Monterey @ Woodbury East

[quote author="akim997"]i'd like to add... i really like the way the plan3 monterey flows... but i really think it could have used the standard fireplace + media niche used throughout irvine. as much as some have said they disliked this feature, i think it's great. you can put your tv above the fireplace, and then create a built in shelf in the media niche [/quote]

Ak,

You are not the norm. To cater to you the floor plan would take some compromise. For many Asians fireplace is not used so lets not compromse the plan and increase the selling price $8k+. This is the situation where stereotype would be neccessary to establish the majority at the middle of the bell curve graph where you and Trace's Asian husband are the bottom of the bell curve what marketing called the fringes that do not conform to the stereotypes.
 
i see your point... we are considering plan 3... it IS a pretty decent price point...

here's my take on plan 2 @ monterey:

while it has many of the same elements that make the rest of the NHC attractive, there are certain items i do not like... i do like the fact that it has a larger courtyard than plan 3. a place for my doggie to sunbathe while we are at work... what i don't like is that it is only 3 bedrooms, and also i think the great room layout is a bit odd... assuming you put a dining table in the area next to the island, there is not a good space to put a television with nice direct seating... where i imagine that you would have room to put a television, you would have to have the face on seating to the television with the back to the open foyer... something just doesnt seem right about that in my opinion... thoughts?
 
I totally agree with you on the plan 2 and I felt the same way regarding your comments. I have the same note of criticism written in my brochure. I gave this plan high point for being about to fit furniture and I just kept my eyes closed on the TV function and ignored bad feng shui sofa positioning.

The rest of HK Collection does not even meet the furniture fitting criteria.

It is the least favorite of the 2 plans. I disagree with you regarding the yard size. Why would you think the the yard is bad when it is bigger than plan three if I were a plan 2 buyer I would be happy? It is bad in term of the execution from the developers perspective when the plan 3 buyer feel jilted for getting a smaller yard.

This is a criticism to TIC. Why would you assign plan 2 and 3 on the same size land parcel when a bigger plan 3 clearly occupied more land than the plan 2? The bigger footprint plan 3 ate most of the yard. This is where I would criticise all day long for one who is making these stupid errors. The solution is to display the path to the plan 1 by 2-1/2 feet closer to plan2 to allow a bigger parcel for plan 3.

Very good my friend you are beginning to think like me.
 
Very funny exchange --- this is exactly the debate my wife and I had yesterday. Funny, the Asian liked Plan 2 with the feng shui problem, while I was into Plan 3. I pointed out to her that the love seat would need to "float" in Plan 2, but she didn't care because she said that the kitchen island seating in Plan 3 would interfere with entry and exit to the stairwell if you had too big of chairs at the island. She also like the orientation of the patio space in Plan 2 to the living space better.

BTW, there is a Plan 2 coming up in the next phase with a BIG patio area --- lot 30. Sides to Trabuco, but big patio space.
 
[quote author="akim997"]i've seen so many houses, i am now the king of nitpicking... my wife hates it, but i have something to say about EVERYTHING... in a perfect world:
[/quote]
We can be co-Kings of nitpicking... I am mostly agreement with you except for the following:

5) i like white kitchen cabinets, but despise the thermafoil ones. they always discolor to a yellow tone... some parts stay white, and some parts look yellow... i'd pay extra for painted white wood cabinets.
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I wouldn't mind, antiqued white or a light maple/brown finish. The dark cherries and other woods are okay... but not my preference.

9) personally, i could care less for formal living/dining rooms. they've always been dead space for me. even for thxgiving and xmas, we'd prefer the dining space next to the kitchen... i do realize that many people PREFER having these areas. while touring the NHC, i've heard countless "where's the formal living room" comments... we entertain guests quite often, and maybe it's just us, but people like to buzz around the food, alchohol and the entertainment... that's why the newer great room/kitchen concepts work for us (also why i like large islands)...
Click to expand...
I can do without the living room, but the separate dining is useful for when you have a larger number of guests or for homework time. Instead of a living room, a den or guest room would be better for utility.

10) i love fireplaces... i would like one with a low mantle, so i can place my television above it. even more, i would like a fireplace + a large media niche big enough for a 52" tv + speakers in a built-in. i hate really small media niches and really tall narrow fireplaces.
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I would put the fireplace off to the side and make the media wall the focus wall. That favors L-sofa configurations but I'm not too hot on the TV above the fireplace experience.

This reminds me of another thread:

http://www.talkirvine.com/index.cgi?board=irvinere&action=display&thread=302
 
[quote author="ck"]Very funny exchange --- this is exactly the debate my wife and I had yesterday. Funny, the Asian liked Plan 2 with the feng shui problem, while I was into Plan 3. I pointed out to her that the love seat would need to "float" in Plan 2, but she didn't care because she said that the kitchen island seating in Plan 3 would interfere with entry and exit to the stairwell if you had too big of chairs at the island. She also like the orientation of the patio space in Plan 2 to the living space better.

BTW, there is a Plan 2 coming up in the next phase with a BIG patio area --- lot 30. Sides to Trabuco, but big patio space.[/quote]

i did notice that with plan 3... answer = get smaller bar stools...

for both plans, the courtyard would be located off the dining areas which is the general preference. i do see your wife's point as in plan 3 it is located more in the back behind the dining room... i did see that in the latest phase map... i think overall, if we went with Monterey, we'd wait for a house front that faces the main street vs. the small walkway facing another house. Our townhome now is like that and it feels cramped and I would actually prefer my house front to face the busier larger street. it gives you more of an open feel, and I'd like to come out on the deck off the master bedroom of plan 3C (monterey style) and take it all in...
 
IHO:

I'm with you on the antiqued white or maple finish and i dislike cabinetry that is too dark, but the wifey has her eye on white cabinetry.. i just dont want it to be particle board wrapped in white plastic...

As for the dining room, i see your point. maybe the answer for a lot of guests would be to have a large open dining area as they have in the Sonoma plans... oops i forgot i didnt have an extra $300K in my wallet... every time we have a lot of guests (10+) we feel like we'd be better served in a great room concept home... use the island as a buffet and people can eat whereever they can find seat... more of a party type atmosphere vs. formal dinner...

kids dont have homework yet so not a problem...

im not a fan of the tv fireplace combo either... i think the fireplace off to the side would be nice as the tv is truly the focal point for our family (good and bad)... otherwise something like the 2315 sq foot camelia plan allows for a tv wall and a fireplace with room for an L shaped sectional... it's funny, why do we all love that huge L shaped sectional???
 
[quote author="akim997"]IHO:

I'm with you on the antiqued white or maple finish and i dislike cabinetry that is too dark, but the wifey has her eye on white cabinetry.. i just dont want it to be particle board wrapped in white plastic...

As for the dining room, i see your point. maybe the answer for a lot of guests would be to have a large open dining area as they have in the Sonoma plans... oops i forgot i didnt have an extra $300K in my wallet... every time we have a lot of guests (10+) we feel like we'd be better served in a great room concept home... use the island as a buffet and people can eat whereever they can find seat... more of a party type atmosphere vs. formal dinner...

kids dont have homework yet so not a problem...

im not a fan of the tv fireplace combo either... i think the fireplace off to the side would be nice as the tv is truly the focal point for our family (good and bad)... otherwise something like the 2315 sq foot camelia plan allows for a tv wall and a fireplace with room for an L shaped sectional... it's funny, why do we all love that huge L shaped sectional??? [/quote]
I heart the large L-shaped sectional and it is what I had in my Irvine condo. ;D
 
I just saw the homes recently and my favorite was plan 3. I agree there is limited space for kitchen bar stools and wish the island could have been pushed further back (although i'm sure once i lived there i would be spending much more time behind the counter than in front!). <!-- s:) -->:)<!-- s:) --> I also wish the master bdrm wasn't connected to bedroom 2... I prefer when the MB is on a different side of the floor altogether from the other rooms.
 
Don't know what specifically you are looking for. they have released so far 36 homes. I believe they have sold all but maybe 2 plan 1's and 1 plan 2 in the latest phase. there will be one more
row of six homes whose back side motor court will be along sand canyon side. With that they will finish all homes on the one side. starting from 133 side to sand canyon along trabuco.

I'm told the plan to finish building all of the remaining 36 homes by early next year. Prices are around 540K plan 2, 565-570K plan 3, high 400's for plan 1.


[quote author="irvinefan1212"]Does anyone have any updated information on the Monterey Development?[/quote]
 
Early next year? So they are going to take a break and not build? It's just a bit weird with the speed they are building that they can't finish this year... or I am off base here?
 
Now I'm not sure if they said finish building by early next year or being fully sold by early next year.

My guess is if they keep selling at this rate they may be done (build & sold) before end of this year. But things may slow down after the initial buyers like myself are exhausted. Aren't we hearing that they are calling people much later in the registration dates for many of these 2010 tracts.



[quote author="fe9000"]Early next year? So they are going to take a break and not build? It's just a bit weird with the speed they are building that they can't finish this year... or I am off base here?[/quote]
 
Models are now for sale -

Sold Complete with designer furniture and upgraded patios

Plan 1C - $598,202
Plan 2C - $679,145
Plan 3C - $712,888

I liked Plan 3, but $100k premium??
 
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