There are some reasonably priced homes for sale, with good floor plans, that I am not really looking hard at because the homes have a flat roof. Am I wise to steer clear of these homes? Do the flat roofs have some advantage that I'm not aware of?
John Meeker in his memoirs claims it was a mistake to build flat roofs; not because of the problems, but because they didn't sell like they had hoped. Potential buyers from the Midwest had always been concerned about snow build up and roof pitch was a big deal. How the hell would now ever melt on a flat roof in Sun City? Obviously tongue in cheek, but over the years I've had Realtors tell me to stay away from flat roofs. But alas, the home we wanted had a flat roof; as do many of the larger model homes in Sun City. After 12 years here, no regrets with flat versus hip. The key is to have a good/great flat roof guy. Unfortunately there's all kinds of goofs who claim they know what they are doing with flat roofs and what they are really doing is spending your money poorly (yup, we got screwed by one of them...live and learn). I wouldn't say stay away from them, just know there is some additional costs. Every 5 years they need be coated, not all that expensive, but necessary. And when you consider many of the shingled roofs here need be replaced, there's a significant cost to that as well. It's all just part of the fun of finding the perfect home in Sun City.
"....buyers from the Midwest had always been concerned about snow build up and roof pitch was a big deal" EXACTLY - growing up in Kentucky and now living in Seattle where we have to have the rain run off, this is the frame of reference I have.
This thread brought some other things to mind. Hopefully it's okay to add them here. First, I suppose I would have the same concern about a flat roof but we really like mid-century and it's somewhat common to that style so we're not ruling it out. Now, the other stuff. What's up with AC units on the roof? Having lived on the plains much of my life, I've never seen this outside of commercial buildings. The other "odd" thing from my point of reference is the laundry located in the garage. This is pretty much a deal killer from my wife's point of view. Besides the environment I can't imagine dealing with the heat in the summer. I'd love some insight from the locals.
The laundry in the garage is a good thing, IMO. I can't imagine why it would be a deal breaker. Suppose a hose breaks while you are out and the entire house floods? Better to have the machines in the garage down a level where only the garage floods. In fact, the laundry room in my last house was next to the garage, down a level. If you can't imagine dealing with the heat in the summer, I would consider coming here in July and August to see how bad it gets. That's what we did on our first trip out. I prefer the dry heat (the key is dry, not humid) to the cold. If I had to live where it was below freezing and frequent snow I couldn't take it anymore. I think it's personal preference. Please feel free to ask away anything.[/QUOTE] Thanks for the reply. I hadn't thought of the plumbing angle, though at the risk of jinxing my luck, I've never had a supply problem with a washing machine. It is something to consider. The reason I mentioned the heat in the laundry is I know hot/stuffy it gets in enclosed spaces. One always questions things when they're averse to what you're used to. Just like the AC on the roof. It looks like many of the remodels we've viewed listings of have moved the laundries into the living quarters. While we will be snowbirding initially, eventually we plan on being in Phoenix year round. We're coming from an arid climate so the lack of humidity won't be a problem. We'll just be trading long frigid winters for hot summers. Hot summers sounds pretty good.
My laundry room is inside. It is quite large with lots of cupboards and my ironing board is always up. Yes, there is a concern about flooding. I purchased a new washer & dryer a couple of years ago. The washer was not connected properly and water overflowed partway into the dining room. The company that installed it fixed the problem and paid to have carpet cleaned. No way, no how, would I have laundry in garage. BTW. The inside laundry rooms were originally used to store golf cars. The ramp up from garage floor is still there!
We confused our realtor when we requested flat roof homes only. We ended up with a slight gable in front but when we added the two rooms and a large patio cover, they are flat with foam. We searched for a good roofer and found one. Been very happy with it. We love the flat roofed homes...very 60's! we are testing the insulating value this year...so far no AC. Seems to stay cooler in the home now.
Hey Mullet - Jump in and ask away. This is quite the conundrum - once I think I have it boiled down to a floor plan I like, I find answers to questions which brings in additional floor plans to be considered. DARN YOU DEL WEBB. :joyous: The laundry in a utility room is what we are looking for. We were in Florida during the last few months of my in-laws lives (quite the story, but must be told over beverages) and their laundry was in the garage. You certainly couldn't have a line to hang things on, and in that garage there was no way to keep an ironing board up. How sad is this, I'm thinking about how nice it would be to line dry items pulled right out of the washing machine. Uggg, I'm getting old.
I agree the flat roofs are cool mid mod. I prefer one in Sun City for that reason but I'm flexible on either. I have a partial flat roof now where I'm at (on addition of my house). My laundry now is in a room off the garage...it was in the house but I moved it out because I wanted that space for something else. I prefer it because of the flood worries, which has also happened to me. Although if you use a quality hose that's much less likely to happen. I don't spend much time in the laundry room, in and out, so I can't see it as a deal breaker either way. If I have a hook up, and one cupboard for the soap, I'm good.
Any downside to having them on the roof, other than the HVAC people not liking it. What does DH say about it?
Regarding the laundry room in the garage...my wife hated ours. We were fortunate in that we had lots of space behind where we parked the cars and we (my wife) fixed that with no real fanfare. Here's one easy solution lots of Sun City home owners use: Here's from another angle off the kithen: If you have room, easy fix an not much money.
I partially dry everything in the dryer. Then I hang them up. I have a line in the laundry room and a line in the garage that accommodates a sheet. That is also where I hang my towels & suit when I come home from pool
I understand drying in the sun...they smell better. But why dry in the garage? It is to make them last longer from excessive heat?
Hanging pillows on a line outside in the sun is the greatest. Emily, Thanks for the link to the CC&R's.
Emily is spot on; clothes lines where your skivvies are blowing in the breeze for everyone's view are looked on as a bad thing in Sun City. We once had a gentleman, who has moved on to a better place, that had been battling SCHOA over 3 or 4 violations, a clothesline 1 of them. It was ongoing and his property was a mess. After a year, we took him to court and the hearing lasted minutes. The judge ruled for SCHOA and the clothes line came down and we got a court order to clean up his property. It was an expensive lesson for him and the catalyst for others to work with SCHOA when there was an issue. As far as clothes lines, Emily is also right in saying if they are behind a wall or fence, no problem. We have one but it is behind a 6 foot block wall. We don't hang much on it, but what does air dry is hidden from view.
