homer_simpson
Well-known member
qwerty said:iHeartIrvine said:
how did it feel?
Obvious didn't feel a thing!
Let the records show I'm black!
Baker Ranch in Lake Forest / Foothill Ranch
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Obvious didn't feel a thing!
Let the records show I'm black!
homer_simpson
Well-known member
homer_simpson
Well-known member
Qwerty is such a horndog. Are you really a CPA?
Certified Poon Annihilator!
Homie, MD, MBA, CPA
Certified Poon Annihilator!
Homie, MD, MBA, CPA
socal78
Well-known member
Tyrone Biggums said:
Yeah, not surprised people are causing accidents. When Alton closed and they made that detour, I told myself to just steer clear of it altogether 'cause something WILL happen, it's just a matter of time. Don't want to risk it, not gonna deal with it. So, I've been taking Bake half the time and the 241 the other half of the time. I'll be happy when Alton reopens but luckily, the lifestyle here is pretty self-contained so I don't have to leave the neighborhood very often.
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.
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.
Irvinecommuter
New member
Bullsback said:
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.
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
I was in Tustin Ranch and South County on Saturday and I think it's mental but they both felt hotter than Irvine.
Irvinecommuter
New member
irvinehomeowner said:
I wonder how much of that is vegetation? Irvine for all its density has a lot of vegetation and greenry. I remember Woodbury being pretty warm during its open when it was a flat lot...now there is a lot of trees and bushes to provide shade,
Irvinecommuter said:
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.
It felt pretty damn hot when I was touring the great parks communities on a couple different times. It might just be less shade in the areas. Definitely felt hotter then where I live in WI. Same can be said with Portola Springs and even Woodbury for that matter (although most of my experience in those parts is from my time on the basketball courts).Irvinecommuter said:
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
So we agree with Irvinecommuter on shade... but not lot size.