Okay... so, I went and checked out Brightwater today. I have some good things to report, and some bad things to report. I am sure, the Brightwater defenders will say I don't know what I am talking about . But, that is fine, because the regular IHBer's, like BK etc., know that I do know what I am talking about.
First, the good news... There was a lot of traffic today. However it was the grand opening for the high-end tracts of The Cliffs and The Breakers. Some of the floor plans were nice, and I particularly liked the <a href="http://www.brightwaterhb.net/images/pdfs/Cliffs_plan4R.pdf">plan 4 at The Cliffs</a>. It had this great open courtyard, with an area that was covered as well. Also, from what Feng Shui I know, it wasn't too bad. Depending on the location, it wouldn't be too cramped, but some windows looked directly into your neighbors. Kinda creepy, having a kids room look right at your neighbor's master bed window. The high-end homes had nice temperature controlled wine rooms, and I thought that was really cool.
Now for the bad news... Yes, you can smell the nasty stench, and today was a windy day too. It was an off shore wind, so I thought for sure the wind would not pick up the stench, but it did on several occasions. Anyone who tells you it doesn't smell funky there is lying, or seriously needs to go to the doctor.
The Feng Shui in many of the plans is awful. Thanks BK, for the Feng Shui 101 lessons. At The Trails, only the plan 3 had the front door not line up with the back door. I even tried an experiment, and left the back door open, when the front door was opened... wham, the back door slammed shut. It was so bad, that the back door was left open, and it made the front door slam shut, and scared the lady walking in. This was a problem for each of the tracts, as at least one model had this flaw. Granted, it was windy, but they even hired some kids to watch the doors, so they wouldn't slam shut. Also, there were many plans with the stove being underneath the master bedroom or the master bathroom. Bad, bad Feng Shui. Ever since BK pointed that out, I fear the fire on my ass.
They used cheap ass cabinets in all the models, including the high end models. The worst part, was they used them throughout the house. They were so cheap, the handles would not line up. For gawd sakes, if I am paying $1mil plus for a home, the handles on the cabinets better line up. The cabinets in the kitchen were way too high. Now, I am 6' 2", but in one home the cabinet opened up and out. It opened up so high up, that I had to stand on my tippy toes to shut it. That is just poor planning. Many of the built in microwaves were up so high my shorter friend couldn't even see what would be in it because it was above her head. Just lame, if you ask me. Also, some of the stoves were up too high as well. So, if you are short, you will not be happy living here without a stool ready at all times.
This is where I am going to be really critical, but their tile guy should be fired. I was appalled at how bad it was. I know, that natural settling happens, and cracks will form in the grout, but this was ridiculous. Almost all of the showers had cracks going along the entire bottom of the shower, and as water seeps in there, mold and dry rot would start to happen really quickly. In one shower the upper tiles that connected to the ceiling were so off level, that one end had about an 1/8th of inch of grout, to the other end where it was over a 1/2 inch thick, and of course it had a giant crack in it. Inside many of the showers, the drainage was not leveled properly, and in one corner water would end up gathering there, and of course there was a crack there too, so the water would seep into the drywall and wood. More mold and dry rot. Many of the bathroom sinks had cracks in the entire grout area between the counter and the wall. Again, more water into the drywall, and more mold and dry rot. Sorry Brightwater sales people, but I talked about this with three other people who had an eye for poor construction, and they felt the same way. It is costing you sales, not because of what I am saying, but because of the crappy work.
The fixtures were mostly Kohler, a few Kalissta(sp) faucets, but come on... $2mil and all I get is Kohler? What is that crap about?
Oh, and one model had this green granite tile for the master bathroom counters, that was so ugly if you were hungover, it would make you puke because it looks like stomach bile. Seriously, everyone who walked in said, eeeewwww...
Overall, the outside facade was very nice, very beach like, but once you got inside, the quality was not up to par for the price. Sure, they will sell eventually, because it is near the water after all. But, for the price, the quality was definitely not what you would expect for that price at all, and I wasn't the only one who thought that.
Like I said, I know I will take flack for this from the Brightwater defenders, but go see for yourself if I am full of crap. I am sure you will all agree.
