Minto Enclave TrailsEdge Community

[MintoEnclaveResident]

Hi All,

I know its very early but I just wanted to start up this Minto Enclave TrailsEdge Community Thread.

[Ottawaluv]

Hi, We purchased a home in Enclave. We picked the Mackenzie model. I know it's still way too early but im glad you started this thread. Im looking forward to hearing about peoples experiences throughout the whole process.

[MintoEnclaveResident]

Hi OttawaLUV, thanks for the post. I thought I was going have to wait until next year to get a response.

The Mackenzie is a great home! I was debating on the Mackenzie and Marquette for a long time but chose to extend myself on the Marquette. I don't know if that was a good idea given how the interest rates may change in the future but we'll find out!

[blyst]

Hi, We have also purchased in Enclave. We decided to go with the Stanley model... Looking forward to getting the process started!

[MintoEnclaveResident]

blyst thanks for joining the chat.

I heard from a coworker that his friend, who also bought in the Enclave, was already picking upgrades?!

When I talked to the Minto sales team (won't write their names on the forum) they said they won't be breaking ground until Mar 2015. Also that there will be no model homes in our neighbourhood. They mentioned that for Minto the better investment would be to build the model homes in Arcadia. Makes sense given the Enclave is ~130 homes and Arcadia is ~1500 homes.

[blyst]

I am bit surprised that someone would already be picking their upgrades-- maybe they meant informally without a design consultant.

We were one of the first 7 lots to be sold-- and I've been following up quite frequently (haha-- I told you I was anxious) between the design centre and the sales centre and they said they still aren't at that point yet.

They did say that brick packages have been selected, and they will be contacting purchasers as soon as they receive them to come in and make their selections.

Our closing will be among the first few, and we were told that the models in Arcadia would likely be completed around the same time as we move in... Would've been nice to see something beforehand but I think I have a pretty good idea in my head of what it will be like.

[Ottawaluv]

We have recently verified with the sales team, and the exterior packages should be available by the end of summer.

As for the design centre, they are looking to start calling clients in September to book appointments beginning in the new year (that's what we are being told).

It's too bad they have no model homes and offer no virtual walkthroughs. It would make our lives much easier. We think we have an idea of how the model should look like, but you just never know - and that can be scary.

[MintoEnclaveResident]

When you say exterior packages do you mean the brick/stone colours? Or other additions like pot lights around the exterior home and upgrades like a double entrance door?

Are you guys finding that when you do your research going after-market for upgrades is far cheaper? For instance, I got my hands on an upgrade pricing sheet for the Marquette model, don't think the design center person should have given it to me so early, and for something like hardwood flooring it's quite expensive per SQ foot.

Another dilemma is if you do things after-market how does it affect your Tarion warranties?!

[xdarrylx]

Originally Posted by MintoEnclaveResident

When you say exterior packages do you mean the brick/stone colours? Or other additions like pot lights around the exterior home and upgrades like a double entrance door?

Yes this means brick/siding/colour packages.

Are you guys finding that when you do your research going after-market for upgrades is far cheaper? For instance, I got my hands on an upgrade pricing sheet for the Marquette model, don't think the design center person should have given it to me so early, and for something like hardwood flooring it's quite expensive per SQ foot.

Most things have a builder mark-up but that is because they warranty everything and do the installation as well. You'll find it cheaper elsewhere but are required to install things on your own and won't be able to email their customer care coordinator if something goes wrong.

Another dilemma is if you do things after-market how does it affect your Tarion warranties?!

If you install something after the fact, it usually doesn't void a current warranty that was purchased through the builder but to be safe you might want to check specifically into what you're doing with he builder vs on our own to be sure.

Hope this helps...

[blyst]

I agree with xdarrylx.. I also believe that doing upgrades with the builder vs on your own later comes down to more than just cost. We also have the upgrade sheet for the Stanley (the sales centre gave us ours) and we were actually pleasantly surprised by a lot of the costs. Yes, some things would be a bit less to do after but you should also be factoring in convenience and time to your decision. I think the only time we will wait to do things afterwards is if Minto's price is double or if it isn't a priority upgrade for us and the price is higher than we are comfortable with paying.

For us, this will be our 'forever' home and I think we will base most of our upgrade decisions on this. One of the reasons we chose the Stanley was because it gave us a lot of flexibility financially to make sure we could include as much as we can through the builder.

The further out our design appointment is, the longer our list for upgrades gets! Lol