Sarasota new home construction (to rent, condo, custom home)

[CTnative07]

Are there any new construction residential builders who put ALL of the family bedrooms upstairs? We see lots of layouts where the parents room is not very close to the children's rooms. Thanks in advance.....would also love to hear any advice/experience/feedback you have had with residential building in Sarasota (good or bad).

[blondeFatChick]

If they did that here in FL, they would probably not sell the house to anyone. That's an old building concept found mostly in the North. People don't like to climb stairs - older adults surely don't - hell, I don't like running upstairs if I forgot something that's in my master UPSTAIRS.


I would never buy a house with ALL bedrooms upstairs - it's antiquated. People want convenience of options.


Are there some builders who build that way around SRQ ? maybe, if they're stupid enough to build a spec house that way - custom is custom - get what you want ! but it WILL NOT sell very quickly at all.


Moderator cut: snip It's not the lifestyle....here....or frankly with any builders in the 21st century. That style exited in the 1960s

[CTnative07]

We built a custom 4 bedroom house this way in Dallas, TX, just 2 years ago. Three bedrooms up (immediate family), guest suite downstairs (for our parents or for us when we are old). Our laundry is also up as is a kids play area. So when you entertain downstairs on the main level, there are no messes to be seen. It actually works very well for young families. I would hope an elderly couple wouldn't be needing to buy a 4 bedroom home with a big yard, this is a family design. We have realtor friends in our 'hood who have told us it will sell very quickly. Most parents I know are not fond of being far from he kids at night (asthma issues, teens sneaking out, etc.). I know that FL has many elderly but I would think they are not looking at the same homes that I would be looking at. Sarasota seems to have many young families. We have family on Siesta key and they love their gorgeous old home with all bedrooms upstairs (3 kids).

[Cardiff by the Sea]

CTnative 07 I agree with you. We are planning a custom home and will have 3 up plus the laundry up.

When we were considering buying an existing house, our realtor was aghast we would not use the downstairs master for its intended purpose. We don't want our unmade bed to be easily assessable to the eyes of guests. When hubby and I have different sleeping patterns, it is nice to have the bedroom away from living area.

Regarding old people not wanting stairs: Gross overgeneralization. I have a knee with torn ACL that I have never had repaired. I figure climbing the stairs is better than going to the gym to exercise it. We kept my husbands mother in a 2 story condo until she was 91. Climbing the stairs was the only exercise she got.

And I agree that some families like parents bedroom being close to children. We were in escrow on the existing house mentioned above and we wanted to rent it for a year before moving in. We showed it to a family with 4 children. It didn't work for them because the master was too far from children. One child had asthma and had to be monitored at night.

Over all I just don't like the Florida convention of dinning room in front and master down, That is one reason we decided to build so we won't have to adapt.

You can direct message me on builders we have interviewed and considered.

[CTnative07]

Cardiff by the Sea, we have had two years now with this layout (kids 4 and 6) and we LOVE it. It is so easy getting laundry to and from the bedrooms. Our laundry room connects to the master closet and also to the hallway upstairs. If the doorbell rings, our house downstairs always looks pretty decent for surprise guests. If one of us has a cough, they can go sleep in the guest bedroom downstairs and it disturbs no one.

I agree with you about the overgeneralization regarding stairs. We just recently stopped letting my grandma go into her basement....against her wishes (she's 95). Kind of funny to think that people will look for walking trails in a community but don't want stairs. Or maybe that's a wrong assumption that some people are making.

In Dallas there are some who want a bedroom away from the children but that's usually when the kids are older teens. Ours have asthma (and that seems so common now), so yes, just like you mentioned, we have to monitor. I remember my brothers sneaking out their windows all the time because my parents were far away on the other side of the house.

Well, to each his own I guess.

Will DM you about the builders, thank you.

[Cardiff by the Sea]

Originally Posted by photoman_6

You're the first poster i've seen in this forum in the last four years I've been here that is outright insulting on a personal level ("dumber than a box of rocks")? and obnoxious. I'm formally asking moderators to block you from this site.

I would like to come to FatBlondeChick's defense. While I think he went to the Chris Christie school of charm, he had a very knowledgeable and informative post about insulation and roofs on another thread. I do not think he is a troll. I value the contributions of knowledgable people even when they are overly opinionated.

Perhaps we could request of him to tone it down when his language choice is offensive. Yes he thinks he knows it all, but many others here do too. He is just more brazen about showing it. Also different forums have different etiquettes. It can take a while to learn what is appropriate for a particular forum. Lets give him a chances to learn the norms here.

BlondeFatChick--could you pretend you are following kindergarten rules when posting here? Would hate to see you get banned.

[sware2cod]

Originally Posted by CTnative07

Sarasota seems to have many young families.

That's news to me. Where?

[bbronston]

I'm sure there are others but I know Cardel offers a floor plan like that and I want to say I've seen DR Horton with one like that, too. Not very popular but there are some.

[Cardiff by the Sea]

Originally Posted by sware2cod

That's news to me. Where?

You can see them walking like lemmings to Southside school in the am. But one neighborhood does not make a city.

[Cardiff by the Sea]

Originally Posted by bbronston

I'm sure there are others but I know Cardel offers a floor plan like that and I want to say I've seen DR Horton with one like that, too. Not very popular but there are some.

DR Horton under the name of Emerald homes has one. Very affordable but short on high end finishes.