna, but hasn't been able to get internet connected yet.
Home was built very quickly in about 2 months. Design center required about 2 days but tough now due to virus. Best to spend extra money on construction items to make rooms larger, stretches, extra elec outlets, size of cabinets, raising ceiling height etc. Order taller kitchen cabinets as you always need more cabinet space. Making ceilings higher in bedrooms... low cost but huge difference in appearance. She extended depth of home by 2' to allow converting her small walk in master shower into a gorgeous Roman type shower and added a much needed window above shower for extra light. This meant whole back of house had the same extra 2' which made all rooms at back of home deeper and thus bigger. Well worth the small extra cost. She widened kitchen island and had cabinets installed on both sides of island which greatly increased cabinet space. Best to take their credit for kitchen appliances and buy what you want elsewhere. Definitely cheaper to just take their basic countertops and linoleum floors and put in what you want later. Take their basic kitchen sink/faucet and replace later with something nicer and far less expensive than what they would charge you. They wanted $1200 for a white porcelain kitchen sink and she got a gorgeous granite sink for just $350! Get the color cabinets you like as expensive to change those. Order/install your own laundry room cabinets. Pat's in Leesburg has the identical wood kitchen cabinets for a fraction of the cost TV would charge you to add cabinets. If your kitchen pantry is the small closet type, pay extra and order the built in pantry with pull out drawers as so much more space than shelves. Order the corner lazy susan in kitchen corner if you have the space as stores so much more than just a regular corner cabinet. Make sure you check where and how many elec outlets in each room as important to have enough outlets where you want them, especially on lanai. Surprisingly stretches and raising ceiling heights wasn't that expensive. Get size windows you want for extra light and pay attention to direction home and rooms will face to decide where to spend money for larger windows/higher ceilings if facing north or east. Larger outside window trim makes a huge difference especially if your home is on a corner. Taller baseboards very attractive. If you plan to keep window shades, then just get theirs, but if you want nicer/different window treatments, just take the credit and get what you want later. The sliding window panels sold online or through Home depot online are inexpensive and so much prettier than vertical blinds on sliders. Sadly they still won't tell you the price difference for extras when making your choices, but you can always start with the basics they give you, then tell them you want new price for various upgrades, changes you want after your first price given. All in all, her home is beautiful and well worth the small, extra money she spent for construction changes, stretches, raising ceilings etc.
I just had my one year inspection by an independent home inspector and he found very few and only minor items that needed to be repaired. I agree that basically they do build quality homes here in TV and amazingly so quickly that most homes are ready in less than 3 months from the day you pick your lot!!
If you're picking a lot, you're obviously building south of rte 44, so strongly consider location before deciding where to build. Lots/homes in Marsh Bend/Deluna have quickest access to Brownwood town square and those in Chitty Chatty very long golf cart ride to ever reach Brownwood, which is a problem as golf carts are the only way you'll ever find parking places at Brownwood even now.
Good Luck and welcome to your dream retirement community!!
  #30  
Old 09-09-2020, 03:22 PM
JC and John JC and John is offline
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Default Easy Process

We picked out a corner lot in Aug 2011 and had 1 year to build. In Dec TV sales agent was encouraging us to build sooner in order to take advantage of a $12,000 incentive to do so. Old house sold and closed the end of Jan 2012. We came down and rented CYV through TVs relocation program until our house was built. We met with a designer to pick finishes etc for 2 days. She showed us the flooring and cabinets etc as installed in the various model homes and was expert at guiding us along the way. Very exciting but tiring indeed. Start of our Lily build was 2/13/12. We went every day to see the progress. Closed on home 4/11/12. Very few minor items on the punch list during walk thru. Our builder and his subs did an excellent job. Warranty had to fix one item after move in and that was a hardwood plank had come unglued and a hardwood door sill had a gouge in it. They were promptly fixed. Before 1 year was up had a reputable home inspection done. No real glaring issues found Only regret, not stretching back 1 foot on lanai and making our birdcage 1 foot wider. We are extremely happy with our home. Most of our home finishes etc were taken from the model home which we both loved. BTW, our Whirlpool Gold appliance package has held up very well. We didn’t see the need to run out and trade them in and get top of the line appliances since neither of us cook that much. I am sure the process has changed since 2012 but I am sure it will be an easy process for you. Good luck and enjoy your journey!
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