Sussex vs Versailles at Whitmore Estates: First-Floor Owner's Suite Plans Compared

The Sussex and the Versailles are the two largest plans at Whitmore Estates that share the same big idea: the owner's suite is on the first floor, and the front hall is two stories tall. The Versailles is about 315 square feet bigger, adds a fifth full bath, and swaps the study for a flex space. The Sussex costs roughly fifty-five thousand dollars less, as a rounded recent gap. If you want the downstairs suite but do not need the very biggest house, the Sussex is the one to look at first.

This guide walks through both plans room by room. It is short on opinion and long on numbers, because the numbers are what you can use.

The quick answer

Both homes have a double-height foyer. That is a front hall with no ceiling between the first floor and the roof, so you see up to the second floor when you walk in.

What the two plans share

Most of what you notice in these two homes is the same:

• The first-floor owner's suite. You do not need stairs to reach the main bedroom.

• A two-story front hall. It makes the house feel big the moment you step in.

• Four bedrooms upstairs. Along with a loft and a media room.

• A three-car garage. Split into a two-car and a one-car bay.

• A lanai in back. A lanai is a covered patio.

If those five things are your list, either plan will work. The rest is about size and rooms.

Sussex room by room

Downstairs:

• Great Room: 19 feet 5 inches by 19 feet 11 inches

• Dining room: 12 feet 8 inches by 13 feet 8 inches

• Study: 13 feet 9 inches by 14 feet 4 inches

• Owner's suite: 15 feet 4 inches by 17 feet 8 inches

• Lanai: 22 feet 4 inches by 13 feet 8 inches

• Two-car garage: 20 feet 4 inches by 20 feet. One-car garage: 20 feet by 15 feet 10 inches

Upstairs:

• Bedroom 2: 12 feet by 13 feet

• Bedroom 3: 15 feet 8 inches by 14 feet 4 inches

• Bedroom 4: 14 feet 8 inches by 13 feet 5 inches

• Bedroom 5: 12 feet by 13 feet 8 inches

• Loft: 13 feet by 14 feet 5 inches

• Media room: 13 feet 8 inches by 16 feet 2 inches

Read the full Sussex page.

Versailles room by room

Downstairs:

• Great Room: 21 feet 5 inches by 21 feet 10 inches

• Dining room: 12 feet 8 inches by 15 feet 6 inches

• Flex space: 15 feet 6 inches by 17 feet

• Owner's suite: 19 feet 4 inches by 14 feet 6 inches

• Lanai: 41 feet by 10 feet

• Two-car garage: 20 feet by 21 feet. One-car garage: 19 feet 4 inches by 12 feet

Upstairs:

• Bedroom 2: 17 feet by 12 feet 10 inches

• Bedroom 3: 13 feet 10 inches by 13 feet

• Bedroom 4: 14 feet 4 inches by 12 feet

• Bedroom 5: 14 feet 11 inches by 13 feet

• Loft: 15 feet 5 inches by 17 feet 2 inches

• Media room: 17 feet by 16 feet

Read the full Versailles page.

Where the two plans really differ

1. The Great Room. The Versailles Great Room is about 21 feet 5 inches by 21 feet 10 inches. The Sussex is about 19 feet 5 inches by 19 feet 11 inches. That is roughly two feet in each direction, which you will notice when you put a sectional and a dining table in the room.

2. Study or flex space. The Sussex has a study. The Versailles has a flex space. Both are on the first floor. A study is usually thought of as an office. A flex space can be an office, a gym, a playroom or a second sitting room. The Versailles flex space is also bigger, at 15 feet 6 inches by 17 feet, against the Sussex study at 13 feet 9 inches by 14 feet 4 inches. A flex room is simply a room with no fixed job. You decide what it is for.

3. The upstairs. The Versailles loft and media room are each bigger. The media room is 17 feet by 16 feet, against 13 feet 8 inches by 16 feet 2 inches. The Versailles loft is 15 feet 5 inches by 17 feet 2 inches, against 13 feet by 14 feet 5 inches in the Sussex.

4. The bath count. The Versailles has five full baths. The Sussex has four. For a house where five bedrooms are in use, a fifth full bath cuts down on morning traffic.

5. The lanai. The Versailles lanai is long, at 41 feet by 10 feet. The Sussex lanai is shorter and deeper, at 22 feet 4 inches by 13 feet 8 inches. A long, narrow lanai suits a row of chairs. A deeper one suits a table.

So which one?

Choose the Sussex if you want the first-floor owner's suite and a big upstairs, and you would rather keep the price a step lower. It is still a large home.

Choose the Versailles if you want the largest plan in the collection, a fifth full bath, a bigger flex space and a bigger media room.

If you are torn, walk both. The difference between 4,350 and 4,665 square feet looks small on paper. In person, many buyers find they feel it right away in the Great Room, or not at all.

If neither of these fits, the other three plans are covered in all five Whitmore Estates plans compared. If you want the owner's suite upstairs instead, look at Winston vs Cambridge.

Both homes are big loans

Homes at this size are financed with a jumbo loan, which is a loan above the standard limit. We explain how it works in our guide to jumbo mortgages in Florida. Both plans also come with the same standard feature list, which we cover in what Lennar's Everything's Included means at Whitmore Estates.

Common Questions

Want to stand in both homes on one visit? Call 561-704-0091 or See Whitmore Estates — Schedule a Visit. We will walk you through the Sussex and the Versailles and tell you what each has recently started at.