Orchard Hills - Strada by Irvine Pacific

[Perspective]

How are sales going on latest release?  When do they release Phase 14?

I just glanced at the siteplan in the office yesterday, and I saw red/sold homes on a lot of Phase 13 homes on Copper Mine. Phase 14 is officially released next weekend, but we dropped off a deposit this weekend for ours. We're in. The strategy of waiting for months for an end of cul-de-sac lot with a reasonable yard paid-off.

Congrats! Glad you got your end of cul-de-sac!!! Mine is on another cul-de-sac where there is a common fire lane path to culver. I think yours is better because of more privacy it has. Do you think you are closest to the house backing you on your street? Mine is closest as I can tell. The house is sitting a little bit away from the street for the curve of cul-de-sac. So two end homes backing each other are squeezed together more than others.

Thanks. We'll have a very nice set-back from the house to the wall and the house behind us has a typical set-back for Strada lots.

 

[bones]

How are sales going on latest release?  When do they release Phase 14?

I just glanced at the siteplan in the office yesterday, and I saw red/sold homes on a lot of Phase 13 homes on Copper Mine. Phase 14 is officially released next weekend, but we dropped off a deposit this weekend for ours. We're in. The strategy of waiting for months for an end of cul-de-sac lot with a reasonable yard paid-off.

Congratulations Perspective -- First one on Phase 14 -- Which plan are you guys going for?

We're buying a Plan 3. The Plan 2 is great, but you can find issues if you're nit-picking, which you have every right to do at this price. The only concerns we had with Plan 2 are that the downstairs bedroom's bath acts as the guest bath, and that the kids would have to share the bath upstairs once they're teens.

What other issues made Plan 2 a deal breaker for you?

The only other issue I can think of, is that the entryway from the front door into the great room, sort of bifurcates the great room. It makes the area feel a lot smaller than the Plan 3's great room. In exchange for that though, you get a very large kitchen in Plan 2. Like I said, these are just nit-picks.

For the plan 2, I would place the TV on the other wall and do a sectional using the current TV wall+windows to open up the great room a bit more. I also much prefer the plan 3. The 3x entry is nice and 3 bathrooms in a 4 bedroom house is not ideal if the next plan up offers a 4/4 or 4/4.5 setup.

 

[Jonah]

How are sales going on latest release?  When do they release Phase 14?

I just glanced at the siteplan in the office yesterday, and I saw red/sold homes on a lot of Phase 13 homes on Copper Mine. Phase 14 is officially released next weekend, but we dropped off a deposit this weekend for ours. We're in. The strategy of waiting for months for an end of cul-de-sac lot with a reasonable yard paid-off.

Congratulations Perspective. I never realized you could get a lot ahead of release - learn something new every day!

 

[Jonah]

For the plan 2, I would place the TV on the other wall and do a sectional using the current TV wall+windows to open up the great room a bit more. I also much prefer the plan 3. The 3x entry is nice and 3 bathrooms in a 4 bedroom house is not ideal if the next plan up offers a 4/4 or 4/4.5 setup.

I agree with switching out the TV wall to the other wall.  The positioning of the furniture in the model is not conducive to entertaining.  Get 10 people in the kitchen/great room and it feels crapped.  Re-work the furniture and the television and, hey presto.

 

[timandjess]

For the plan 2, I would place the TV on the other wall and do a sectional using the current TV wall+windows to open up the great room a bit more. I also much prefer the plan 3. The 3x entry is nice and 3 bathrooms in a 4 bedroom house is not ideal if the next plan up offers a 4/4 or 4/4.5 setup.

I agree with switching out the TV wall to the other wall.  The positioning of the furniture in the model is not conducive to entertaining.  Get 10 people in the kitchen/great room and it feels crapped.  Re-work the furniture and the television and, hey presto.

That's exactly what we did and it makes more sense especially when you have the conservatory. 

 

[Perspective]

How are sales going on latest release?  When do they release Phase 14?

I just glanced at the siteplan in the office yesterday, and I saw red/sold homes on a lot of Phase 13 homes on Copper Mine. Phase 14 is officially released next weekend, but we dropped off a deposit this weekend for ours. We're in. The strategy of waiting for months for an end of cul-de-sac lot with a reasonable yard paid-off.

Congratulations Perspective. I never realized you could get a lot ahead of release - learn something new every day!

I think what happens, is they start working through the priority list for every lot in the release, one week before the release date. If they confirm that they have an interested buyer in a lot, they ask the buyer to bring a check/deposit in. Then, on the official release date, the buyer signs the contract and the check is deposited.

 

[Bubba]

For the plan 2, I would place the TV on the other wall and do a sectional using the current TV wall+windows to open up the great room a bit more. I also much prefer the plan 3. The 3x entry is nice and 3 bathrooms in a 4 bedroom house is not ideal if the next plan up offers a 4/4 or 4/4.5 setup.

I agree with switching out the TV wall to the other wall.  The positioning of the furniture in the model is not conducive to entertaining.  Get 10 people in the kitchen/great room and it feels crapped.  Re-work the furniture and the television and, hey presto.

That's exactly what we did and it makes more sense especially when you have the conservatory.

For those of you that selected the conservatory option, what are you planning to do in that space?  Wish that beam could be removed, so the room looks bigger, but was told it's structural.  Agreed, the model home furniture arrangement makes the living room look cramped.

I think it depends on how you "live".  If most of your time is spent in the kitchen, having the TV on the wall between the windows (like the model home) is nice because you can watch TV as you cook.

 

[Perspective]

I would consider the conservatory, but my wife really wants the covered patio (CA room). I think if you have a very shallow backyard, and you don't envision yourself spending much time on the patio, then the conservatory is the best option. I think we'll be spending a lot of time in the backyard watching the kids play. So having a covered patio is ideal.

Were we choosing the conservatory, I'd paint the walls a dark color, put book cases in there, and two large comfy leather chairs. I'd treat it as a library.

 

[bones]

For the plan 3, I would probably opt for the california room which gets used a ton in my current house.  The conservatory makes furniture placement really awkward if u treat it as one giant room. I don't have a need for a piano room or a library. A game room or play area would make the downstairs look sloppy (IMO). But indoor sf is so much more valuable. Tough call.

 

[Irvinecommuter]

For the plan 3, I would probably opt for the california room which gets used a ton in my current house.  The conservatory makes furniture placement really awkward if u treat it as one giant room. I don't have a need for a piano room or a library. A game room or play area would make the downstairs look sloppy (IMO). But indoor sf is so much more valuable. Tough call.

I always wonder about the California room...personally I go for the conservatory every time.  Extra square footage for like $5K...resale means an extra $25-30K.

 

[OC troll]

For the plan 3, I would probably opt for the california room which gets used a ton in my current house.  The conservatory makes furniture placement really awkward if u treat it as one giant room. I don't have a need for a piano room or a library. A game room or play area would make the downstairs look sloppy (IMO). But indoor sf is so much more valuable. Tough call.

Agree with Bones, hard to blend the room with the rest due to awkward furniture placement. I'd go with Cal Room. Especially with new homes and the small yards, best to maximize what you have left. I remember touring the models with the conservatory, it leaves the yard feeling even smaller. Now I'm assuming you get a lot similar to the model.

 

[Bullsback]

I am similar to Bones...furniture and everything gets awkward with the conservatory so for actual personal use, CA room wins every time. Problem is the sq footage for the price is a good investment move.  Of course, if I were buying, I'd rather buy the house that was a few hundred sq ft smaller with the CA room and some form of a California yard vs. a California courtwall. 

 

[Perspective]

For the plan 3, I would probably opt for the california room which gets used a ton in my current house.  The conservatory makes furniture placement really awkward if u treat it as one giant room. I don't have a need for a piano room or a library. A game room or play area would make the downstairs look sloppy (IMO). But indoor sf is so much more valuable. Tough call.

I always wonder about the California room...personally I go for the conservatory every time.  Extra square footage for like $5K...resale means an extra $25-30K.

Well, at Strada, the trellis is standard, the CA room is $13K, and the conservatory is $17K. It adds square footage, but does that offset the fact that every guest you have over, and every buyer in the future, will walk into your great room and go, "Hmm. That's odd"? It kinda feels like an add-on - like you enclosed a patio with a contractor years after purchase.

 

[bones]

For the plan 3, I would probably opt for the california room which gets used a ton in my current house.  The conservatory makes furniture placement really awkward if u treat it as one giant room. I don't have a need for a piano room or a library. A game room or play area would make the downstairs look sloppy (IMO). But indoor sf is so much more valuable. Tough call.

I always wonder about the California room...personally I go for the conservatory every time.  Extra square footage for like $5K...resale means an extra $25-30K.

Well, at Strada, the trellis is standard, the CA room is $13K, and the conservatory is $17K. It adds square footage, but does that offset the fact that every guest you have over, and every buyer in the future, will walk into your great room and go, "Hmm. That's odd"? It kinda feels like an add-on - like you enclosed a patio with a contractor years after purchase.

That's why I think the conservatory is just another IPac money grab "innovation". Just design the floorplans to include the extra "conservatory" space incorporated nicely as a flex space and give folks a proper California room.

So what's the verdict on real strada buyers. Are most opting for cali room or conservatory?  You can prob tell by driving the neighborhood.

 

[Perspective]

For the plan 3, I would probably opt for the california room which gets used a ton in my current house.  The conservatory makes furniture placement really awkward if u treat it as one giant room. I don't have a need for a piano room or a library. A game room or play area would make the downstairs look sloppy (IMO). But indoor sf is so much more valuable. Tough call.

I always wonder about the California room...personally I go for the conservatory every time.  Extra square footage for like $5K...resale means an extra $25-30K.

Well, at Strada, the trellis is standard, the CA room is $13K, and the conservatory is $17K. It adds square footage, but does that offset the fact that every guest you have over, and every buyer in the future, will walk into your great room and go, "Hmm. That's odd"? It kinda feels like an add-on - like you enclosed a patio with a contractor years after purchase.

That's why I think the conservatory is just another IPac money grab "innovation". Just design the floorplans to include the extra "conservatory" space incorporated nicely as a flex space and give folks a proper California room.

So what's the verdict on real strada buyers. Are most opting for cali room or conservatory?  You can prob tell by driving the neighborhood.

I'm not sure what the verdict is. I do see very few trellises in backyards though. So people are opting for one of the upgrades here. The sales people say that buyers tend to choose the option modeled. So, Plan 3 buyers tend to choose the conservatory, and Plan 2 buyers tend to select the CA room.

One note on the trellis. It looks really good, but it is large and extends many feet out. There are quite a few houses with trellises that look like the trellis is touching the block wall (due to shallow backyards).

 

[Perspective]

Has anyone opted for the soaker tub in the master bath? It's $4,800, and because it requires structural changes, must be decided upon very quickly. We'll likely choose it, but I was estimating this would cost no more than $3K.

 

[Irvinecommuter]

I am similar to Bones...furniture and everything gets awkward with the conservatory so for actual personal use, CA room wins every time. Problem is the sq footage for the price is a good investment move.  Of course, if I were buying, I'd rather buy the house that was a few hundred sq ft smaller with the CA room and some form of a California yard vs. a California courtwall.

I have a conservatory and a L-shaped sofa breaks the room nicely in half.  The conservatory get a lot of sun and opens up the house.  Without it, the great room feels cramped. 

 

[Irvinecommuter]

Has anyone opted for the soaker tub in the master bath? It's $4,800, and because it requires structural changes, must be decided upon very quickly. We'll likely choose it, but I was estimating this would cost no more than $3K.

Always recommend that you go through the builder for anything relating to structure and/or bathrooms, even flooring.

 

[Bullsback]

For the plan 3, I would probably opt for the california room which gets used a ton in my current house.  The conservatory makes furniture placement really awkward if u treat it as one giant room. I don't have a need for a piano room or a library. A game room or play area would make the downstairs look sloppy (IMO). But indoor sf is so much more valuable. Tough call.

I always wonder about the California room...personally I go for the conservatory every time.  Extra square footage for like $5K...resale means an extra $25-30K.

Well, at Strada, the trellis is standard, the CA room is $13K, and the conservatory is $17K. It adds square footage, but does that offset the fact that every guest you have over, and every buyer in the future, will walk into your great room and go, "Hmm. That's odd"? It kinda feels like an add-on - like you enclosed a patio with a contractor years after purchase.

That's why I think the conservatory is just another IPac money grab "innovation". Just design the floorplans to include the extra "conservatory" space incorporated nicely as a flex space and give folks a proper California room.

So what's the verdict on real strada buyers. Are most opting for cali room or conservatory?  You can prob tell by driving the neighborhood.

My understanding is it is about half and half, with a few people also opting for trelis. 

 

[eyephone]

Has anyone opted for the soaker tub in the master bath? It's $4,800, and because it requires structural changes, must be decided upon very quickly. We'll likely choose it, but I was estimating this would cost no more than $3K.

Does this add value? I don't know. It seems kind of high. (Me personally I would not get a soaker tub.

However, I would upgrade the bathroom tiles for the shower.