[CoachKandSportsguy]

Originally Posted by Oneiric

Sad, that choosing your "dream" home of retirement has turned into a mediocre "Avenue of Disappointment".

pandemics every 100 years will do that to standardized processes and stable vendors which TV had prior to the pandemic. And then human mgmt in many industries made very suboptimal decisions for their customers. .

There were cash flow issues created at TV as there were in many, many other companies as prior customer and corporate employee behavior predictability all got blown up. The TV still believes in the mass migration to FL by retirees, and so they keep on going, and thinking they have unlimited demand, think less and less about customer satisfaction than they did in prior years. . many consultants have optimal cost effective solutions, but the only dimension is cost reduction. . because that is what was asked of them. . nothing in regards to resulting customer satisfaction. .

[Sully2023]

Originally Posted by Hurrikane

As we understand it from recent forum posts, the “Street of Dreams” build process is now more like the “Avenue of Disappointment” regarding very limited choices and options. Thinking of going with the bare minimum selections or least expensive choices then have everything from tile flooring, backsplash, light fixtures, and blinds, added after closing…

Guess choosing basic carpet everywhere possible is the cheapest way to proceed with upgrading to tile flooring later; omit what we can or select the least expensive options. Cabinets, sinks, countertops, and shower, we are thinking those are the “keepers” and we should choose best of what’s available not replacing later.

Has anyone followed a similar strategy and can say they are happy with the results (choices, costs, and quality of third party workmanship)?

My neighbor had a great idea, buy the cheapest home in the design you like. This keeps the annual taxes low. Then add the higher end items as you want to do them in the colors and designs you like.

I just added tile floors to my three bedrooms and Lani. It was not cheap. It was $9,700. It looks beautiful now. They matched the tile perfectly. The question is how comfortable are you living in construction projects?

[SusanStCatherine]

I recommend getting the standard Delta plumbing fixtures in the bathroom. We paid a lot for upgraded stainless steel and they have a bad finish and they spot easily even though we have a whole house filter and water softener set to the highest. If you want the special valve for shower control you may need to upgrade that.

[Dgodin]

Why not see what is offered first?

[SusanStCatherine]

Originally Posted by Dgodin

Why not see what is offered first?

You can ask if you can go to the design center prior to your appointment. I heard some people were allowed to do this. We were not offered this but did not know to ask. Some got detailed letters from their designer about what to expect from the design process - we did not.

Go to as many open houses as you can prior to your appointment. Ask your salesperson to take you to the model homes on McKnight and nearly completed or completed new construction homes. See what they have that you like. Look at everything - trimwork, fixtures, cabinets, flooring, etc. (Look closely at quality of product and quality of installation..) We were sent away by our designer many times for this so she could "work on numbers." If you have already looked, no need to waste your time on it during the design process.

BTW the model homes have the best workmanship you will see.