[Travelhunter123]

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)?

Very smart choice
Do not buy appliances from the builder either
You will avoid paying real estate taxes on the upgrades

[SusanStCatherine]

Originally Posted by Mazjaz

I did exactly that on the new build we moved into in August 2022 in St. John’s. I have built two new homes elsewhere in the past and The Villages was the most ridiculous and frustrating of anything I have ever been involve in. Between The Villages unwillingness to disclose the cost for upgrades, a bump in the base price of our plan of $25,000 at our design meeting due to lumber prices going up (lumber went back down 2 months later but we got nothing back), non disclosure of several key changes to design features of our plan ahead of time until we got to our design appt….then had to pay a fortune to make changes back to the original design. Good luck with these Village idiots. I ripped out the base carpet the day of closing and gave it away on Facebook market place. Left the vinyl sheeting down and put vinyl plank everywhere…my preference since I have seen too many older seniors fall on ceramic and break something like hips. I put in all the light fixtures, fans, blinds, did my own painting. Personally I would prefer not to have had to do any changes because it really ruined the enjoyment of building a new home, and I will never build another new home with The Villages. The build process was the “Street of Big Disappointments” and not great quality at all.

So instead of Living The Dream you got Living The Nightmare just like us, almost a year prior. Our increase was $19K. They were doing rolled sheet vinyl throughout until right before us they changed. We got LVP and it came with a major scratch along main walking area. A year later and the warranty department left replacement flooring in garage and there it still sits. We also had a designer who would not break down most prices. We have often been stuck at home for a ton of warranty work even an entire week for tile redo.

[Hurrikane]

Originally Posted by Travelhunter123

Very smart choice
Do not buy appliances from the builder either
You will avoid paying real estate taxes on the upgrades

Hoping we have the option “not to purchase” - thinking they will want an oven and dishwasher for closing so will select cheapest and list for sale and replace from BestBuy or Home Depot sales…

[SusanStCatherine]

Originally Posted by jimbo2012

We took vinyl over carpet, you can put most plank flooring right over it.
At the time the options were almost unlimited 2.5 years ago.

Back in 2021, they took away the option of sheet vinyl throughout. That's what we would have done, but we did not want carpet in the bedrooms.

Several people have told me they had problems with the sheet vinyl ripping. Warranty told them it is "delicate" and will not repair. Apparently, that particular vinyl is no longer offered. I have even heard sheet vinyl is no longer an option. Call the design center or have your salesperson call for you and ask.

[SusanStCatherine]

Originally Posted by Travelhunter123

Very smart choice
Do not buy appliances from the builder either
You will avoid paying real estate taxes on the upgrades

Back when we built in 2021, it was the worst of supply chain problems and still Covid issues. We were allowed to close without a single appliance. Since appliances were hard to get, they were ordered and stored in the garages of new construction homes. After the appliances were installed in the home, the roaches would come out. That made our decision for us. We got GE appliances from an appliance store (Sonny's Altamonte Springs) that backed us up after GE failed to repair after nine visits and just brought us a new fridge. We would still be fighting GE if we had gotten appliances with our build.

[Ga.dawg]

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)?

Get upgrades on Cabinets and Flooring , cost will be much cheaper than aftermarket, light fixtures and plumbing fixtures usually have plenty to choose but not a big deal to change out later and is cost effective, if wanting wide baseboard I would also do now , crown molds can be added later usually cheaper than during build , if wanting any stretching of house , garage or screen porch do now also , I have found those to be most cost effective things the developers do ,
Good luck

[SusanStCatherine]

Keep in mind things change and not everyone has the same experience. As for your getting the cheapest list, we did not get a backsplash or blinds. We got some light fixtures but skipped the dining and foyer. You may be able to skip most light fixtures, but outside fixtures may be required, especially lampost which must be lit when dark out.

[CoachKandSportsguy]

The street of disappointments is very sad to hear. The fun of designing your last house, was very satisfying in 2019. We made lots of permanent structural changes during design with electrical, networking outlets in every room and into the ceiling for elevated coverage options for wireless, foundation stretches, no hanging lights, more outlets, 4 gang where tvs and computers might go, central vac, solar light tubes, upgraded HVAC, multiple outdoor house hose spigots, outdoor gas spigots, more lanai outlets, no phone outlets , knowing that those are very hard to do after construction or would not rather spend time being a general contractor afterwards or doing it ourselves. .

As far as appliances, be sure the cabinets spaces are big enough for the appliance sizes you want, ie refrigerator vary hugely in sizes.

Monopoly corporate managements always make customer suboptimal decisions as customer satisfaction is no longer a competitive requirement for success. . . as i work in a monopoly, i see it daily . .

[SusanStCatherine]

We got laminate countertops. We asked about getting quartz, but we were told they will put seams wherever they want and they will do the sink cutout with an overhang, which is the most forgiving. We priced countertops ourselves and can get what we want at about half the cost.

[SusanStCatherine]

If I knew what I know now, I would only put in the basics that are required and pay to have it done your way later. If they let you do your own, do it. You will have a lower cost, which determines your taxes. You will have more selection at a lower cost and more control over workmanship and warranty. Beware, the line "Warranty is wonderful, they will fix everything" is propagated by the salespeople and is not true in our case. We have well over $50K worth of remaining defects a year and a half after closing.

[SusanStCatherine]

Originally Posted by CoachKandSportsguy

The street of disappointments is very sad to hear. The fun of designing your last house, was very satisfying in 2019. We made lots of permanent structural changes during design with electrical, networking outlets in every room and into the ceiling for elevated coverage options for wireless, foundation stretches, no hanging lights, more outlets, 4 gang where tvs and computers might go, central vac, solar light tubes, upgraded HVAC, multiple outdoor house hose spigots, outdoor gas spigots, more lanai outlets, no phone outlets , knowing that those are very hard to do after construction or would not rather spend time being a general contractor afterwards or doing it ourselves. .

As far as appliances, be sure the cabinets spaces are big enough for the appliance sizes you want, ie refrigerator vary hugely in sizes.

Monopoly corporate managements always make customer suboptimal decisions as customer satisfaction is no longer a competitive requirement for success. . . as i work in a monopoly, i see it daily . .

This is good advice. Stretches, outlets, and spigots should be done at build time. Make sure you specify outlets where you want them. We were not allowed to specify outlet locations unless we paid to make sure there was an outlet in a particular location.

Review your plans carefully before signing. Our designer did not include HVAC in a small room we said we were using as an office. Not being HVAC knowledgeable, we did not catch her error.

[villagerjack]

Originally Posted by Altavia

Very sad to read these posts.

Certainly kills any interest we would have to build another homes here.

Purchased a Courtyard Villa on Championship golf course with elevated view. We could change nothing since it was already built and we received a $25,000 close out discount in 2008. IMO Location is more important than dishwasher but ironically since we bought on our first visit we had no idea that we were in what we now consider the best area in The Villages, Bonita off Canal, and we knew nothing about location at the time of purchase. Very happy with this purchase since we bought for the lifestyle not the rugs. Made changes over time that we would make no matter where we bought. Time spent out of home greatly exceeds time in our home. If I we were wearing out our rugs too soon perhaps it was a sign that we should get out more. Purchasing a seasonal home in The Villages is one of the best decisions and best investments we ever made. Market price just about doubled. We could not ask for more. This family is perhaps the most successful home builder in the Universe; there are a myriad of reasons why they became billionaires and selling a shoddy product to unsuspecting buyers is certainly not one of them.

[Rande]

We did not custom build but if we did we would take the least we could and install aftermarket. It is less expensive and you get exactly what you want especially if you are planning on not moving. We went that route with our previous home and loved everything. We didn’t change a thing in 16 yrs and sold it in 8 days. You just have to do your research for the best quality and price point you can afford.
Most designers will suggest you live in a home for a year to really get a feel for what you need and want. As far as flooring, go with the cheapest. You may decide on LVP or Wood. My neighbor covered her tile with LVP throughout.
Another bit of advice is don’t look at what your neighbors are doing especially with landscaping. You may love what they have but later on change your mind. Drive around to get ideas.
Important to get gutters after market and water treatment. We used Pegasus but I believe NOVA may have the same system for a lot less. I would check with both to find what the differences are.

[villagerjack]

Purchased a Courtyard Villa on Championship golf course with elevated view. We could change nothing since it was already built and we received a $25,000 close out discount in 2008. IMO Location is more important than dishwasher but ironically since we bought on our first visit we had no idea that we were in what we now consider the best area in The Villages, Bonita off Canal, and we knew nothing about location at the time of purchase. Very happy with this purchase since we bought for the lifestyle not the rugs. Made changes over time that we would make no matter where we bought. Time spent out of home greatly exceeds time in our home. If I we were wearing out our rugs too soon perhaps it was a sign that we should get out more. Purchasing a seasonal home in The Villages is one of the best decisions and best investments we ever made. Market price just about doubled. We could not ask for more. This family is perhaps the most successful home builder in the Universe; there are a myriad of reasons why they became billionaires and selling a shoddy product to unsuspecting buyers is certainly not one of them.

[DrHitch]

If you don't like the builders limited options, consider what is easier to re-do after closing.

But, some items are indeed worth having the builder complete. Some samples:

Electrical: Decora paddle switches instead of toggle. Dimmers for LED everywhere. Floor plugs in large areas. Warm white settings on any can lights (yes, adjustable).

If you don't like the light fixture choices, install the cheapest builder grade and upgrade later.

Install an extra 50 amp outlet in the garage for anybody with a future electric vehicle.

Appliances:
Opt for no appliances that are not required for C of O. Slow close toilet seats on water-saving toilets.
Aftermarket kitchen and laundry appliances often on sale (not part of taxable basis).

Window treatments and flooring:
Opt out as much as possible. Live with builder grade carpeting and get paper mini blinds. Installing blinds is a very easy DIY job after closing.

Doors:
Pocket doors if they're an option. Lever handles over round knobs.

I may be pulling together a 2-column list from all this info...