New communities in Portola Springs

[CalBears96]

We went to check out Azul and Cielo models this past weekend.

If I were to move up from Bluffs 2, I would immediately take Azul 1 and 2 off the list. What they have that we like are the powder room downstairs and bigger pantry, and bigger master bed/bath/closet. All of these are a given considering they're both bigger than Bluffs 2. The big no-no is shared bathroom for bedrooms 2 and 3 upstairs. What I also don't like is the hallway goes straight from front door to sliding doors. Front and back door alignment is bad for feng shui. And Azul 1 has the stairs facing the front door. Azul 3 is better.

Cielo floorplans are much better. Cielo 1 has a very nice bedroom 3 (the one with the juliette). It's too bad Cielo 2 and 3 don't have such a bedroom as they're superior to 1 in everything else. Lot 1 (Cielo 3) is already SOLD at $2.7M. It's really the best lot as it has great view and it only has neighbor to one side (lot 2). The view lots are really nice since you get a huge ass window (that pretty much almost covers the entire wall) in the master bedroom for the view. Too bad these cost $1M more than my Bluffs 2. Can't even move up even if I wanted to.

 

[The Motor Court Company]

Just looked at Bluffs 2 floor plan. It looks like a quite efficient floor plan with everything covered, but personally I am not sure about the master bathroom facing the street rather than the backyard. Also the coat hanging place is not immediately adjacent to front entry. Lastly, there seems to be a little wasted space between dining and great room. but overall given the square footage it is quite good for 4/4 + loft and semi ?dramatic? volume ceiling.

We went to check out Azul and Cielo models this past weekend.

If I were to move up from Bluffs 2, I would immediately take Azul 1 and 2 off the list. What they have that we like are the powder room downstairs and bigger pantry, and bigger master bed/bath/closet. All of these are a given considering they're both bigger than Bluffs 2. The big no-no is shared bathroom for bedrooms 2 and 3 upstairs. What I also don't like is the hallway goes straight from front door to sliding doors. Front and back door alignment is bad for feng shui. And Azul 1 has the stairs facing the front door. Azul 3 is better.

Cielo floorplans are much better. Cielo 1 has a very nice bedroom 3 (the one with the juliette). It's too bad Cielo 2 and 3 don't have such a bedroom as they're superior to 1 in everything else. Lot 1 (Cielo 3) is already SOLD at $2.7M. It's really the best lot as it has great view and it only has neighbor to one side (lot 2). The view lots are really nice since you get a huge ass window (that pretty much almost covers the entire wall) in the master bedroom for the view. Too bad these cost $1M more than my Bluffs 2. Can't even move up even if I wanted to.

 

[CalBears96]

Just looked at Bluffs 2 floor plan. It looks like a quite efficient floor plan with everything covered, but personally I am not sure about the master bathroom facing the street rather than the backyard. Also the coat hanging place is not immediately adjacent to front entry. Lastly, there seems to be a little wasted space between dining and great room. but overall given the square footage it is quite good for 4/4 + loft and semi ?dramatic? volume ceiling.

We went to check out Azul and Cielo models this past weekend.

If I were to move up from Bluffs 2, I would immediately take Azul 1 and 2 off the list. What they have that we like are the powder room downstairs and bigger pantry, and bigger master bed/bath/closet. All of these are a given considering they're both bigger than Bluffs 2. The big no-no is shared bathroom for bedrooms 2 and 3 upstairs. What I also don't like is the hallway goes straight from front door to sliding doors. Front and back door alignment is bad for feng shui. And Azul 1 has the stairs facing the front door. Azul 3 is better.

Cielo floorplans are much better. Cielo 1 has a very nice bedroom 3 (the one with the juliette). It's too bad Cielo 2 and 3 don't have such a bedroom as they're superior to 1 in everything else. Lot 1 (Cielo 3) is already SOLD at $2.7M. It's really the best lot as it has great view and it only has neighbor to one side (lot 2). The view lots are really nice since you get a huge ass window (that pretty much almost covers the entire wall) in the master bedroom for the view. Too bad these cost $1M more than my Bluffs 2. Can't even move up even if I wanted to.

I'm not really too concerned about having the master bathroom facing the street since it's a motor court home. The entry hallway is squeezed between bedroom 4 and garage, so there isn't a place for coat hanging.

Personally, I would have preferred the Highland floorplan on the kitchen/dining room/great room arrangement. In the Highland floorplan, the kitchen is where the great room in Bluffs 2 is, dining room is where the kitchen is, and great room where the dining room is. But even in that case, there would be some wasted space between the dining room and kitchen. Seems like wasted space is inevitable.

Overall, given the square footage of Bluffs 2, I do think it's quite efficient in terms of what you get out of it. My only complaint is lack of driveway. 

 

[chasingpowder]

I just found out that FORZA is the same as TERRA! TIC just reuse and reuse and reuse...Do they EVER EVER come up something new or what!

 

[ThirtySomethingWEquity]

I just found out that FORZA is the same as TERRA! TIC just reuse and reuse and reuse...Do they EVER EVER come up something new or what!

That's a great floorplan.  I almost bought it in Portola Springs.  It's very similar to where I'm at in Lake Forest (Terraces) except I got the spiral staircase and all the dimensions are bigger. 

 

[CalBears96]

I just found out that FORZA is the same as TERRA! TIC just reuse and reuse and reuse...Do they EVER EVER come up something new or what!

That's a great floorplan.  I almost bought it in Portola Springs.  It's very similar to where I'm at in Lake Forest (Terraces) except I got the spiral staircase and all the dimensions are bigger.

Personally, I'm not impressed with the Forza floorplans. I think the Cielo floorplans are much better.

 

[irviniteeee]

I just found out that FORZA is the same as TERRA! TIC just reuse and reuse and reuse...Do they EVER EVER come up something new or what!

Nope because they don't need to. As long as people continue to purchase their copy & paste plans, there's no incentive for them to change.

 

[CalBears96]

I just found out that FORZA is the same as TERRA! TIC just reuse and reuse and reuse...Do they EVER EVER come up something new or what!

Nope because they don't need to. As long as people continue to purchase their copy & paste plans, there's no incentive for them to change.

Pretty much. Why waste time coming up with something new and better when people are buying your old shit?  ;D

 

[sleepy5136]

I just found out that FORZA is the same as TERRA! TIC just reuse and reuse and reuse...Do they EVER EVER come up something new or what!

Nope because they don't need to. As long as people continue to purchase their copy & paste plans, there's no incentive for them to change.

Pretty much. Why waste time coming up with something new and better when people are buying your old shit?  ;D

I'm probably one of the few IP haters here but I do agree with that. People need to understand the target audience of their buyers. It's FCBs. Anything that Irvine has right now is light years better then what they can get in their own country.

 

[bkimxmd]

Anyone else notice the tour bus load of what looked like fcb?s getting dropped off at the IP Model homes this morning?

 

[The Motor Court Company]

you are not the only one...my user names checks out  >

I just found out that FORZA is the same as TERRA! TIC just reuse and reuse and reuse...Do they EVER EVER come up something new or what!

Nope because they don't need to. As long as people continue to purchase their copy & paste plans, there's no incentive for them to change.

Pretty much. Why waste time coming up with something new and better when people are buying your old shit?  ;D

I'm probably one of the few IP haters here but I do agree with that. People need to understand the target audience of their buyers. It's FCBs. Anything that Irvine has right now is light years better then what they can get in their own country.

 

[chasingpowder]

you are not the only one...my user names checks out  >

I just found out that FORZA is the same as TERRA! TIC just reuse and reuse and reuse...Do they EVER EVER come up something new or what!

Nope because they don't need to. As long as people continue to purchase their copy & paste plans, there's no incentive for them to change.

Pretty much. Why waste time coming up with something new and better when people are buying your old shit?  ;D

I'm probably one of the few IP haters here but I do agree with that. People need to understand the target audience of their buyers. It's FCBs. Anything that Irvine has right now is light years better then what they can get in their own country.

I'm wondering is Irvine the only city or TIC the only company that are doing this shit over the years? We cannot be alone, can we?

 

[The Motor Court Company]

TIC is building with the highest density possible, and today?s trend is this open concept, L shaped Kitchen + dining + great room setup, so every development where lot size is pushed to the minimum, you see see the same floor plan over and over.

you are not the only one...my user names checks out  >

I just found out that FORZA is the same as TERRA! TIC just reuse and reuse and reuse...Do they EVER EVER come up something new or what!

Nope because they don't need to. As long as people continue to purchase their copy & paste plans, there's no incentive for them to change.

Pretty much. Why waste time coming up with something new and better when people are buying your old shit?  ;D

I'm probably one of the few IP haters here but I do agree with that. People need to understand the target audience of their buyers. It's FCBs. Anything that Irvine has right now is light years better then what they can get in their own country.

I'm wondering is Irvine the only city or TIC the only company that are doing this shit over the years? We cannot be alone, can we?

 

[ThirtySomethingWEquity]

TIC is building with the highest density possible, and today?s trend is this open concept, L shaped Kitchen + dining + great room setup, so every development where lot size is pushed to the minimum, you see see the same floor plan over and over.

you are not the only one...my user names checks out  >

I just found out that FORZA is the same as TERRA! TIC just reuse and reuse and reuse...Do they EVER EVER come up something new or what!

Nope because they don't need to. As long as people continue to purchase their copy & paste plans, there's no incentive for them to change.

Pretty much. Why waste time coming up with something new and better when people are buying your old shit?  ;D

I'm probably one of the few IP haters here but I do agree with that. People need to understand the target audience of their buyers. It's FCBs. Anything that Irvine has right now is light years better then what they can get in their own country.

I'm wondering is Irvine the only city or TIC the only company that are doing this shit over the years? We cannot be alone, can we?

Do people not like the L shaped setup? The 'one giant long greatroom' (that has kitchen, dining, and living all in one rectangle) doesn't look as nice and is pretty noisy. I think the L shape is a great compromise between the tiny rooms I grew up in (separate living/dining/family room/kitchen+nook) and a huge great hall.

 

[CalBears96]

TIC is building with the highest density possible, and today?s trend is this open concept, L shaped Kitchen + dining + great room setup, so every development where lot size is pushed to the minimum, you see see the same floor plan over and over.

you are not the only one...my user names checks out  >

I just found out that FORZA is the same as TERRA! TIC just reuse and reuse and reuse...Do they EVER EVER come up something new or what!

Nope because they don't need to. As long as people continue to purchase their copy & paste plans, there's no incentive for them to change.

Pretty much. Why waste time coming up with something new and better when people are buying your old shit?  ;D

I'm probably one of the few IP haters here but I do agree with that. People need to understand the target audience of their buyers. It's FCBs. Anything that Irvine has right now is light years better then what they can get in their own country.

I'm wondering is Irvine the only city or TIC the only company that are doing this shit over the years? We cannot be alone, can we?

Do people not like the L shaped setup? The 'one giant long greatroom' (that has kitchen, dining, and living all in one rectangle) doesn't look as nice and is pretty noisy. I think the L shape is a great compromise between the tiny rooms I grew up in (separate living/dining/family room/kitchen+nook) and a huge great hall.

The fact that IP is doing so well with their cookie cutter floorplans means that people do like the L shaped setup.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

Chicken or egg?

People want to live in Irvine... IP can basically build whatever they want and people will buy them.

Believe me, taking away stuff in the guise of great room (those existed even before with formal living and dining spaces), reducing your backyard size but giving you a California Room, taking away 3CWG, tandem garage and even a driveway are all part of IPs plan to increase number of units on a parcel.

I'm one of those people who don't like the L-shaped box-on-box format... but they make more with high density units than large lot format homes. Who else wouldn't want to sell 4 units instead of 2?

 

[The Motor Court Company]

for a change, you can still have the L shape but do it differently. For example, great room facing the street and the downstairs bedroom suite facing the back yard? One of my pet peeve is Christmas tree window and none of the new cookie cutter floor plans allow that. also the in-laws/guests may prefer bedroom facing the yard for more privacy/less disturbance.

Also for larger floorplans, add a court yard?

Chicken or egg?

People want to live in Irvine... IP can basically build whatever they want and people will buy them.

Believe me, taking away stuff in the guise of great room (those existed even before with formal living and dining spaces), reducing your backyard size but giving you a California Room, taking away 3CWG, tandem garage and even a driveway are all part of IPs plan to increase number of units on a parcel.

I'm one of those people who don't like the L-shaped box-on-box format... but they make more with high density units than large lot format homes. Who else wouldn't want to sell 4 units instead of 2?

 

[irvinehomeowner]

I've seen that somewhere. Garage and den/bedroom behind it one one side and then Family/Dining/Kitchen in a row from front to back on the other side.

 

[bones]

My big thing with some of these IPac floorpans is they're not efficient. I saw a Hillside open house a few weeks ago, 2,150sf, 3 beds with no loft. Or the new Azul Plan 1, 2,800sf no loft. Just not sure where the space goes in some of these floor plans.

The L shape is fine. Maybe give me some different front door placements, etc.... something... to spice things up.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

I've seen that somewhere. Garage and den/bedroom behind it one one side and then Family/Dining/Kitchen in a row from front to back on the other side.

Hah. One of my previous homes was like this. Except it also had a living room and nook and 4 bedrooms and all fit in less than 2000sft... like bones said... very inefficient nowadays.