2010 Irvine New Home Collection

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[quote author="irvinehomeowner"]
[quote author="pete423"]

I think they are both about equal. Sonoma has a great floor plan. Sonoma gave me a nice open feel to the unit and it felt bigger than the Los Arobles plan 3. But Sonoma felt more like a cookie cutter compared to the Los Arobles. Los Arobles has much better architecture details. Both units don't have much of a yard. I personally like the setup of Portola Springs better than Woodbury. But woodbury has cheaper HOA and Mello Roos. So again, I think about the same. Oh and Sonoma's location is horrible. I can hear the traffic noise from Sand Canyon at the model home. The model homes are at the furthermost point from Sand Canyon in the whole Sonoma development.[/quote]
Since I got builder-blocked at Montecito/Carmel and then also at Coronado... we headed over to Los Arboles to check it out.

I mostly agree with pete about location and the external look of Sonoma but interior wise, Sonoma feels much bigger. The ceilings are higher than Los Arboles and the layout is more functional. Plan 3 in Los Arboles splits the living are and the dining/kitchen which some families may like but it's not conducive to the entertainment aspect.

I prefer the execution of the master baths in Los Arboles as the showers are enclosed and separate (except for Plan 3) but Plans 1/2 have the laundry as pass through from the garage which is a nitpick of mine.

As for the street noise, you won't notice it inside the house but I know what pete is referring to.

For the dollar, I would rather buy Sonoma (or maybe even Montecito) because they are true SFRs and you don't have the saddle of that extra HOA (translates to a difference in final price). And Plans 1/2 in Los Arboles are actually attached at corners (no sharing walls from what I see). The floorplans are a personal preference but overall I liked Sonoma and from the floorplans only, Montecito more.[/quote]

I could agree more. Sonoma has better floor plan and much bigger feel to it. For the money I would go with Sonoma hands down. But I have decided not to go for the money but instead go for what's important to me which was backyard and noise level. The noise I was refered to is when you are in the yard. I know it is not much but it bugs me to pay 800k+ plus and to hear the traffic when I am in my backyard. Plan 1/2 are attached at the first 10 ft or so where the garage is at. The $256 does include the Portola Master Association.
 
That's weird--I was at Sonoma just on Saturday and I don't remember hearing ANY noise! Perhaps the noise was too insignificant to notice? I don't know??

I personally like Sonoma better, for as others said, the floorplan feels very open. Los Arboles feels cramped, especially at the entry for the Plan 2. I think lot sizes are about the same with Sonoma and Los Arboles; plus, I like the Woodbury location better than the remote Portola Springs.
 
I was also in the camp where I prefer Woodbury over Portola Springs because of how far PS was... but lately, I've grown to appreciate the PS location and the decision to balance between being closer to amenities vs. a more crowded community becomes difficult.

There are pros and cons to both... some people (like roundcorners) like the communal feel of Woodbury (just not the drug pushers... heh)... other like a more open feel of PS (although it can be argued the south area of PS is just as dense as Woodbury).

The thing that gets me here is that Sonoma, Montecito and Carmel are so close to each other in design and layout, the price differences aren't enough given the features offered. It comes down to:

Do you want a real street?
Do you want zero lot lines?

Those differences in pricing should be more like :

Do you want a 5th bedroom?
Do you want a separate dining of living room?
Do you want an upstairs loft?
Do you want a 3rd car garage?

I think the biggest difference between Carmel and the rest is that each room has its own bathroom.
 
[quote author="irvinehomeowner"]I was also in the camp where I prefer Woodbury over Portola Springs because of how far PS was... but lately, I've grown to appreciate the PS location and the decision to balance between being closer to amenities vs. a more crowded community becomes difficult.

There are pros and cons to both... some people (like roundcorners) like the communal feel of Woodbury (just not the drug pushers... heh)... other like a more open feel of PS (although it can be argued the south area of PS is just as dense as Woodbury).

The thing that gets me here is that Sonoma, Montecito and Carmel are so close to each other in design and layout, the price differences aren't enough given the features offered. It comes down to:

Do you want a real street?
Do you want zero lot lines?

Those differences in pricing should be more like :

Do you want a 5th bedroom?
Do you want a separate dining of living room?
Do you want an upstairs loft?
Do you want a 3rd car garage?

I think the biggest difference between Carmel and the rest is that each room has its own bathroom.[/quote]

Exactly! The real difference is basically: do you want to live on a motorcourt of a street?

Now, I'd like some people's opinions. I have read many posts on IHB, but I want to know -- why or why not do some people hate or are ok with motorcourts?
 
I also went to La Casella because the Villa Rosa sales office is closed and are being referred there. They only had models for La Casella Plan 2 and Plan 3. It's hard to believe that someone would buy an attached condo/townhome for $650k+ when you can get Coronado for that.

They are nice but Plan 3 is strange, the kitchen dining is separate from the family/living and they have 1 full master and bedroom downstairs and a full master and bedroom upstairs. It's like this is designed for two families (or family+in-laws) but yet there is only a 2-car garage with no driveway so how do you deal with parking?

Villa Rosa is on its last phase and a half and they are still around $1.1m. It's going to be hard to sell those with no model homes (they sold them and they can no longer be viewed) and with the $800k homes just down the street.

Los Arboles seems to be closing out too so it seems that TIC is trying to get everyone to buy in WB and WBE for the next year or so. Las Colinas in PS should be done by mid/late next year and I think they will probably schedule PS II for late 2011 or early 2012 depending on what they move in their "2010 Collection".
 
[quote author="ck"]
[quote author="ajw522"]
Exactly! The real difference is basically: do you want to live on a motorcourt of a street?

Now, I'd like some people's opinions. I have read many posts on IHB, but I want to know -- why or why not do some people hate or are ok with motorcourts?
[/quote]

Hate a motorcourt because on a motorcourt I would never be able to see this in front of the house on a nice summer day (which is almost every day where we live)....
[/quote]

One thing is that you lose the curb appeal that homes facing the street have.
 
CK must be lucky like me... his kids get their looks from the mother's side.

BTW: You can take that same picture in the motor court... just make sure no one is coming.

(Does anyone remember playing football in the street and yelling "CAR!" every other down?)
 
What's wrong with motorcourts?

1. Makes for a perfect stick-ball field.

2. Never miss the big guy when he comes to town. (Especially important if you've been nice.)

welcomesanta.JPG


-IR2
 
I am currently renting in a place that has a motorcourt and kids played dodgeball, threw baseballs, tag, foam sword fights, skateboard, etc. all summer last year. So I think kids in Montecito will still play in their motorcourts.
 
[quote author="ajw522"]
[quote author="irvinehomeowner"]I was also in the camp where I prefer Woodbury over Portola Springs because of how far PS was... but lately, I've grown to appreciate the PS location and the decision to balance between being closer to amenities vs. a more crowded community becomes difficult.

There are pros and cons to both... some people (like roundcorners) like the communal feel of Woodbury (just not the drug pushers... heh)... other like a more open feel of PS (although it can be argued the south area of PS is just as dense as Woodbury).

The thing that gets me here is that Sonoma, Montecito and Carmel are so close to each other in design and layout, the price differences aren't enough given the features offered. It comes down to:

Do you want a real street?
Do you want zero lot lines?

Those differences in pricing should be more like :

Do you want a 5th bedroom?
Do you want a separate dining of living room?
Do you want an upstairs loft?
Do you want a 3rd car garage?

I think the biggest difference between Carmel and the rest is that each room has its own bathroom.[/quote]

Exactly! The real difference is basically: do you want to live on a motorcourt of a street?

Now, I'd like some people's opinions. I have read many posts on IHB, but I want to know -- why or why not do some people hate or are ok with motorcourts?
[/quote]

I think it's pretty obvious why people hate them. I guess people are OK with them because they have accepted the fact that they will get a motorcourt for a brand new home in Irvine with in their price range....
 
[quote author="kayochan"]I am currently renting in a place that has a motorcourt and kids played dodgeball, threw baseballs, tag, foam sword fights, skateboard, etc. all summer last year. So I think kids in Montecito will still play in their motorcourts.[/quote]

I agree - There won't be that many people going up and down the motorcourt. There are only 6 houses (or 4) so not that many cars would pass by you.
 
I think the concern I would have would be where will guests park or people who have more than 2 cars or people who don't park in their garage.

This is where Carmel is going to get problems from their neighbors. If the motorcourts were only 2 houses deep, I think that wouldn't be that much of an issue... but I think Montecito is 3 or more deep right?
 
For Montecito, it's either 2 deep (4-pack) or 3 deep (6-pack). I agree with scubasteve... well, we have to, because we both are buying one with motorcourt.
 
[quote author="fe9000"]For Montecito, it's either 2 deep (4-pack) or 3 deep (6-pack). I agree with scubasteve... well, we have to, because we both are buying one with motorcourt.[/quote]

In other words, it is what it is. <!-- s:) -->:)<!-- s:) -->

I guess we have to deal with it.
 
[quote author="fe9000"]For Montecito, it's either 2 deep (4-pack) or 3 deep (6-pack). I agree with scubasteve... well, we have to, because we both are buying one with motorcourt.[/quote]

except my door is facing the street and not on the motorcourt =P
 
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