Coventry in firethorne vs perry in cinco NW

[T798]

Originally Posted by drzae2000

We built with Coventry in Firethorne and are happy with our home and the neighborhood. Firethorne is very nice neighborhood, is less expensive than Cinco NW, and has (slightly) easier access to I-10 (both neighborhoods are zoned to excellent elementary and junior highs). You can probably get a house on a 70' lot in Firethorne for a comparable price to a house on a 60' lot in Cinco NW.
I also think that the houses in Firethorne (esp. in the 70 and 80 foot section) are better spaced out than homes in Cinco/Cross Creek--many of the lots are deeper, the set-back from the street is deeper, and the builder mix offers more single story homes...I feel I have more room to breathe. Overall, both Perry and Coventry are good (I noticed that many Katy builders use the same subcontractors anyway). I would recommend hiring a 3rd party inspector whichever way you go...Coventry was very good at correcting any/all issues our 3rd party inspector noticed.

How long did Coventry take to build? Also I looked up katy hs on greatschools.org and the ratings are good but keep hearing that's a draw back to firethorne.

[drzae2000]

Build time was fairly quick--around 4 months start-to-finish. We did a lot of customization (non-structural--ie.. adding an art niche, reconfiguring the jack-and-jill bath, adding storage closet to media room area, adding windows, etc). That's what we really liked about Coventry--they allowed us to make a lot of changes, and the price on the changes were very reasonable. You can make structural changes too with Coventry, but I think that they will charge a 5K redraw fee. (same with Highland, but not Perry in Firethorne). I do agree that the drawback to Firethorne is Katy HS's reputation. That said, my kids aren't even in preschool yet, so I am banking on the fact that, by the time they are ready for high school, either: 1. Katy HS will have a better academic reputation or 2. Firethorne will be zoned to the new KISD high school slated to be built in Cross Creek. We'll see--

I think that too many people recommend Cinco because of resale/reputation. I think that it's more important to choose a home that works for you in a neighborhood that works for you. Yes, you will get more for your house in Cinco--but, you're also going to pay more to live in Cinco--IMO it balances out. Resale homes in Firethorne sell fairly quickly anyway.
Lot selection is important too. If you end up with an awesome, oversized lot in Cinco that backs up onto a greenbelt, then go for it. If the same lot is available in Firethorne, and the only lot available in Cinco backs up onto 1463, then the Firethorne lot/home is a hands-down better value.

[T798]

Originally Posted by drzae2000

Build time was fairly quick--around 4 months start-to-finish. We did a lot of customization (non-structural--ie.. adding an art niche, reconfiguring the jack-and-jill bath, adding storage closet to media room area, adding windows, etc). That's what we really liked about Coventry--they allowed us to make a lot of changes, and the price on the changes were very reasonable. You can make structural changes too with Coventry, but I think that they will charge a 5K redraw fee. (same with Highland, but not Perry in Firethorne). I do agree that the drawback to Firethorne is Katy HS's reputation. That said, my kids aren't even in preschool yet, so I am banking on the fact that, by the time they are ready for high school, either: 1. Katy HS will have a better academic reputation or 2. Firethorne will be zoned to the new KISD high school slated to be built in Cross Creek. We'll see--

I think that too many people recommend Cinco because of resale/reputation. I think that it's more important to choose a home that works for you in a neighborhood that works for you. Yes, you will get more for your house in Cinco--but, you're also going to pay more to live in Cinco--IMO it balances out. Resale homes in Firethorne sell fairly quickly anyway.
Lot selection is important too. If you end up with an awesome, oversized lot in Cinco that backs up onto a greenbelt, then go for it. If the same lot is available in Firethorne, and the only lot available in Cinco backs up onto 1463, then the Firethorne lot/home is a hands-down better value.

Thanks for responding, our kids are in elementary school and I like the lots in firethorne and Coventry too so i think we'll just build with them