Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine’s Social Moms were recently invited by Lennar Homes to take its Mommy Certified tour of the builder’s newest communities in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. Our Social Moms, Lisa-Marie and Amber, live in the South Tampa area where we are familiar with the same old routine when home shopping. Square footage is small and the price is big. If you are willing, like so many people are in the Tampa Bay community, you may want to expand your search to the highly sought after New Tampa area where A-rated schools and affordable square footage reign supreme.
You may be familiar with the Lennar home builders which touts its 60 year history in the Tampa Bay area and 40 years of being the area’s number one home builder. We all had heard of Lennar, but now we know about Lennar and can confidently give the builder our TBP Social Mom Seal of Approval. Here’s why:
Let’s talk about the first community we toured, Heron Preserve in K-Bar Ranch in New Tampa. The brand new gated community is nestled among tall trees and space you’d be hard pressed to find in the city. While you feel ‘away from it all’, you are actually only a few minutes away from the major roadways of SR-56, I-75, I-4 and the Suncoast Parkway. Location is great, but what our Social Moms really love are the floor plans, features and our favorite three words, ‘Yes, it’s included.”
We toured The Harwich model which features two stories of 3,777 square feet of living space, 5 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms a game room and 3 car garage. You get all of this at a price of less than $345,000 depending on the elevation you choose and additional upgrades. You probably won’t be asking for many other upgrades though because most of the items other builders charge you a premium for are included in Lennar homes. Granite or quartz countertops? Included. 42 inch maple cabinets in the kitchen? Included. Rounded corners? Included.
“One of the things I liked is that everything is included,” said Lisa-Marie, “Your blinds are already there, the rounded corners, there’s lots of space, lots of natural light. It seems like a natural fit for any family.”
The floor plan really is a natural fit for a family. Open floor plans are a must have nowadays. We love that a parent can cook dinner in the kitchen and have a conversation with their children in the living room or dining area without having to raise their voice. The kitchen is the heart of the home and The Harwich floor plan embodies this.
The biggest hit among our Social Moms was the expansive game room on the second floor. The interior designers provided a wonderful idea for families by adding a stage, seating area and table and chairs for homework. Your home will be the envy of your child’s friends for sure!
“It’s away from the rest of the home, so parents can be downstairs relaxing, sipping on wine and older kids can be in their bedrooms or in here,” said Amber.
While the open floor plan, included features, community and price are all important, one of the reasons we’re giving Lennar Homes our TBP Social Moms Seal of Approval is its energy smarts.
“We are Eco Smart. Our homes are energy efficient, more so than Energy Star,” explained Renee Chichester, a Lennar New Home Consultant.
Lennar estimates its homes will save you about $858 each year in energy costs for a 2,440 square foot home compared to other builders in the area. How?
Chichester explained a few of the reasons, “ We have double pane windows, radiant barrier roofs, hybrid hot water heaters, R-30 insulation.”
The Heron Preserve community has 30 homes under construction now which will be ready for move-in by November with a total of 121 home sites with conservation and pond views.
Our next stop on the tour was Meadow Pointe in Wesley Chapel which is located between I-75 and Bruce B Downs, just north of the Hillsborough County line in Pasco County. Like Heron Preserve, the townhomes in this gated community also feature conservation views and A-rated schools. The homes are priced right between about $172,000 and $193,000. Square footage ranges between 1,630 to 1,852.
TBP Social Mom Lisa-Marie was impressed by the storage space located under the stairs. She called it the Kid Cave since she knows her daughter would take it over as her own hideaway space!
It was a wonderful opportunity to tour the future homes of families in Tampa Bay, but we are really feeling inspired by the beautiful interior designs of the homes. Check out some of our favorite rooms:
Lennar Homes, you get the Tampa Bay Parenting Social Moms Seal of Approval…and so do your interior designers!
