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Spring 2021 Updates on Lakeside at Waterman Village, Straight from our Construction Team

March 3, 2021

Since we broke ground on Lakeside at Waterman Village in October of 2020, the progress our construction team has made over the past few months is astounding. We’ve shared several sets of photos on our Facebook page showing it all coming together, and we recently spoke with a couple key members of the construction and development team to provide some exclusive updates on this brand-new neighborhood.

Specifically, we chatted with Rodger Reeves, Vice President of Construction and Development at Waterman Village, and Josh Johnson, Project Manager with DeAngelis Diamond. DeAngelis Diamond is the general contractor and one of many local and regional businesses supporting this exciting project.

During our conversation, we learned a lot of important details that will get you even more excited for what will surround glistening Lake Margaret. Let’s dive right in!

Construction updates for Lakeside at Waterman Village: Masonry, utilities and more

Lakeside at Waterman Village will include a total of 159 residences, 40 of which are Garden Homes (villa-style duplexes). Garden Homes are some of the largest floor plans that we offer, and they’re the furthest along in this first construction phase.

“All of the Garden Homes we’re working on right now have concrete walls up already,” Rodger said. “This first group of Garden Homes is progressing very nicely.”

Rodger and Josh also explained that the water utilities for the Garden Homes are nearly completely laid in, and the pipes and plumbing leading to the rest of the neighborhood should be complete in April.

“Fire hydrants and backflow preventers are all installed and are already tied into the domestic water supply,” Rodger added.

Progress is also steady on what will arguably be the crown jewel of Lakeside at Waterman Village: the Lakeside Grand building.

Due to its size, Josh and his team have split the work on what will become the hub of active living here around the lake into four distinct segments: A, B, C and D.

“Masonry is complete and we ‘topped out’ the ‘A’ section already, which went vertical in January,” Josh explained. “Masonry completion and topping out for the ‘B’ section followed soon after, and the ‘C’ and ‘D’ sections are trending ahead of schedule.”

Staying on—or ahead of—schedule

Speaking of schedules, both Rodger and Josh expressed happiness with how things have gone so far. The overall project is right on schedule for mid-2022 completion thanks to good weather and the strong, steady work that Josh and his team have done.

“We started in October of 2020, and at that time, the site was just a field,” Rodger said. “The amount of work that Josh and his team have done is tremendous. We’re quite happy with the schedule milestones we’ve hit and exceeded so far. They’re working feverishly to put days in the bank—we’ve been fortunate to have only had two rain days.”

Josh explained that while Mother Nature has generally cooperated and they’re building outside of hurricane season, the team-based approach that DeAngelis Diamond is taking is also a major factor in the success of the build.

“We’re bringing in four superintendents for the different segments of the project,” Josh said. “They each have certain strengths and we are tailoring those strengths to different parts of the neighborhood, like the Garden Homes, Lakeside Grand and commons and the Lakehouses. We’ll be supporting them with project and field engineers, too.”

It’s an experienced, robust team working on what will surely be a robust set of structures.

A solid foundation 

Lakeside at Waterman Village will serve central Florida seniors for decades, and our team has made sure that the buildings will withstand both time and weather.

“Florida has the most stringent building codes in the country, and we’ve been working behind the scenes for nearly four years to make sure this project meets or exceeds every requirement and standard,” Rodger said.

Although Mount Dora is not a coastal location, the need for hurricane-safe buildings is paramount for any project in Florida, and Rodger noted that safety and structural integrity of all Lakeside at Waterman Village buildings and homes would come first.

“Everything will be concrete block reinforced with rebar. Initially we considered wood structural elements, but I said ‘No’ to that,” he added. “We’ve had hurricanes here before and we’re not taking any chances. We’ll have generators reaching every home, on-site restaurant and common area so our community can function and keep everyone safe and keep everyone going throughout the storm.”

“It’s a solid, solid design,” Josh added. “There’s not a wood stud on any of the buildings. All metal and masonry block. It’s really well-designed and will be really well-built.”

Of course, a quality community for active seniors to gracefully age in place goes far beyond the brick and mortar. Fortunately, Lakeside at Waterman Village has the foundation—literal and metaphorical—to provide and sustain an ideal retirement lifestyle.

Waterman Village’s three decades of serving seniors provides you the confidence you need when choosing your next step. As a leading non-profit “total” retirement solution, Waterman Village offers stability, experience and innovation. And Lakeside at Waterman Village will exemplify those benefits like nothing else before it.

“I’m really proud of something that will provide such awesome service and stability to seniors,” Rodger said. “We’ve spent a long time designing it to be the best around, with input from Andrew [Dujon, CEO of Waterman Village], Josh and so many others, and our team hasn’t missed a beat.

“This is a place where people want to live, between our quaint hometown of Mount Dora and how special Lakeside will be. Before we even broke ground, 115 people chose to become Lakeside Depositors, and we’re expecting that all 159 residences will be reserved before construction is finished.”

Rodger is right, and his final point there is crucial: Now is a perfect time to get in touch with us about the benefits of becoming a Lakeside Depositor—such as securing the best available pre-opening pricing—while residence availability remains! Click here or call 352-385-1120 today.

For now, construction of Lakeside at Waterman Village moves right along, making huge strides every week. You can stay abreast of all the progress by following our Facebook page and staying tuned to this space for regular updates, renderings, lifestyle previews and more. We look forward to connecting with you and having you be a part of this exciting journey with us!