Primrose at Portola Springs
- Thread starter ajw522
- Start date
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
This is why I wonder if a motorcourt is a better solution than the alley-backed one. If the homes are going to face a street, I can understand the alley access but if they are just going to face other homes... wouldn't you want a little more separation even if it is some black asphalted mini-street?kayochan said:
I've looked at many of these alley products around Irvine and it seems people spend time in that area anyways so why don't they just face the front towards them and give 'em real backyards instead of sideyards (or in many attached cases, no yard).
Irvine2Irvine
New member
irvinehomeowner said:
I will take the motorcourt any day over the alley-backed detached condo. I "need" the driveway. Otherwise, I will be looking for a parking spot when I get home after work. That is the last thing I want to do after paying $700K for a house. It brings back memories of days when I was poor and were living in an apartment.
How about the motorcourt with no drive way vs alley load garage? This is more of a fair preference comparison right? In this case I would prefer alley load garage. The complain about motorcourt is the execution of the front door and it's presences. Having a driveway makes it a little better.
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
I probably would still take motorcourt for a variety of reasons:fe9000 said:
1. Alley load precludes the ability to have a larger backyard space.
2. If I'm going to have my kids playing in the "alley/motorcourt", I'd rather it be in front of my house where other neighbors can watch for shenanigans.
3. While aesthetics may favor alleyloads, if they are not on a street and just have a walkway between homes, who really looks at that and says "Oh... nice front."?
4. You can have a block party with open garages.
I guess I'm a "traditionalist" (loosely used because one can argue that front garages are not traditional... esp BK) but it just seems like entering my home from the back is less social... it's like a private entrance.
I came to the sales office last weekend, they actually reduced the price for plan 1 and 2, but increased it for plan 3. Here's the starting price:
Plan 1: $569,990, 1739sqft = $327.8/sqft
Plan 2: $579,990, 1873sqft = $309.7/sqft
Plan 3: $619,990, 2056sqft = $301.6/sqft
I like plan 3 the most, but most of them are located at the back alley, I guess that's why price/sqft is the most reasonable. I'm not sure if either all or most of plan1s are facing the street and some of plan2s are facing the alley and some of them are facing the street (depends on which phases they're on). I guess those are also the factor in determining the price.
Between plan 1 and plan 2, I like plan 1 better, it feels more spacious on the first floor. Plan 2 has a weird layout, the kitchen has an angled corner and I feel the first floor has much less space than plan 1, though plan 2 has a loft on the second floor.
Plan 1: $569,990, 1739sqft = $327.8/sqft
Plan 2: $579,990, 1873sqft = $309.7/sqft
Plan 3: $619,990, 2056sqft = $301.6/sqft
I like plan 3 the most, but most of them are located at the back alley, I guess that's why price/sqft is the most reasonable. I'm not sure if either all or most of plan1s are facing the street and some of plan2s are facing the alley and some of them are facing the street (depends on which phases they're on). I guess those are also the factor in determining the price.
Between plan 1 and plan 2, I like plan 1 better, it feels more spacious on the first floor. Plan 2 has a weird layout, the kitchen has an angled corner and I feel the first floor has much less space than plan 1, though plan 2 has a loft on the second floor.
irvinehomeowner said:
Experienced both type of homes and yes, entering from the alley load garage is definitely less social. However, with the motorcourt setup, I definitely feel that if I am standing at the entrance I am way too close to "traffic". Like I have to get out of the way when cars are pulling in.
As for garage, I actually like front garages however the way I understood BK is that garage should be separate from the house? I don't know, I could be totally off. What's ideal for me would be front garage but set back with longer driveway.
Saw these over the weekend. couples of things that I noticed, even thought they do have a TV wall but the furnishing of the great room is not so good except for plan 2. Not that it's a big deal, but I didn't notice any microwave in the kitchen. Overall, I actually like plan 2 a bit more than the other two because of the better furnishing of the great room and the loft upstairs.
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
I was there too... I wonder if I ran into fe9000 when we were there 
.
While it is basically a box, we really like the execution of the upstairs lofts to add extra 2nd floor living space. It makes the upstairs less cramped unlike other Woodbury/WBE homes. Having a breakfast bar on the kitchen island makes up for the lost downstairs space but at least you get somewhat of a foyer. I also like that they made sure each kitchen had a pantry with a door.
But the master beds/baths were small... the master shower in the Plan 3 was tiny... I barely fit and could not raise my arms up to shampoo my hair without hitting a wall (no... I did not really shampoo my hair). And what I did notice (Round Corners may like this), is unlike most of the homes built today... they used sharp corner edges. It's fine, although there were some places where I think someone might get hurt but it's weird because I only see that type of finished corner on older homes.
.While it is basically a box, we really like the execution of the upstairs lofts to add extra 2nd floor living space. It makes the upstairs less cramped unlike other Woodbury/WBE homes. Having a breakfast bar on the kitchen island makes up for the lost downstairs space but at least you get somewhat of a foyer. I also like that they made sure each kitchen had a pantry with a door.
But the master beds/baths were small... the master shower in the Plan 3 was tiny... I barely fit and could not raise my arms up to shampoo my hair without hitting a wall (no... I did not really shampoo my hair). And what I did notice (Round Corners may like this), is unlike most of the homes built today... they used sharp corner edges. It's fine, although there were some places where I think someone might get hurt but it's weird because I only see that type of finished corner on older homes.
usctrojancpa
Well-known member
Sweet, I'll be there between showings!Blueberry East said:
Irvine2Irvine
New member
ajw522 said:
No, it was last Saturday. The crowd was not as big as I thought it would be. No real lines to get the free In-and-Out burgers.
socal78
Well-known member
Oh, noooo. I just came on here to post pictures from a visit to Primrose that took me a few hours today. I took soooo many pictures and was uploading them all when I realized that the KB site not only has shots but virtual tours of all three models as well. It was a wasted trip. But, if anybody wants a photo of a certain area that is not already up here: Primrose by KB then let me know and I'll see if I can dig one up.
It was a wasted trip. But, if anybody wants a photo of a certain area that is not already up here: Primrose by KB then let me know and I'll see if I can dig one up.
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
Not wasted... you should post your favorite ones or ones you think we should see.
SoCal78 said:
So looks like they lowered their prices. This is interesting, the SFR prices are holding steady (even with motorcourt). But the mid range priced detached condo (New or resale such as Cashette in Woodbury) are sliding lower (Coronado excluded). Honestly I would prefer these over Coronados. I guess the row home style with side yards are not as desirable.
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
Portola Springs also has that "boondock effect". I like it out there... as long as you bring an ample water supply.