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Florida: Florida Homes

Overview

American homes are generally bigger (particularly in rural areas), more luxurious and more lavishly equipped than homes in most other western countries. Homes are built in a wide range of architectural styles including Colonial, English Tudor, French Manor, Mediterranean, Queen Anne, Spanish Mission and Victorian. However, most Florida builders offer single or two-story villas, which are built in a vast range of designs and sizes and are best suited to Florida’s climate. It isn’t advisable to build a new home in a style that doesn’t suit Florida’s climate, as it won’t be so popular for resale and may not keep its value. A wide range of home styles and developments is available, from city and beach apartment blocks and townhouse developments (sometimes referred to as group or cluster housing), to town and country single-family communities. Some neighbourhoods consist entirely of duplexes and fourplexes, which are multiple dwelling units of two or four homes.

Florida has a vast and flourishing property market and there’s a huge range and quantity of homes from which to choose, including golf and country club developments, marina and waterfront homes with private moorings, and a wide variety of inland sites with unique attractions. There are numerous exclusive and beautifully landscaped developments in Florida (some covering 1,000 or 2,000 acres) consisting of villa-style, one-family homes on individual lots and/or townhouse and apartment developments. Many developments are completely fenced and gated with security lighting and offer a wide range of community sports and leisure facilities.

American homes are usually built to a high standard of design and construction, and include a high level of quality fixtures and fittings. Homes are made of cement, wood or brick, or a combination. Most Florida homes employ a concrete (cement) block construction on steel reinforced concrete foundations, prevalent throughout central and southern Florida and designed to withstand hurricanes and earthquakes. Steel-framed homes have many advantages over wood and are becoming more widespread as the price of wood increases. You can, however, buy timber-frame or factory manufactured homes and most custom-built homes are timber-framed. Although timber-framed houses are more expensive to build (the wood must be shipped from northern Florida or out of state), they are cheaper to run than concrete or brick-built homes. However, they are more prone to termite damage and are more likely to be damaged by hurricanes and other storms (although construction quality and design is the major factor in reducing storm damage, rather than the building materials used).

Whereas land values constitute a large part of the cost of a home in many other countries, building lots in Florida are usually relatively inexpensive and extensive prefabrication helps reduce building costs. Quarter or one-third acre lots are standard in most areas, although these are considered large in urban areas (where you can barely walk between houses), while one acre lots are common in many parts of northern Florida and inland areas. The built living area of a new single-family home in Florida is usually a minimum of 1,250 square feet (almost 116 square metres) and the average size of new single-family homes is over 2,000 square feet (185 square metres). If you plan to buy a lot separately, you must ensure that the home you plan to build will receive planning permission.

Single-Family Homes

A single-family home is simply a detached property built on its own lot. They are sold freehold and there are no community fees unless a property is part of a community development with communal amenities such as a clubhouse, swimming pool or tennis courts. Note that in Florida, homeowners are required by law to keep their lawn trimmed and their house painted and presentable, and in rural areas may be responsible for the upkeep of private roads and fencing.

Ranch-Style Villas

Typical Florida villas are single or two-story buildings with two or three bedrooms and one or two bathrooms, usually with a combined living/dining room and possibly a den (study), although this usually doubles as an optional bedroom. The main room (usually the living/dining room) may be called a family room, great room or gathering room and often has a high ceiling (e.g. cathedral, vaulted or volume). Larger homes (e.g. four bedrooms or more) may have a living/dining room and a separate family room. Interiors tend to be light and bright with walls and ceilings painted in white or pastel colours. They are built from concrete blocks with a stucco finish, often accented with brick or wood, or painted in a variety of colours, with a contrasting shingle or barrel tile roof. Large unobstructed glass windows are usually standard, often of the awning type which can be opened completely (possibly double-glazed or ‘thermopane’ to reduce heating and cooling costs). Open and split floor plans are common. All single-family homes have paved or covered outdoor areas which may include terraces, patios, lanais, loggias, decks and porches. A lanai is a screened-in porch or patio where you can enjoy fresh air without the bugs. Many homes also have a Florida room, which is a lanai converted into an extra room and used to grow plants, relax, entertain and dine informally. Few Florida homes have a basement because of the risk of flooding.

Kitchens

Kitchens in modern homes are usually large with an eat-in dining area (breakfast nook or morning area), plenty of counter space, built-in cabinets (cupboards), dishwasher, garbage disposal unit and possibly laundry facilities, a pantry and a breakfast nook. Many homes have a separate utility (laundry) room. Kitchens in older homes are generally smaller and are a mixed bag, depending on whether they have been modernised. Most American homes contain a profusion of labour-saving devices, although most don’t use electric kettles or jugs to heat water for tea or coffee. Ranges or stoves (cookers) don’t usually have grills but broilers, which are larger than European grills and are located in or below the oven. Broilers have no temperature controls and therefore you cannot bake or roast and grill at the same time, unless you have a double-oven range. Many Americans use a portable grill or toaster oven in addition to their conventional oven. American refrigerators are frost-free, huge (big enough to withstand a supermarket strike for at least a year) and usually have ice-cube dispensers on the outside.

More pages

Page 1: Overview
Page 2: Bathrooms
Page 3: Standard Features
Page 4: Customisation
Page 5: Warning
Page 6: Inspections
Page 7: Advantages
Page 8: Co-operatives
Page 9: Restrictions

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