Eastwood Petaluma floorplan - No loft for kids?!

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IrvineRes88

New member
Looking at Petaluma in Eastwood, I was wondering if anyone feels that the floor plan is lacking in a loft area for kids to hang out when they have friends over?  Where are my kids friends going to hangout in the afternoon when they come over to my house?  or when we have parties, when the adults are downstairs, the kids can play games, watch their movies upstairs in the loft area.  I have small kids, so I don't know if this is an issue when my kids get a little older and have friends over.  I am just wondering, families with older kids, where do your kids hangout when they have friends over if there isn't a loft area in the house?
 
Welcome to the conundrum of the Great Room. I appreciate an open floor plan but it's still nice to have a seperate  area for gatherings. Ideally a 2nd floor loft would help the situation. Or you can go old school and buy a home with a living room 😀
 
Bonus rooms are better than lofts if you want a place to watch movies since they have doors. Kids/teens in lofts are going to create lots of noise.
 
IrvineRes88 said:
Looking at Petaluma in Eastwood, I was wondering if anyone feels that the floor plan is lacking in a loft area for kids to hang out when they have friends over?  Where are my kids friends going to hangout in the afternoon when they come over to my house?  or when we have parties, when the adults are downstairs, the kids can play games, watch their movies upstairs in the loft area.  I have small kids, so I don't know if this is an issue when my kids get a little older and have friends over.  I am just wondering, families with older kids, where do your kids hangout when they have friends over if there isn't a loft area in the house?
Click to expand...

Let them hang out in the master bedroom. 
 
I was very adamant about having a loft when I started my search too. Ideally, I would like to get a detached Cal Pac home, as they usually have lofts/bonus rooms. But none are available unless you go to PS. So I was pretty set on getting a Caserta plan 3. I absolutely loved the floor plan, but not so much the attached part.

Then Petaluma came out, and I like that it is detached with a big yard. With 100k difference from Caserta, it seemed like a good idea to stretch my budget and get Petaluma. But now I'm not so sure again...

Should I pay 100k more to get detached Petaluma, or stick to Caserta which has a big loft, and an in-suite bath for each bedroom upstairs?
 
When I walked the Petaluma models, I believe Plan 1R had the Loft option on the second floor, albeit at the cost of losing one of the bedrooms to make up for the space.  It made it into a 2 bedroom, 3 bath instead.
 
I mean, if you want a loft, buy a bigger house?
I don't see how you could fit a loft in that square footage with 3 rooms.
 
Cal pacific's homes have lofts starting under 1500sqft with 3bedrooms. The great room is not as big and the master bath usually doesn't come with a tub, but yeah, you get a loft instead.

Too bad none of those are available (e.g. Jade Court, or Silverleaf if not in PS). But they do have attached Caserta at 1830sqft with a huge loft, 3 br, and 3.5 bath.

I like the floor plan of attached Caserta better. Is it better to just buy the floor plan you like, or does paying 100k for Petaluma, which has a much more sfh feel, make more sense and is a better value?

(Sorry IrvineRes88 for hijacking your thread. This whole loft thing has been bugging me a while too.)
 
irvinetabby said:
Cal pacific's homes have lofts starting under 1500sqft with 3bedrooms. The great room is not as big and the master bath usually doesn't come with a tub, but yeah, you get a loft instead.

Too bad none of those are available (e.g. Jade Court, or Silverleaf if not in PS). But they do have attached Caserta at 1830sqft with a huge loft, 3 br, and 3.5 bath.

I like the floor plan of attached Caserta better. Is it better to just buy the floor plan you like, or does paying 100k for Petaluma, which has a much more sfh feel, make more sense and is a better value?

(Sorry IrvineRes88 for hijacking your thread. This whole loft thing has been bugging me a while too.)
Click to expand...

A few houses ago, I lived in an 3 bed + loft attached property in Portola springs. But I don't live there anymore :)

I always say, if I had to do it all over again, I would probably have skipped that property and sprung for an SFR.
 
bones said:
irvinetabby said:
Cal pacific's homes have lofts starting under 1500sqft with 3bedrooms. The great room is not as big and the master bath usually doesn't come with a tub, but yeah, you get a loft instead.

Too bad none of those are available (e.g. Jade Court, or Silverleaf if not in PS). But they do have attached Caserta at 1830sqft with a huge loft, 3 br, and 3.5 bath.

I like the floor plan of attached Caserta better. Is it better to just buy the floor plan you like, or does paying 100k for Petaluma, which has a much more sfh feel, make more sense and is a better value?

(Sorry IrvineRes88 for hijacking your thread. This whole loft thing has been bugging me a while too.)
Click to expand...

A few houses ago, I lived in an 3 bed + loft attached property in Portola springs. But I don't live there anymore :)

I always say, if I had to do it all over again, I would probably have skipped that property and sprung for an SFR.
Click to expand...

Just curious...why would you skip that PS property?  b/c it was attached?  or b/c the bedrooms gave valuable sq. footage away to a loft?
 
paydawg said:
bones said:
irvinetabby said:
Cal pacific's homes have lofts starting under 1500sqft with 3bedrooms. The great room is not as big and the master bath usually doesn't come with a tub, but yeah, you get a loft instead.

Too bad none of those are available (e.g. Jade Court, or Silverleaf if not in PS). But they do have attached Caserta at 1830sqft with a huge loft, 3 br, and 3.5 bath.

I like the floor plan of attached Caserta better. Is it better to just buy the floor plan you like, or does paying 100k for Petaluma, which has a much more sfh feel, make more sense and is a better value?

(Sorry IrvineRes88 for hijacking your thread. This whole loft thing has been bugging me a while too.)
Click to expand...

A few houses ago, I lived in an 3 bed + loft attached property in Portola springs. But I don't live there anymore :)

I always say, if I had to do it all over again, I would probably have skipped that property and sprung for an SFR.
Click to expand...

Just curious...why would you skip that PS property?  b/c it was attached?  or b/c the bedrooms gave valuable sq. footage away to a loft?
Click to expand...

1) Being attached.  Just sucks in general.  We actually had really good neighbors attached and around us and it was still sucky.
2) Being attached AND in PS.  You're just hosed.  We literally bought at the bottom and had to sell in a run up just to make some money.  Neighbors who reacted too late weren't so lucky.

I think the guy above is talking about Caserta which is in CV (?), so that may be a different animal, but being attached when you don't have to be....
But you do have to live in a floorpan that works for you.  I guess, in Irvine, that sometimes means choosing between attached and detached.  Tough choice.  I don't know prices and haven't really been following resales in this space so can't help with the math.
 
paydawg said:
bones said:
irvinetabby said:
Cal pacific's homes have lofts starting under 1500sqft with 3bedrooms. The great room is not as big and the master bath usually doesn't come with a tub, but yeah, you get a loft instead.

Too bad none of those are available (e.g. Jade Court, or Silverleaf if not in PS). But they do have attached Caserta at 1830sqft with a huge loft, 3 br, and 3.5 bath.

I like the floor plan of attached Caserta better. Is it better to just buy the floor plan you like, or does paying 100k for Petaluma, which has a much more sfh feel, make more sense and is a better value?

(Sorry IrvineRes88 for hijacking your thread. This whole loft thing has been bugging me a while too.)
Click to expand...

A few houses ago, I lived in an 3 bed + loft attached property in Portola springs. But I don't live there anymore :)

I always say, if I had to do it all over again, I would probably have skipped that property and sprung for an SFR.
Click to expand...

Just curious...why would you skip that PS property?  b/c it was attached?  or b/c the bedrooms gave valuable sq. footage away to a loft?
Click to expand...
NM 
 
bones said:
paydawg said:
bones said:
irvinetabby said:
Cal pacific's homes have lofts starting under 1500sqft with 3bedrooms. The great room is not as big and the master bath usually doesn't come with a tub, but yeah, you get a loft instead.

Too bad none of those are available (e.g. Jade Court, or Silverleaf if not in PS). But they do have attached Caserta at 1830sqft with a huge loft, 3 br, and 3.5 bath.

I like the floor plan of attached Caserta better. Is it better to just buy the floor plan you like, or does paying 100k for Petaluma, which has a much more sfh feel, make more sense and is a better value?

(Sorry IrvineRes88 for hijacking your thread. This whole loft thing has been bugging me a while too.)
Click to expand...

A few houses ago, I lived in an 3 bed + loft attached property in Portola springs. But I don't live there anymore :)

I always say, if I had to do it all over again, I would probably have skipped that property and sprung for an SFR.
Click to expand...

Just curious...why would you skip that PS property?  b/c it was attached?  or b/c the bedrooms gave valuable sq. footage away to a loft?
Click to expand...

1) Being attached.  Just sucks in general.  We actually had really good neighbors attached and around us and it was still sucky.
2) Being attached AND in PS.  You're just hosed.  We literally bought at the bottom and had to sell in a run up just to make some money.  Neighbors who reacted too late weren't so lucky.

I think the guy above is talking about Caserta which is in CV (?), so that may be a different animal, but being attached when you don't have to be....
But you do have to live in a floorpan that works for you.  I guess, in Irvine, that sometimes means choosing between attached and detached.  Tough choice.  I don't know prices and haven't really been following resales in this space so can't help with the math.
Click to expand...
Did you like living in PS or did you ultimately not like living in PS?  Is being in PP noticeably different than PS (outside of the obvious factor of having a nicer home)? 
 
Bullsback said:
bones said:
paydawg said:
bones said:
irvinetabby said:
Cal pacific's homes have lofts starting under 1500sqft with 3bedrooms. The great room is not as big and the master bath usually doesn't come with a tub, but yeah, you get a loft instead.

Too bad none of those are available (e.g. Jade Court, or Silverleaf if not in PS). But they do have attached Caserta at 1830sqft with a huge loft, 3 br, and 3.5 bath.

I like the floor plan of attached Caserta better. Is it better to just buy the floor plan you like, or does paying 100k for Petaluma, which has a much more sfh feel, make more sense and is a better value?

(Sorry IrvineRes88 for hijacking your thread. This whole loft thing has been bugging me a while too.)
Click to expand...

A few houses ago, I lived in an 3 bed + loft attached property in Portola springs. But I don't live there anymore :)

I always say, if I had to do it all over again, I would probably have skipped that property and sprung for an SFR.
Click to expand...

Just curious...why would you skip that PS property?  b/c it was attached?  or b/c the bedrooms gave valuable sq. footage away to a loft?
Click to expand...

1) Being attached.  Just sucks in general.  We actually had really good neighbors attached and around us and it was still sucky.
2) Being attached AND in PS.  You're just hosed.  We literally bought at the bottom and had to sell in a run up just to make some money.  Neighbors who reacted too late weren't so lucky.

I think the guy above is talking about Caserta which is in CV (?), so that may be a different animal, but being attached when you don't have to be....
But you do have to live in a floorpan that works for you.  I guess, in Irvine, that sometimes means choosing between attached and detached.  Tough choice.  I don't know prices and haven't really been following resales in this space so can't help with the math.
Click to expand...
Did you like living in PS or did you ultimately not like living in PS?  Is being in PP noticeably different than PS (outside of the obvious factor of having a nicer home)? 
Click to expand...

PS was ok, probably not much different in terms of location than PP.  PP was a TAD closer to things, but I guess I could lie and say it's 15 minutes closer.  Other than that, I'll keep my PS feelings to myself.
 
Question for families with kids that currently don't have a loft, how do you make it work? where do kids hang out when there is a party going on downstairs where adults gathered?

Why would builders with their focus groups, market research, build homes that are just not that suitable for families. It is obvious from the discussions that we all would prefer a loft and it can be built in a 1600sqft home. I have seen it and I think it is very practical. Yet, all the new homes that are coming out don't have a loft. Perhaps, builders want the families to stretch to buy that detach home with the loft?

I do like Caserta the floor plan with the loft, but it is pricey compared with a detached home.



 
IrvineRes88 said:
Question for families with kids that currently don't have a loft, how do you make it work? where do kids hang out when there is a party going on downstairs where adults gathered?

Why would builders with their focus groups, market research, build homes that are just not that suitable for families. It is obvious from the discussions that we all would prefer a loft and it can be built in a 1600sqft home. I have seen it and I think it is very practical. Yet, all the new homes that are coming out don't have a loft. Perhaps, builders want the families to stretch to buy that detach home with the loft?

I do like Caserta the floor plan with the loft, but it is pricey compared with a detached home.
Click to expand...

Maybe you value the loft more than the average home buyer.  Builders do a lot of research and try and provide improvements to their floor plans every year.  Maybe at the <2,000 sqft level, bigger rooms/closets are valued more than a loft. 

I appreciate your frustration, but there are trade-offs living in Irvine, as there is with any location. 
 
Not EVERYONE wants a loft.

2nd house had a bonus room (w/ door). We used it for storage. Kids were young and we wouldn't want them upstairs without us.

3rd house had a loft and used it for absolutely nothing. Kids played in their rooms, outside, their friends house, backyard or in the garage (we had a 3 car garage).

4th house had a bonus room (w/ door) and kids never used it. We eventually used it as an office.

5th house had a bonus room (w/ door) and the kids ONLY used it to watch movies w/ family (LOUD so good thing there was a door). They sometimes used the living room, frequently the backyard.

Current house has a loft. Kids are gone now. We'll put in an entertainment center (we have three sets of living room type furniture since we had the bonus room, family room (which is the same size as the current great room) and living room. That leaves us with an extra set even putting one set in the loft. If they were home, I doubt they would use it for watching movies (which was the ONLY reason they used it in the last house) since there is no door and they won't blast movies without a door.

I would rather have an extra bedroom than a loft. It's basically a loft with a door. Why can't you use a bedroom as your area for the kids? You can always put in furniture that you would put in your loft.

If you absolutely MUST have a loft, then buy elsewhere or get a bigger home. There are homes with a loft.
 
Maybe I'm in the minority as usual, but a loft is pretty much a "must" for me. When the kids are young, it's a great playroom. Yes, you can make a spare bedroom a playroom which we did do in one house but no one (including friends) wanted to hang out in a closed off space like that with all that clutter (toys) surrounding them.  When the kids are older, it's a good video game/tv/homework space. Sure, you can use a bedroom but it's nice to have it open so parents can helicopter properly :)  I haven't reached the stage of empty nester yet but maybe that's when I'll bid adieu to the loft. 

But to answer the question, no loft with young kids? Your great room will look like a daycare. Entertaining and no loft? play in the backyard. No backyard and no loft? SOL :)

 
The loft is upstairs. I helped the kids with homework when I was getting dinner ready and my kitchen was not upstairs.

I DID have a LARGE bonus room with two built in desks with task lighting and lots of room for papers, books, art work, etc. The kids NEVER used them. They either did their homework on their own in their rooms or nook table if they needed help.

Next house I had two built in desks with task lighting downstairs in the office and again the kids did not use it. We also had two built in desks outside the bonus room with task lighting, drawers, etc and they didn't use those either! Hubby did use one (he would have used downstairs office but he was on the phone ALL the time and I work best with the TV on in the background. Then we ALSO had a large u shaped desk in the bonus room which no one used! Eventually the kids put a large screen tv on it and the room got some use as a place to watch movies.

Where did they do homework? Same place as they did since they were little............. nook table, friend's house or their rooms if they needed no help. Interestingly, one kid had a room large enough for u shaped built in desk and drawers. She did her homework on the bed and used the desk to throw her clothes on before they went to the wash.

We had a total of 7 desks (one in the kitchen too) and the two that were used were one in the office by me and one near the bonus room for the hubby. Bonus room was unnecessary. We probably got more use out of the dining room before the kids started watching movies in the bonus room and we only used the dining room for Thanksgiving and an occasional birthday.

I can say that resale value will be higher for an extra bedroom than a loft instead of bedroom.
 
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