Who has moved in to the 2010 Home Collection?

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irvinehomeowner

irvinehomeowner

Well-known member
Any lurkers out there unpack their boxes yet?

I drove around both Sonoma and Carmel/Montecito last weekend and I have to say that they look better than I thought.

The alleys for Montecito are not that bad because they are at most 3 homes deep and the driveway adds a dimension to make it feel less alley-like. If you've ever seen tracts where they have to tuck 2 or 3 homes in a corner so there is this huge common driveway, that's what it reminds me of.

I feel sorry for Villa Rosa because when you drive by the Sonoma homes, you don't see much of a difference frontage-wise so aesthetically, you don't perceive that $200-300k+ difference in price.

Does anyone care to share their move-in story?
 
IHO, I disagree with you about the monticeto homes.  The ones that are two deep are barable.  However the three deep motorcourts are quite depressing.  It's clever that the companies selling the homes always keep the models in the most optimal areas (no homes behind and currently only half of the motorcourt completed).  If this is TIC's idea of a single family home then I am concerned at learning what they plan next. 
 
I have to agree with nytransplant.  I visited Montecito last Friday.  I thought the side with 2 homes was decent and actually looked nice.  But when I walked by the 3 deep motorcourts, it seemed so deep.  Plus the motorcourts are so narrow it felt claustrophobic. 

Carmel looked nice.  The day I visited there were so many workers working on all the homes.  The entire street was jam packed with cars.  I wonder if that is what it will be like when everyone moves in.

Having the front of Montecito landscaped was a nice touch.  It was nice to see everything finished.
 
In Irvine, I'm used to those homes that are tucked in corners via a shared driveway and the 6-pack Montecitos remind me of that. The difference that makes it less alley-like to me is that there is the setback because of the driveway so it's not one big hall with walls on each side but more like a mini-street.

If you've been to Westpark II, Woodbridge, Tustin Ranch there are many areas set up like this where the house actually has no driveway but basically fronts a small street with no parking. The "bonus" (if you can call it that) is that Montecito actually has space on your driveway whereas most of these other neighborhoods don't.

It's a personal preference of course but for space efficiency, I prefer that setup to alley homes.

And the two-deep homes on the ends (there are only two sets) look the most SFR-like because they are off the main streets in that tract and have a sidewalk and a berm of grass in front of them.
 
I agree that the motorcourt is better than an alleyway but not by much.  Had there been a sidewalk on each side of the motorcourt that would have made it a lot better.

The two deep motorcourts (about half of monticeto) are descent because they let in a little light.  Maybe in the monticeto 2 they will only build them 2 deep - I doubt it though.
 
Sidewalk, is one of the main reason I go for Sonoma, I like Vila Rosa but my wife don't.
The side walk also let you able to park your car outside the garage and not on the Streets.

It will be nice to have a park and a small pool nearby.

Mike
 
Because of the new credit, I believe all of the phase one buyers are starting to move in this week and perhaps this coming weekend.
 
fe9000 said:
Hahaha, you guys want to help me move??  :-)
Click to expand...
Not it! Although I miss my pick-up truck... I don't miss the constant requests to help people move since I was the only one they know who had a pick-up truck.

Although... I would probably be in better shape than I am now.
 
irvinehomeowner said:
In Irvine, I'm used to those homes that are tucked in corners via a shared driveway and the 6-pack Montecitos remind me of that. The difference that makes it less alley-like to me is that there is the setback because of the driveway so it's not one big hall with walls on each side but more like a mini-street.

If you've been to Westpark II, Woodbridge, Tustin Ranch there are many areas set up like this where the house actually has no driveway but basically fronts a small street with no parking. The "bonus" (if you can call it that) is that Montecito actually has space on your driveway whereas most of these other neighborhoods don't.

It's a personal preference of course but for space efficiency, I prefer that setup to alley homes.

And the two-deep homes on the ends (there are only two sets) look the most SFR-like because they are off the main streets in that tract and have a sidewalk and a berm of grass in front of them.
Click to expand...

Personally, I think the ones 2 deep look nicer, but the 3 deep don't look too bad.  But, the homes on the 2-deep motorcouts have much smaller backyards, so again, it's trade off and personal preference.  If you want a little bit more of a backyard, you'll have to go for the homes one the 3 deep motorcourt.

Also, a sidewalk WOULD be nice!!  And the strip of concrete that escrowbear was referring to..unfortunately, it's only on one side of the motorcourt, and which side the cement strip is on varies from motorcourt to motorcourt.  One side has the strip, while the other side has an inclined edge so that water can drain out to a drain at the end of the motorcourt.  It all depends on luck and which lot you happen to get.
 
I was over at Sonoma this past Sunday and saw the phase 1 people move in.  Front landscape wasn't done and found out from sales that it is the owner's responsibility.  $100 HOA goes towards something else i guess.
 
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