The Meadows, Lake Forest by Toll Brothers

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callmehere said:
Yes, we received keys on this week. Calbears, I thought you already purchased in Portola Springs? Seems like you're still interested in The Meadows?
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No, we just wanted to look at the model homes. We've never seen a TB home before and my wife was interested in seeing in the inside.

To be honest, we didn't like the location for The Meadows before. And seeing how the homes are so much lower than Rancho Pkwy now that they've been built made us think that we made the right decision to stick with PS. My wife loves PS. She said she would rather stay in PS than moving to OH (not that we're going to afford OH :ROFLMAO:), which is why we'll try to get Cielo once we've earned enough for down payment.
 
CalBears96 said:
No, we just wanted to look at the model homes. We've never seen a TB home before and my wife was interested in seeing in the inside.

To be honest, we didn't like the location for The Meadows before. And seeing how the homes are so much lower than Rancho Pkwy now that they've been built made us think that we made the right decision to stick with PS. My wife loves PS. She said she would rather stay in PS than moving to OH (not that we're going to afford OH :ROFLMAO:), which is why we'll try to get Cielo once we've earned enough for down payment.
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I see...so in true TalkIrvine fashion, I guess your comments are meant to troll and elevate your nose position...got it
 
callmehere said:
I see...so in true TalkIrvine fashion, I guess your comments are meant to troll and elevate your nose position...got it
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Why do Lake Forest residents have this inferior complex? How the fuck was I trolling? I was just making a comment after actually seeing the homes. Could you be more sensitive?

I talked about this before when we first took a look at The Meadows. I didn't like the fact that the land that the homes were built on were depressed compared to the surrounding, which is why we decided not to buy at The Meadows. You asked me if I was still interested in The Meadows. I just answered that after seeing how the homes are now, I'm even less interested. How's that trolling?
 
Haha, no shortage of trolls on talkirvine, I’m sure you’re in good company. Some posters have reputations for adding fodder to any topic, you might wanna review your post to see if they add any value beyond “xyz is poop, so glad I bought where I did”

This will be a nice little community, I’m sure you feel the same about yours.
 
callmehere said:
Haha, no shortage of trolls on talkirvine, I’m sure you’re in good company. Some posters have reputations for adding fodder to any topic, you might wanna review your post to see if they add any value beyond “xyz is poop, so glad I bought where I did”

This will be a nice little community, I’m sure you feel the same about yours.
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You asked a question. I answered it. I stated a fact and you can't handle the truth and called me a troll. When did I say The Meadows was poop? I just said I didn't like the fact that it was depressed compared to the surrounding. Stop being so fucking sensitive.
 
CalBears96 said:
No, we just wanted to look at the model homes. We've never seen a TB home before and my wife was interested in seeing in the inside.

To be honest, we didn't like the location for The Meadows before. And seeing how the homes are so much lower than Rancho Pkwy now that they've been built made us think that we made the right decision to stick with PS. My wife loves PS. She said she would rather stay in PS than moving to OH (not that we're going to afford OH :ROFLMAO:), which is why we'll try to get Cielo once we've earned enough for down payment.
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What is your issue with it being lower? Polution? Just general aesthetic? I assume you like being high up since you're in The Bluffs. :)

Is Irvine ever going to build shopping by you guys btw?
 
ThirtySomethingWEquity said:
What is your issue with it being lower? Polution? Just general aesthetic? I assume you like being high up since you're in The Bluffs. :)

Is Irvine ever going to build shopping by you guys btw?
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Main issue is general aesthetic. We like living higher up for the view. Even if we don't get a view from the house, we could enjoy the view when taking walks. For us, it's bad enough if it's flat, like GP or Eastwood, but lower is worse.

My other issue with The Meadows is that it's in an industrial/commercial area. Sure, the location is a lot more convenient than PS, but we prefer a residential neighbor. We would rather sacrifice the convenience. This is just our preference.

I doubt that Irvine Company would build shopping by us. Don't know if Five Point would build anything in GP area.
 
I guess for those familiar with the area, the elevation of the former nursery site doesn't look much different. For those interested I would just stop by and see the area for yourself since they have 15 model homes open now.
 
Okay....I don't know why this thread went so left. I don't see anything wrong with CalBears stating their own observations about the community after seeing it...

I guess I can understand taking offense to people not loving where you chose to buy a home, but this forum is all about observations and commentary on real estate. What's particularly odd is that the LF homeowners on here always have such strong reactions/opinions like any of this is personal...Come on.

THAT being said, I drove through The Meadows last week and loved the homes and didn't love the location (topography). I've been coming to this area forever so I kind of knew what to expect given that it was replacing the nursery, but depending where someone's home is inside The Meadows will make a difference. Parts of it kind of reminded me of a pit. It's not as bad as parts of PS and GP on Portola Pkwy where it's wayyyy below, but still.

I also didn't love that on one side you will be staring at the shopping center...another side has a view of the office parks. That's not everyone's cup of tea. I did like how you could see the hills and greenery on the side that's toward Lake Forest Dr though. AGAIN, these are just my opinions, nothing is personal. Everyone chill out. It's not a LF vs Irvine type of thing...
 
we need a new thread for battle of the new developments! in all fairness, I think at build out the Meadows will look a lot nicer…it kind of gives me a Woodbury vibe; it will be nice to take a evening stroll within the development.
 
I think it's fair that we can criticize/praise any hood... regardless of where it is.

I am in agreement with many here that the general location of Meadows isn't all that great. Proximity to shopping, toll-road etc is nice but I do also get that valley/pit vibe and it is next to lots of industrial (which can be a pro or con... especially if you work in that area). Hard to complain that a Home Depot is next door... and an AYCE Mongolian BBQ. :)

I haven't toured the models yet but I'm sure they are nice... from the framing... this does seem dense but what isn't nowadays?

Like Foothill Ranch, Baker Ranch, [insert new LF hood here], Meadows is a bit far out for my preference but it's great for people who don't have that Irvine (or Mello Roos) favoritism.

Now I have to go comment on those new builds in San Juan Capistrano. :)
 
irviniteeee said:
Okay....I don't know why this thread went so left. I don't see anything wrong with CalBears stating their own observations about the community after seeing it...

I guess I can understand taking offense to people not loving where you chose to buy a home, but this forum is all about observations and commentary on real estate. What's particularly odd is that the LF homeowners on here always have such strong reactions/opinions like any of this is personal...Come on.

THAT being said, I drove through The Meadows last week and loved the homes and didn't love the location (topography). I've been coming to this area forever so I kind of knew what to expect given that it was replacing the nursery, but depending where someone's home is inside The Meadows will make a difference. Parts of it kind of reminded me of a pit. It's not as bad as parts of PS and GP on Portola Pkwy where it's wayyyy below, but still.

I also didn't love that on one side you will be staring at the shopping center...another side has a view of the office parks. That's not everyone's cup of tea. I did like how you could see the hills and greenery on the side that's toward Lake Forest Dr though. AGAIN, these are just my opinions, nothing is personal. Everyone chill out. It's not a LF vs Irvine type of thing...
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To be fair, CalBears posts in this thread appear to be coming from an emotional standpoint rather than an objective one. This is evidenced by the excessive posts berating Meadows vs PS (despite already settling down in a home in PS). We get it; he likes his home in PS... but there are better outlets to share these emotions rather than an online forum.

In fact, it is he who projects the comparison between LF and Irvine. His post here says it all:
Why do Lake Forest residents have this inferior complex? How the fuck was I trolling? I was just making a comment after actually seeing the homes. Could you be more sensitive?
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From a rational standpoint, has he considered the likelihood of some Phase 1 owners being investors as opposed to LF residents?
Or did his emotions blind him to this? 🤷‍♂️
 
I think most of us know we have to make tradeoffs when buying a house. I'm not sure why CalBears96 posting about why he dosn't like The Meadows is a bad thing. I don't like the Bluffs. Small kitchen to me, I don't like the yard being on 'the side' of the house (from the front door at least), and no driveway. I don't think he's offended by that. I do love the views from Portola Springs.

There are things about my house I don't like (that don't outweigh the things I love though). I don't like that my house has smaller bedrooms, only two of them have ensuite bathrooms. My house doesn't have a landing for the garage or a pantry. Really convenient for most shopping, but the only nearby grocery stores are Ralphs (or Walmart).

Someone coming here and saying they don't like the Meadows could be helpful to someone who hasn't thought of the downsides.
If I see a thread on Portola Springs, (I almost bought there a couple years ago), I sometimes pop in to remind people that it's not close to retail (yet?). Sometimes I point out that some houses are closer to the Toll Roads or freeways than others. Opinions should be welcome, otherwise this place is too boring.
 
I am with Thirty. It might be the colorful language CB uses... but... another poster did start with the name calling first (I think).

And let's admit it...we all have an inner troll... that's what drives most forums... but I agree that CB does have some salient points that are value-add to this discussion. Homebuying is an emotional process... and not always objective... so those opinions should be part of the conversation.
 
anteaterMD said:
To be fair, CalBears posts in this thread appear to be coming from an emotional standpoint rather than an objective one. This is evidenced by the excessive posts berating Meadows vs PS (despite already settling down in a home in PS). We get it; he likes his home in PS... but there are better outlets to share these emotions rather than an online forum.

In fact, it is he who projects the comparison between LF and Irvine. His post here says it all:

From a rational standpoint, has he considered the likelihood of some Phase 1 owners being investors as opposed to LF residents?
Or did his emotions blind him to this? 🤷‍♂️
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Are you serious? Emotional standpoint? Did you even read my post? Excessive posts berating The Meadows? I made ONE observation about The Meadows and that it's lower than the surrounding. This is a fact. And I think most people would agree it's not a good thing. I only mentioned that my wife likes PS more than OH. Didn't mention anything about The Meadows there.

Only later on did I expand on the fact that it's surrounded by industrial/commercial area, which I don't like. On the other hand, it's very convenient as well, having Home Depot and Mongolian BBQ nearby. Not to mention that Foothill Ranch plaza nearby. This part is personal preference, convenience vs. "nice and quiet" neighborhood.

As for the homes themselves, we looked at Magnolia and Evergreen. My wife and I love the modern look, so their exterior is far superior to IP's homes, especially the Evergreen ones. The interior is okay, some better and some worse than IP. Like I mentioned in my earlier post, I don't think they should have made Magnolia 5 bd/5 ba. The rooms are too small. Evergreen is nice. It's too bad, though, that the master bedroom deck in one of the Evergreen homes is wasted on looking at the neighbor.

The homes are beautiful. It is Toll Brothers, after all. Just not a fan of the location.
 
ThirtySomethingWEquity said:
I think most of us know we have to make tradeoffs when buying a house. I'm not sure why CalBears96 posting about why he dosn't like The Meadows is a bad thing. I don't like the Bluffs. Small kitchen to me, I don't like the yard being on 'the side' of the house (from the front door at least), and no driveway. I don't think he's offended by that. I do love the views from Portola Springs.

There are things about my house I don't like (that don't outweigh the things I love though). I don't like that my house has smaller bedrooms, only two of them have ensuite bathrooms. My house doesn't have a landing for the garage or a pantry. Really convenient for most shopping, but the only nearby grocery stores are Ralphs (or Walmart).

Someone coming here and saying they don't like the Meadows could be helpful to someone who hasn't thought of the downsides.
If I see a thread on Portola Springs, (I almost bought there a couple years ago), I sometimes pop in to remind people that it's not close to retail (yet?). Sometimes I point out that some houses are closer to the Toll Roads or freeways than others. Opinions should be welcome, otherwise this place is too boring.
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Right. There is no perfect home...unless you're as well off as Martin. :ROFLMAO:

Even I can admit that Bluffs have a few drawbacks. First and foremost is the no driveway (or motor court). My wife mentioned that she feels like the motor court makes her not have this "Home, sweet home"feeling when she comes home. She feels like she needs to drive into the garage (or driveway) from a big street. That is pretty much the main reason she's longing for Cielo now. Motor court homes also makes it frustrating sometimes on garbage day because of too many cars parked on the street.

As for yard on the side, it only applies to Bluffs 1, though. I think that's more like front door being on the side. Either way, it is weird.

Are we happy that we bought Bluffs? Yes.
Are we still looking for that unicorn house? Yes. But my wife wants to stay in PS and she only wants new home, so that unicorn house will have to be Cielo.
 
Did we ever find out the elementary school zoning here now that there are actual closings? Or do people/investors who buy here not care about these things? I know someone mentioned they traded out of IUSD for a LF home to go to private school…. but that can’t be everyone.
 
At the end of the day, we buy home that fits best for each one of us.
I personally hate OH because it is gated and the fact that HOA is high. I dislike PS because it is so far from everything and inconvenient taking my kids to Jr High and HS next year. I decided to move from Woodbury to Eastwood because WB has gotten lot worse (noise, traffic, more crowded) due to apartment people and long drive to Portola HS. I am not bothered when Cal said EW is flat 😀.

Cal didnt get offered when i gave him warning about courtyard cons b4 he bought his Bluff or else he wouldve bailed.

Pointing out pros/cons with some flavors of personal opinions are good discussions.
 
As everyone in the replies since my last message has stated, this is all supposed to be normal observations, opinions, pros/cons, etc. People are going to like where they're moving regardless of what other people think, but it's sometimes helpful to hear other POVs. That's what I like about Talk Irvine. I think there are pros and cons everywhere. Like I said, I really like the home designs in The Meadows. You can also walk across the street to Bodhi Leaf if you like a good coffee, so hey.
 
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