Orchard Hills - Strada by Irvine Pacific

[ariesinapril]

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 court wall.

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.

Ours is  Plan 3E and we have trellies; when we signed for this it was too late for the structural options . We prefer CA room. Our COE is mid June. We  already contacted the Landscapers and they told us that converting trilles to CA room is removing the trilles and  and starting from ground up and cost could be  around $22,000 and up. Just thinking what we should do! We really wanted CA room , Conservatory is only good if you have big piano!  It is very odd design!

 

[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.

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.

It looks really good, if that adds value. It breaks-up the boxiness of the bathroom and eliminates more surface areas covered with tile. The soaker tub is much deeper than the standard tub.

It just gives the master bath a high-end look. The master baths in the Strada plans are not palatial. I appreciate that. There's no need to waste a ton of space in the master bath. However, at low-$1Ms, you kind of expect a master bath "retreat." You don't get that at Strada. If you've toured Arcadia (Stonegate) or The Heights (Baker Ranch), the master baths seem much bigger.

 

[ariesinapril]

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.

It looks really good, if that adds value. It breaks-up the boxiness of the bathroom and eliminates more surface areas covered with tile. The soaker tub is much deeper than the standard tub.

It just gives the master bath a high-end look. The master baths in the Strada plans are not palatial. I appreciate that. There's no need to waste a ton of space in the master bath. However, at low-$1Ms, you kind of expect a master bath "retreat." You don't get that at Strada. If you've toured Arcadia (Stonegate) or The Heights (Baker Ranch), the master baths seem much bigger.

MB is really small  at Strada; for me soaker tub  made the MB even more cramped! 

 

[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 court wall.

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.

Ours is  Plan 3E and we have trellies; when we signed for this it was too late for the structural options . We prefer CA room. Our COE is mid June. We  already contacted the Landscapers and they told us that converting trilles to CA room is removing the trilles and  and starting from ground up and cost could be  around $22,000 and up. Just thinking what we should do! We really wanted CA room , Conservatory is only good if you have big piano!  It is very odd design!

Looking at the floor plan...I realize that the conservatory for Strada "sticks out" which would make it odd looking.  My conservatory wall runs flush with the wall for the dining area so the room just looks bigger.

 

[OC troll]

Question for the Strada buyers, is this home going to be a long term home / forever home or will this just be a stepping stone to a bigger house in the future? We want to be in Orchard Hills, I'm contemplating on buying in Strada, we're on the list, but we're not sure if it will suit our needs in the future when the kids get bigger, however anything bigger than Strada in OH will be behind the gates and its super expensive, even the cheapest (CAPELLA) is a few hundred thousand more.

 

[sky949]

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.

Actually looks like a lot more people are opting for the Trellis -- guessing that's because the trellis makes the backyards feel a little bigger -- Attaching some pics of the backyards I saw -- you can see almost half or more of all houses have opted for a Trellis -- again this could be different for a different part of Strada.

 

[Perspective]

Question for the Strada buyers, is this home going to be a long term home / forever home or will this just be a stepping stone to a bigger house in the future? We want to be in Orchard Hills, I'm contemplating on buying in Strada, we're on the list, but we're not sure if it will suit our needs in the future when the kids get bigger, however anything bigger than Strada in OH will be behind the gates and its super expensive, even the cheapest (CAPELLA) is a few hundred thousand more.

We have two young kids, and the plan is to make it work for the next 20 years. My wife has some concerns that ~2,700 sq ft might feel cramped at some point. We're renting an older ~3,100 sq ft in Irvine currently, so we will be giving up some space. This is one reason why we waited many months hoping for a chance to buy a Plan 3 with a big (for new Irvine homes) backyard. Hopefully it won't feel cramped looking out of the windows, sort of how it does feel in the models with the 9' setbacks.

Touring the gated OH homes makes Strada feel very small. I stopped doing that.  :-[ Capella is much more expensive, and I don't think there are any big backyards in Capella.

 

[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.

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

Actually looks like a lot more people are opting for the Trellis -- guessing that's because the trellis makes the backyards feel a little bigger -- Attaching some pics of the backyards I saw -- you can see almost half or more of all houses have opted for a Trellis -- again this could be different for a different part of Strada.

Nice pics. Thanks. I think the trellis looks great, and it should make a small yard feel bigger.

 

[bones]

Question for the Strada buyers, is this home going to be a long term home / forever home or will this just be a stepping stone to a bigger house in the future? We want to be in Orchard Hills, I'm contemplating on buying in Strada, we're on the list, but we're not sure if it will suit our needs in the future when the kids get bigger, however anything bigger than Strada in OH will be behind the gates and its super expensive, even the cheapest (CAPELLA) is a few hundred thousand more.

Not a buyer but 1) down the line, there will be other OH product in various enclaves opening up. So there will be more options to choose from. Who knows what pricing will be but if everything is pricey, your strada home will be too so it's all the same. And 2) I tend to think 4/4.5 + loft with that sf is totally live-able for the long term.  You may find out later you want another room downstairs or a bigger lot or a 3rd car garage but I'm all about living efficiently.

 

[Jonah]

The Strada Master Bathrooms are a disappointment when compared with other IP MBs. As with anything it comes down to personal preference re. soaker vs regular tub.  I went with regular as the soaker is impractical for me. 

I'd go for the conservatory if the setback was 16" or more on the conservatory side.  Anything less, and you'd end up straining your neck to look up at the sky.  For smaller yards, I'd go for a California room or trellis.  I wonder how different the model Plan 3 would have appeared if they'd put a trellis in there.

My Strada home is intended as a long term proposition.  Based on my personal circumstances, I will not be looking to upsize. 

 

[Legit949]

Don't forget about the Terrazza 2X...Offers 4 bed, 4 Bath and nice loft...

 

[OC troll]

Question for the Strada buyers, is this home going to be a long term home / forever home or will this just be a stepping stone to a bigger house in the future? We want to be in Orchard Hills, I'm contemplating on buying in Strada, we're on the list, but we're not sure if it will suit our needs in the future when the kids get bigger, however anything bigger than Strada in OH will be behind the gates and its super expensive, even the cheapest (CAPELLA) is a few hundred thousand more.

We have two young kids, and the plan is to make it work for the next 20 years. My wife has some concerns that ~2,700 sq ft might feel cramped at some point. We're renting an older ~3,100 sq ft in Irvine currently, so we will be giving up some space. This is one reason why we waited many months hoping for a chance to buy a Plan 3 with a big (for new Irvine homes) backyard. Hopefully it won't feel cramped looking out of the windows, sort of how it does feel in the models with the 9' setbacks.

Touring the gated OH homes makes Strada feel very small. I stopped doing that.  :-[ Capella is much more expensive, and I don't think there are any big backyards in Capella.

Good to know you plan to stay. I currently live in a ~1800 sf house 3bdrm 2.5 bath with two kids and it feels ok to me. But wife thinks we're going to out grow soon  .  We like the plan 3 as well. Our current neighborhood seems to have high turn over so we see so many different faces and theres no connection. If I'm going to opt for a bigger mortgage I really want to move into a neighborhood and has long time owners.

 

[OC troll]

Don't forget about the Terrazza 2X...Offers 4 bed, 4 Bath and nice loft...

We did look at Terazza, and the layout is nice, I just could not get over the no driveway except for the corner lots in the back and I couldn't justify paying the $30K premium either.

 

[Jonah]

Don't forget about the Terrazza 2X...Offers 4 bed, 4 Bath and nice loft...

We did look at Terazza, and the layout is nice, I just could not get over the no driveway except for the corner lots in the back and I couldn't justify paying the $30K premium either.

Exactly.  I really liked the Terrazza 2X, but the lack of a driveway was a major concern given the fact that my kid will have their own car in a few years.  The lack of a pool in close proximity was another factor. 

 

[Irvinecommuter]

Don't forget about the Terrazza 2X...Offers 4 bed, 4 Bath and nice loft...

We did look at Terazza, and the layout is nice, I just could not get over the no driveway except for the corner lots in the back and I couldn't justify paying the $30K premium either.

Exactly.  I really liked the Terrazza 2X, but the lack of a driveway was a major concern given the fact that my kid will have their own car in a few years.  The lack of a pool in close proximity was another factor.

I have the Stonegate equivalent of Terrazza and parking is not an issue for 2X...I park in front of my house 99% of the time.  I don't know if OH has a parking issue but Saratoga has plenty of parking in Stonegate.  Conversely, San Marcos communities have parking issues because the houses are only two deep. 

 

[ariesinapril]

Anybody here got a list of Landscaping company's that are approved by our association? Is there a such list?.

 

[horseshoe]

Don't forget about the Terrazza 2X...Offers 4 bed, 4 Bath and nice loft...

We did look at Terazza, and the layout is nice, I just could not get over the no driveway except for the corner lots in the back and I couldn't justify paying the $30K premium either.

Exactly.  I really liked the Terrazza 2X, but the lack of a driveway was a major concern given the fact that my kid will have their own car in a few years.  The lack of a pool in close proximity was another factor.

I have the Stonegate equivalent of Terrazza and parking is not an issue for 2X...I park in front of my house 99% of the time.  I don't know if OH has a parking issue but Saratoga has plenty of parking in Stonegate.  Conversely, San Marcos communities have parking issues because the houses are only two deep.

The major difference between Terrazza and Strada is Terrazza is detached condo vs Strada is SFH. The way IP words detached condo as Single family residence is tricky, and mis-leading. It's unfair to Terrazza if you compare it to Strada, especially the price diff is not that significant.  > 

 

[horseshoe]

Anybody here got a list of Landscaping company's that are approved by our association? Is there a such list?.

I don't believe there is a list of HOA approved landscaping vendors. HOA should only approve the design submitted by any CA licensed vendors.
I even heard from other community that people submitted his own design to HOA without engaging any vendors. I'd believe either the design was super simple or that guy is super handy...  8)

 

[Irvinecommuter]

Don't forget about the Terrazza 2X...Offers 4 bed, 4 Bath and nice loft...

We did look at Terazza, and the layout is nice, I just could not get over the no driveway except for the corner lots in the back and I couldn't justify paying the $30K premium either.

Exactly.  I really liked the Terrazza 2X, but the lack of a driveway was a major concern given the fact that my kid will have their own car in a few years.  The lack of a pool in close proximity was another factor.

I have the Stonegate equivalent of Terrazza and parking is not an issue for 2X...I park in front of my house 99% of the time.  I don't know if OH has a parking issue but Saratoga has plenty of parking in Stonegate.  Conversely, San Marcos communities have parking issues because the houses are only two deep.

The major difference between Terrazza and Strada is Terrazza is detached condo vs Strada is SFH. The way IP words detached condo as Single family residence is tricky, and mis-leading. It's unfair to Terrazza if you compare it to Strada, especially the price diff is not that significant.  >

True on the single family home thing...hurts you when you are trying to get a loan.  There is a pretty big price difference between the two IIRC...there was between Saratoga and Mendocinio.

 

[timandjess]

The conservatory was the easiest option for us to check.  Now having moved into our plan 2 and being able to compare with & without (model home as well as peeking into still building homes), I cannot imagine not having it. 

It opens up the great room so much more.

Edit: (Calculation)

From a dollar/sq foot stand point - $17,000 for approximately 160 sq ft.  That's $105/sq ft. 

Lets take today's plan 2 at $1.12M for 2480 sq ft, that's $450/sq ft (closer to $470/sq ft after closing cost and landscaping).

Technically, you are getting a $345/sq ft (or $55,000) discount purchasing this extra 160 square feet.

We are lucky that the lot we picked still allows for decent yard behind the conservatory, but even if we had a smaller lot, we would still have opt for the conservatory.