Baker Ranch in Lake Forest / Foothill Ranch

Orchard Hills is definitely hotter than Northwood. It could be that more landscaping in Northwood makes it feel cooler.

My daughter was here when we came back from a day at the models in OH and she was surprised that I didn't "know" that OH is hotter. She told me, it's not me, it IS hotter and she said she KNEW without going there that OH is hotter that because she felt it was hotter at Northwood High than in Northwood (we live near Meadowood Park).

 
Is Knolls residence 1 worth it? How is it's popularity?

It's been hard to get a gauge and while I know it doesn't have a dedicated dining room, I figure the large island or a large dining table would help make up for it.

Will this particular floorplan will be hard to sell in the future?
 
Bullsback said:
Irvinecommuter said:
Bullsback said:
I went to Baker Ranch this weekend. I was very impressed with the whole community, but focused mainly on Ridgewood (Shea) and Heights (TollBrothers). Very nice floorplans. Liked the biggest model the best at Ridgewood (their smaller SFR's were really great uses of space too).

Toll Brothers did a great job with the wide-open feel and the use of the California rooms, etc. Prices of both tracks seem a little high (given the lots), knowing what stuff costs in Foothill / Portola Hills.  Community was done right though, parks / facilities look really nice and it is great how less dense the place is then the new Irvine Company communities (while still having many of the amenities of those communities, which is something Irvine does right...community pools, parks, etc).

I think the location, by and large is a plus as it is pretty freeway accessible (access to FWY from Alton or Bake and neither takes long). You are literally 5 miles (approx guess) from the Spectrum and can get most anywhere, although some downfalls. 

Downfall is, you are busing / driving your kids to their schools (which are great schools) and the lots are a little small (upgrade over anything non-great parks / non OH view home) though.  They should have made them a little bigger to really differentiate from the Irvine projects, kind of like FivePoints / Lennar did with Great Park community.  While the jail is the last thing on my mind, seeing the barbed wire fences, on the way up from Alton just looks tacky.

Wife and I are having the great debate...we love Irvine and grew up here, but really aren't finding much to like about most of the new products. Hate how things are headed in terms of density, etc.  WLove Foothill / Portola Hills...some great views, beautiful lots, 3 car garages, but floor plans that we've seen, by and large are meh as we absolutely love the open floor plans that the newer models have (use of great room...big kitchen...california rooms, etc). Seems like if you want modern floor plans in South OC, you basically have a few options. Far South with Ladera resale or RMV, Baker Ranch, or Irvine. Aliso Viejo has some options too with newer type stuff.
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Only caveat I would add if you are considering the bigger plans are the landscaping costs.  It's great that the plans have a lot of open space but it also means you have to fill in those areas.  Just recalling the model homes, the landscaping/California room areas are great but I could only think about how expensive it would be to do something similar.  I would guestimate that it would be $100K at a minimal to do something semi-decent...$200K or above to do something nice.

I am also curious to see how it feels temperature wise up that way.  We went there during the open and it was a mild day (mid-70s) in Irvine but felt warm in BR as well as super windy.
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Good points. I thought that most of their landscaping was overdone (in fact most of the Toll Brothers homes are very overdecorated) and while I liked the first model, which had the most open feeling and the open patio + backyard, I preferred the last model, which was the only one with just a backyard (California room to backyard) and I would have been pretty plain with the California room having a fireplace and that is about it (I'll add a tv in there and to go with my patio furniture, that is all I can ask for...then just make sure you have nice plants / scenery behind). Stucco is fine and I'll just put some nice slate or some type of stone on my concreted area...then do a little build in for the BBQ, have some fake grass or something, and then try to showcase the open feel with some nice trees and uplighting (for night) along with flowers in the right planter areas). Would allow for relatively minimal costs (w/basic drip irrigation and minimal landscaping (and block out the neighbors a bit) while ensuring their is more place for our children to play a bit (in addition to the parks). 

But to do anything like what you see in the models, you are definitely talking 100-200K, probably on the higher end of that range too.  Which is one of the other tough parts I had looking at that. Ridgewood might be the nice in-between, would love if I could get a slightly bigger lot and don't like the fact that a lot of their lots back to dimension (or at least the decent size lots).  I don't mind backing to a street cause I'm a fan of privacy but that might become a much busier street and I know other people do mind that from a resale perspective. Also, Ridgewood is a drive to the pool, etc, which kind of stinks.
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We picked Ridgewood as a nice compromise of new + lot size (vs. Irvine options). It's not too far from either pool - they just dug a pathway to dimension from the interior Ridgewood streets so you don't have to go around the entire street to get to the pool.
 
It's definitely hotter in Baker Ranch maybe by a few degrees (likely due to our higher elevation and not much vegetation).  Friends and family have all mentioned how much hotter it is in Baker Ranch.  My wife hates me for not getting the solar panels.  It's also wetter here, had a rain shower a couple of weeks ago, huge rain drops but I could count how many actually landed on the side walk.  Overall we love the community, great swimming pool.  Once caveat is at times we get the Inland Empire feel at FH Towne Center definitely some "trailer" type folks there.  At least I ran into some of my brothas here.
 
baker_ranch_guy said:
Is Knolls residence 1 worth it? How is it's popularity?

It's been hard to get a gauge and while I know it doesn't have a dedicated dining room, I figure the large island or a large dining table would help make up for it.

Will this particular floorplan will be hard to sell in the future?
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If you're interested in Knolls Res 1, definitely get the kidney shaped kitchen island.  It provides plenty of seating space.  A lot of people I know like the layout of Res 1 the best, however, it's downfall is its the smallest plan.  Plan 3 is definitely the most popular (extra bedroom) and always seems to sell first in each phase release.  I don't believe any of the Knolls plans will be difficult to resale, only issue is the price is getting high so probably not much, if any, short-term profit potential.
 
Here is a new home listing in RMV form builder. Similar square footage / size to Ridgewood. It is a little cheaper in price (~30-50k depending on lot) with similar lot size (~500 sqft larger then most lots). However, it does have 1 less bathroom then the similar Ridgewood product (Plan 3).  RMV has mella roos and a higher HOA which ultimately puts both in what I would call an extremely similar price point. Of course I have no concept on what upgrades this unit has but I presume it isn't a ton, otherwise it would be listed in description. Based on that, I'd say BR better value than RMV (at least for those with jobs closer to the Irvine corridor). 
 
Bullsback said:
Here is a new home listing in RMV form builder. Similar square footage / size to Ridgewood. It is a little cheaper in price (~30-50k depending on lot) with similar lot size (~500 sqft larger then most lots). However, it does have 1 less bathroom then the similar Ridgewood product (Plan 3).  RMV has mella roos and a higher HOA which ultimately puts both in what I would call an extremely similar price point. Of course I have no concept on what upgrades this unit has but I presume it isn't a ton, otherwise it would be listed in description. Based on that, I'd say BR better value than RMV (at least for those with jobs closer to the Irvine corridor).

Yeah for same price point (taking into account MR and HOA) Baker Ranch wins from a location standpoint. RMV is just too far away from Irvine IMO.
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Last Saturday Shea Homes released Knolls Phase 7 and all homes sold with price increase 5K.

High demand with buyers < 700K detached homes.
 
Tyrone Biggums said:
  Once caveat is at times we get the Inland Empire feel at FH Towne Center definitely some "trailer" type folks there.  At least I ran into some of my brothas here.
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Stop hanging out at WalMart, haha!

Tyrone, you actually live in BR?  I thought you were kidding the whole time.

I have finally gone through all of the models in BR.  Seems like it will be a great community. 

 
Tyrone, have you met my buddy who lives in the Walmart parking lot? I'm serious. He lives there! A frail old man. In a beat-up motorhome! I actually do have a pic for reals if you want to see who I'm talking about. I saw him the other day and thought of this thread so I took a pic while Mr. SoCal was pumping our gas and this man moved his camper to the gas station parking lot for the first time in forever.

Luckily, the folks from the "other side of town" seems to be confined to that Walmart parking lot. I do wish they would get rid of that store. People seem to come from far and wide to shop there. It's like that "People of Walmart" website. I hate going there once a year but they do have the best damn bakery ever. Thankfully the rest of the shopping centers are A-OK!
 
Tyrone Biggums -- here is the Walmart resident a.k.a. Baker Ranch, Phase III.

Here he is at the corner of Bake & the 241 at the gas station, getting ice which I think must be his only form of refrigeration. :-( Mr. SoCal said I was Captain Obvious taking the pics but he didn't seem to care (or know). I was just watching him, trying to get a feel for his general situation in case he needs help. His camper must be real old. It's been decades since they issued black and gold license plates in CA. That looked like a bullet hole in the rear window.

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LiveatOC > Was there a huge turnout?  When I went outside, I noticed a crowd outside (maybe 30 people) but it didn't look crazy like the earlier phase releases.

Coleman > Yea I actually live in BR.  Weekends here are great, way less congestion than Irvine since a lot of the surrounding areas are industrial.

SoCal >LOL, I think I've seen that trailer parked near the employee break area at Walmart.  I hate this Walmart, had my first "racial" encounter with one of the older "white trash" workers here.  I definitely noticed a different crowd shopping here during the work week (early afternoon) versus the weekend.  All is good when I'm wearing my NASCAR gear.  ;D

Time to go feed the coyote I saw walking by the park.
 
Tyrone Biggums said:
SoCal >LOL, I think I've seen that trailer parked near the employee break area at Walmart.  I hate this Walmart, had my first "racial" encounter with one of the older "white trash" workers here.  I definitely noticed a different crowd shopping here during the work week (early afternoon) versus the weekend.  All is good when I'm wearing my NASCAR gear.  ;D

Time to go feed the coyote I saw walking by the park.
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Awww, Tyrone. That's awful. I'm sorry someone gave you a hard time at Walmart. I am curious what happened!!? Details! In my earlier post, I was just about to say the only good thing about that place besides the bakery is the friendliness of the employees. The few times I've been in there, they have been awesome!! They are sooo, so, over-the-top nice! Well, to me, anyway. Is it because I'm fluent in Redneck? Nobody messes with my friend, Tyrone Biggums. Next time they give you trouble, you call me and let me handle them!

Btw, if I'm not mistaken, I saw the whole Biggums family there last weekend? Tyrone, Jr. is getting so tall!

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Tyrone Biggums said:
LiveatOC > Was there a huge turnout?  When I went outside, I noticed a crowd outside (maybe 30 people) but it didn't look crazy like the earlier phase releases.
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I was not there, I got update from my friend and he said turnout was less as you said.
The list was big and Shea started reading names from begging of the Feb list.

This phase less home released compered to other phases.

Couple of my friends are still in wait list to buy Knolls Plane 3 (very hot model).
 
Phase 6 was much bigger than Phase 7.  Even is my friend was there on that day, she told me Phase 7 was sold out in 30 minutes. Pretty quick.... When will Phase 8 release....? 
 
No date yet on  Knolls Phase 8.
Sales rep told only one release will be there for Knolls this year and will pause this year and will resume next year.
 
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