The 5 Freeway and the Jamboree extension to the 261 tollway are two completely different animals. The 5 Freeway is a major traffic artery with what 6 lanes each direction and a large amount of truck traffic - pretty much 24/7 sound and pollution. We didn't buy in Cypress Village because any part of the village was too close to the freeway. Standing outside of the Laurel models was just too loud. The Jamboree extension is only two lanes with almost no truck traffic and is really pretty quiet outside of the morning and afternoon rush hour. And there are no off-ramps from the 5 Freeway to the Jamboree extension. That being said, I think if you are buying into a luxury high-end community, freeway noise should be minimal.
Orchard Hills - Capella by Taylor Morrison
- Thread starter ps99472
- Start date
aquabliss
Well-known member
Check out this Capella 6,750sq ft lot.... Sold for $1.4M earlier this month:https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/108-Horseback-92602/home/91488793
Weird shape though. I'm thinking they put this house on Horseback for all the Capella neigh-sayers.
Weird shape though. I'm thinking they put this house on Horseback for all the Capella neigh-sayers.
Driven through Capella several times. Each time we are left with the same feeling, this neighbor is extremely congested. There is no green space between the street and the sidewalk and the homes are an arm's length part. This means no trees and the neighborhood will look just as bleak in ten years as it does today.
I walked behind one of the homes with a view and could touch the wall with one hand and the home with the other. Just enough space to get a lawnmower through. The street always looks packed with cars and this will only get worse once the homeowners start packing their garages with anything but cars. Even the driveways are short and narrow. You'll notice most homeowners only park one car in the driveway because you'd hit the house with your door if you parked two side-by-side.
Several homes looked like they had three to four cars, with people blocking their own driveway. If I need to fight for parking each day, I better have an ocean view.
This isn't bashing, just the observation. Had the builder pulled five homes out of the development and created more space, this neighborhood would be completely different.
Btw, what is the deal with the HOA, several of the landscape jobs and new driveways look terrible..
I walked behind one of the homes with a view and could touch the wall with one hand and the home with the other. Just enough space to get a lawnmower through. The street always looks packed with cars and this will only get worse once the homeowners start packing their garages with anything but cars. Even the driveways are short and narrow. You'll notice most homeowners only park one car in the driveway because you'd hit the house with your door if you parked two side-by-side.
Several homes looked like they had three to four cars, with people blocking their own driveway. If I need to fight for parking each day, I better have an ocean view.
This isn't bashing, just the observation. Had the builder pulled five homes out of the development and created more space, this neighborhood would be completely different.
Btw, what is the deal with the HOA, several of the landscape jobs and new driveways look terrible..
Perspective
Well-known member
OCNewHome said:
Reasonable complaints, but can't we say this about every new Irvine neighborhood built in the last decade or two? We could buy a 4,000 sq ft house with a ton of character on a 10,000 sq ft lot with a huge frontyard and massive backyard in Floral Park (Santa Ana) for what we're paying at Strada; but we're not interested.
Ready2Downsize
Well-known member
TM had to work with the lot they got and the land probably was not cheap. Would people have forked over more $$$ for a bigger lot? Maybe, probably not. When they opened, PP was selling like hotcakes so they probably thought they would sell in a hurry no matter how dense even in the TUSD.
What are the ages of the kids? If they are not driving age, expect more cars when they get old enough.
What are the ages of the kids? If they are not driving age, expect more cars when they get old enough.
The neighborhood definitely does not feel high-end. I thought Strada felt more "Luxury". There were also some construction quality issues I noticed when walking through two available models. I went on a windy day and you could hear the wind whistling through the door on an upper bedroom that was used to access a mini balcony. The flooring joints between carpet and tile was frayed - easily fixed but this was the final product. When walking around in the master bedroom the windows were shaking a bit and those downstairs in the kitchen could hear some extra creaking - maybe they undersized the joists but this is definitely not expected in a high-end home. They don't provide a side gate at the entry to the back yard. I was looking at plan 2 and like plan 3 at Strada there is an "entry" door to a mini courtyard which leads to the actual front door. These doors were paltry in appearance plus the door was not lockable form the inside - almost looks like you could lock it from the outside. Again I questioned the quality of construction.
Laguna21
New member
Overall, Capella could have done a better job with the neighborhood layout, but I still wouldn't buy a 1.2+ million dollar home on the non-gated side, even at the rate they are selling.
Gated wins all the way, and once OH sells out, when comparing Strada with Capella, I think more people would opt for Capella in resales years down the road.
Additionally, the neighborhood will look better over time, once construction is out of the way. But they could have done a much better job with the overall look of the neighborhood, including some of the neighbors' choice of landscaping, which leaves something to be desired.
Gated wins all the way, and once OH sells out, when comparing Strada with Capella, I think more people would opt for Capella in resales years down the road.
Additionally, the neighborhood will look better over time, once construction is out of the way. But they could have done a much better job with the overall look of the neighborhood, including some of the neighbors' choice of landscaping, which leaves something to be desired.
Perspective
Well-known member
Laguna21 said:
What purpose do gates serve, other than to create a twice daily nuisance when exiting and entering, and a huge hassle for visitors? If you think gates add prestige, then every Irvine apartment complex is very upscale!
Irvine or Bust
New member
OCNewHome said:
Driving thru Capella "several" times? Completely normal for someone interested in the development. For someone who isn't, sort of strange. I'm guessing there's more to this.
I did drive by a few weeks ago, and I saw grass and trees between sidewalk and street. So not sure what you were looking at, perhaps you entered into wrong neighborhood?
. I do agree they could have done better on street layout. Cul de Sacs would have been nice.Perspective
Well-known member
AW said:
That's one argument, but are there any stats supporting this idea? Crime in high socio-economic demographic areas is low, regardless of gates. Is whatever additional security might be added, worth the hassle?
Trying to find that Irvine blotter site, or was it spotcrime dot com, you can see the reported incidents, not too many activities in gated areas, I know it's not very scientific, but smaller/non targeted/random crimes are less in gated areas.
Or look at the recent package thefts, (expecting an increase in the future), should be less occurrences in gated, especially guarded ones (with actual guards, not like OH right now)
Or look at the recent package thefts, (expecting an increase in the future), should be less occurrences in gated, especially guarded ones (with actual guards, not like OH right now)
Laguna21
New member
Perspective said:
Buying a home on the gated side has nothing really to do with security, as it has to do with prestige.
There are many home buyers that must have gated.
My argument for gated was simply purchasing a home with other more expensive surrounding homes vs purchasing Strada, which are the highest priced homes on the non-gated side, surrounded by other lower value homes.
As to whether or not the presence of a gate adds to the property value, I highly doubt it. Gates can be a hassle, especially with visitors, and people sneak through all the time or tailgate others, so I don't think it helps security at all.
Perspective
Well-known member
All any prospective criminal need do, is wait slightly outside of the gated area and follow another car in. My common sense and logic tells me gates create a slight hassle for people intending to commit crimes, but not much else.
The problem is they create that same hassle every single day for homeowners. The benefit isn't worth the cost.
The real reason is prestige.
The problem is they create that same hassle every single day for homeowners. The benefit isn't worth the cost.
The real reason is prestige.
iacrenter
Well-known member
Perspective said:
It is true that gates will not stop a determined criminal. But security is also about the hassle factor. Why bother with a gated hood when I can steal stuff from the non gated areas? Same thought goes for homes with alarm systems, cameras, dogs, and big shoes on the porch. You can't stop all criminals but you can make it harder.