T-Minus 237: Wayfair by Highland Homes

 We are searching through many new home building designs and we came across the Wayfair by Highland Homes.

It is important to note that these home designs can not be customized. The builders are building these houses as fast as they can and they don't have time to move a wall or do something different. If we wait until the house is finished and make changes? We'll break the house warranty. Many of these home designs are "Take it or leave it". 

If you read my review of the Bonaire, you know about "The Cluster". From the kitchen we want to see the breakfast nook and the living room. We want the breakfast nook and living room to overlook the pool. The Wafair has the cluster we are looking for.

We also want a lanai that can go across the back of the house. This design can support that. Next, we like the size of all the rooms. The rooms are at least the size of the rooms in our New York home, and sometimes larger.

Next, we prefer the master bedroom and an office to be on the first floor. While the master bedroom is on the first floor, the office is not (unless we converted the dinning room into an office). The walk-in closet is huge, but, unfortunately, it is on the other side of the bathroom. If someone is taking a shower, for example, you wouldn't be able to get to the closet. Finally, the laundry is on the second floor and we need it on the first floor.

The second floor has what we are looking for: we want our adult sons to have a place in the house for themselves that is away from us. They will have their own living room and each will have their own bathroom. Most of the bedrooms are larger than our New York home. With 4 or 5 bedrooms we'll have room for an office and a guest bedroom.

The downside, as mentioned, is the office would be on the second floor instead of the first floor. 

Another huge problem with the Wayfair is the location where Highland Homes is building it. There are two communities (one with quarter acre lots and one with half acre lots) and they are both in the northern part of Haines City. They are pretty far away from Orlando, Disney, and many of the places we want to be. 

In summary, we like the layout, the size of the rooms, and the base price of the house. However, we are disappointed the laundry and office would be on the second floor, and the location of the Highland Homes community is not optimal.