Saviero vs Messina at Orchard Hills

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MovingtoIrvine

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We are considering Orchard hills and would like to hear your opinions on Saviero vs Messina.

We need five bedrooms and hope to keep the open bonus room on 2nd floor for kids play/study, so that rules out Capella, La Vita or Vicenza and leaves  Saviero and Messina in our target price range.

Saviero plan 3 and 4 have five bedroom suites with bonus room on 2nd floor. Their great room is very spacious. Their location is central so looks like resort or Settler park are both within walking distance. And they both offer the prep kitchen option which we like very much. Somehow we don't really love the exterior look of Saviero that much, but we can live with it. The interior is more important anyway.

Messina plan 2 and 3 offer five bedroom options as well, with the bonus on 2nd floor. Their great room is not as big but they have a separate dining room which is nice too. Plan 3 does not have prep kitchen even though I like the look of the circular staircase. It looks like driving to resort will be required since it's quite far, and need to cross the street walking to school or Settler park. We like the exterior look of Messina better than Saviero.

Can I hear your opinions on these two communities if you have bought or visited any one of them? :) All comments/suggestions/insights are welcome. Another question is about the prep kitchen. Are they really practical and helpful? The Messina prep kitchen looks very tiny from the floor plan, and they don't have it in the model homes.

Thanks!

 
happytales said:
From the way you described them...sounded to me like you like Saviero more  :)
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We've been considering Saviero for a long time, but they only have lots right next to the school yard left and not sure when their next release will be. While we were waiting we visited Messina and found out it could work too. And maybe we've visited Saviero so many times and stared at their floor plan for so long that they have become a little boring :) We started to feel the internal courtyard and separate dining and the exterior look of Messina become more interesting! :)
 
I fell victim to the open great room concept. After living in it, I realize, we're all in the same big room all the time. Eating, watching TV, it starts to feel like a studio apartment. Fortunately we have a usable loft where either the kids or the adults can go and relax, change up the scenery. So it depends on your family needs. If you like to have it chopped up to give everyone their space then go for Messina. Location wise, its not soo different but if you have to pick I guess I would pick Saviero.
 
Irvine Fanatic said:
I fell victim to the open great room concept. After living in it, I realize, we're all in the same big room all the time. Eating, watching TV, it starts to feel like a studio apartment. Fortunately we have a usable loft where either the kids or the adults can go and relax, change up the scenery. So it depends on your family needs. If you like to have it chopped up to give everyone their space then go for Messina. Location wise, its not soo different but if you have to pick I guess I would pick Saviero.
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Thanks for the first hand experience and the studio part really made me smile! :) I never thought about it that way, but yeah, I see what you mean. I guess you are talking about Saviero plan 4? For some time we were even considering the option of converting the California room into conservatory to make the already huge great room even greater...

Do you know how much noise Saviero will get once the school starts? Especially for the lots right next to it.
Thanks!




 
We were considering Saviero and only wanted the plan 1 which they didn't build a model for. Turned out once we were able to see it, we didn't like the plan one.

One of the concerns was the lots near the school hearing bells ring every hour since it's a Junior High.

You'll have to ask if they do in fact have bells (we never got that far in our investigation) and see if you hear music on Sunday mornings from Vision City church that meets in the gym there.
 
The Messina Plan 2 might be my favorite floorplan I've seen over the last few years. Many months ago the prices there were much less, and if it weren't for the small Messina lots, we might have considered it then.
 
Ready2Downsize said:
We were considering Saviero and only wanted the plan 1 which they didn't build a model for. Turned out once we were able to see it, we didn't like the plan one.

One of the concerns was the lots near the school hearing bells ring every hour since it's a Junior High.

You'll have to ask if they do in fact have bells (we never got that far in our investigation) and see if you hear music on Sunday mornings from Vision City church that meets in the gym there.
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Yeah it's worth finding out, once the school starts. I did't know about the church in the gym. Thank you for the info!
 
Perspective said:
The Messina Plan 2 might be my favorite floorplan I've seen over the last few years. Many months ago the prices there were much less, and if it weren't for the small Messina lots, we might have considered it then.
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I like Messina Plan 2 too. The master bathroom is my favorite. Don't really like the entry way though, no vaulted ceiling.
 
We strongly considered Saviero versus Messina also and decided on Saviero. Of course, what you weigh as important depends on your own personal needs which may not match ours.

here were our considerations when weighing the two:

We liked Saviero's more central location next to the school and internal greenbelt walking path better.
Per Ruthi Meyer at Saviero, TayMo has bought the  land between Vicenza and the existing Saviero houses and is building more Savieros, so if you can wait, you can pick a lot a little further away from the school grounds, but still walking distance to the school, which is nice if you will have kids attending. We didn't care about school noise during the day, because no one is home during the day anyway--at work, and at school.

If you want a separate formal dining room, Plan 2 lets you put in an optional dining room in lieu of the courtyard for about 10K, or use it for something else, like den or music room. But you have to pick the lot before they start laying the foundation because they generally don't put that as a preplotted option.

didn't want to be next to motorcourt La Vita; we were concerned about overflow parking from LaVita visitors. didn't want kids to have to cross Settler's to get to school. There's no stop signs and no traffic lights on Settlers, and traffic will get quite busier along Settlers once they fully build out Orchard Hills, including the extension of Groves further up north.

Of the lots which were available when we were buying--Saviero had better (larger) lot options, which we felt strongly we wanted a semi decent yard (by Irvine standards)

felt the Messina floorplans were too chopped up.

The only Messina we seriously considered was plan 2, due to certain issues my hubby had with feng shui. But that entry opens into a very small vestibule looking at a wall, and just didn't feel like a >1.5 million dollar house--claustrophobic in our opinion!

Plan 2 has an extensive outdoor kitchen option if you like that. We felt you almost have to put that in, if you don't want to close off that interior courtyard from the rest of the backyard. We saw a production house with the standard interior courtyard and it seemed claustrophobic to us, and like a good place to collect dust and leaves.

Also, we realized there is a problem with lack of privacy on the second floor where bedroom 4 and the master can look into each other from the interior courtyard windows diagonally, and also can see into the bedroom from the windows on the second floor landing across the courtyard.  I guess it means you just keep the shutters/drapes always drawn on those windows, unless you want to put on a show for the kids!
 
That was very helpful nyc to oc, thank you so much!

I also like the location of Saviero more. I guess this should weight more than the look of the house or a separate dining room...Walking to school and park without crossing busy street is nice. Do you think walking to resort is possible too after the walking path is built?

I feel the same way about the entrance of Messina plan 2. I was thinking if we buy it we will want to put a nice fountain or something like that in the internal courtyard, so it can catch people's eyes upon entering for them to forget about the claustrophobic feeling. The outdoor kitchen is nice, but for our family an indoor prep kitchen will be more practical. So I have been trying to imagine what the yard, and house looks like if we close in the internal courtyard. I think we should visit a production with that setup to feel it.

Didn't realize the privacy issue on the 2nd floor bedrooms. But good point. Thanks!

Hope you are enjoying your Saviero house and sound like you are! :)
 
I do agree with you in regards to the exterior architecture of Messina being superior to Saviero?s. But exterior elevation is really supplementary to a house?s floorplan, and it seems like the floorplans offered at Saviero may suit your taste better. As a resident at La Vita, I do sometimes wish that there was a direct access to the trail leading to the Resort from our area like there is at Saviero and Vicenza. That hasn?t stopped us from walking to the Resort on several occasions, though. It?s about a 10-15 minute walk from where we are (by taking the trail from the Saviero entrance), so I would imagine it?s a much shorter walk from Saviero. Also, as you mentioned, the backyards at Saviero are larger in general, so that?s certainly a plus. But the architectural outdoor space (courtyards, covered outdoor rooms, etc.) offered in Messina may make up for that, depending on how you want to use your outdoor space.

Good luck with your decision!! Both are great options, so you really can't go wrong. :)
 
You can't go wrong either way.  We live in Messina plan 2 so you know what our preference was.  We considered plan 4 at Saviero.  The below were factors in our decision between Messina plan 2 and Saviero plan 4:

1) We love the outdoor kitchen and courtyard.  We also built a pool and patio structure in the backyard so the whole things flows really nice.  We spend a lot of time outdoors.  We have lots of parties and guests over all the time and we almost always end up outside no matter what time of day or night.  If you love to be outside then I think Messina plan 2 is tough to beat.

2) Lot size - we were able to get a big lot to be able to build a pool as stated above.  Saviero lots at the time were small.

3) Bright House - By far more natural light then Saviero plan 4 because of the central courtyard.  That's both 1st and 2nd floors.

4) We like the separate dining room.  To us having a dining table in basically the same room as the kitchen and nook is redundant for us.  Also when there are larger gatherings people sitting at the dining room table tend to speak amongst themselves vs. those at the nook table.  If both are in the same room we found that to be a bit chaotic.  We like the option to have separation.  In cases where we want everyone seated in the same area we have 8 seats in the dining room, 10 seats in courtyard and we can move 8 seats and a table in the covered outdoor space next to the outdoor kitchen.  Slide open the glass door between family room and outdoor area and even the nook is now somewhat connected.  We have the same travertine the entire 1st floor inside and out including the courtyard and most of the backyard so when we open up the sliding doors everywhere, indoor-outdoor becomes seamless.  Guest and us enjoy that a lot.

5) Bonus Room of the Messina plan 2 is very good sized.  Enough room to get creative.  We have not yet but one day...

6) Master bath is probably my favorite in all of Orchard Hills.

7) Last bit about the location of the dining room.  If you wanted to put a piano there it is nice how it would open up to the courtyard, especially if you have guests over.  Or even a library if that works better.  You can landscape the courtyard so you have a nice view as you read.

Things not as good as Saviero plan 4:

1) The entrance of our home is well...not so dramatic but we don't spend a lot of time there so its not that bothersome.  People get over the entrance once they step past and see the courtyard, outside kitchen and the dining.
2) The master bedroom is ok but a bit small for us.  No way around that we still wish it was a little bigger.
3) Saviero was closer to trail, park, and school.  Its ok but it would be nice not to have to cross settlers.

In summary, we wanted to have great outdoor space and I was able to envision what Messina plan 2 could become before we purchased.  Luckily it really worked out for us.  I don't think the plan 2 model has quite the same feel as our home because of the size and what we did with our back yard.  Also we have a 10 feet wide side yard which also make a difference.  We also prefer the separate dining and brightness of the interior as well.

All personal preference.  If you are not outdoors often then Saviero may very well be your choice.  Either way you will have a beautiful home!!  Congratulations I remember having a lot of fun going through the process you are about to start.
 
Thank you Villager. I've never visited La Vita model homes but I heard from this board they are very popular. Congratulations! Good to hear it's a 10-15 minute walk from La Vita to the resort. That's not bad at all. The lots Messina is going to release are at the corner of Culver and Settlers, so it might take a few extra minutes for the walk. But should be doable too.



Villager said:
I do agree with you in regards to the exterior architecture of Messina being superior to Saviero?s. But exterior elevation is really supplementary to a house?s floorplan, and it seems like the floorplans offered at Saviero may suit your taste better. As a resident at La Vita, I do sometimes wish that there was a direct access to the trail leading to the Resort from our area like there is at Saviero and Vicenza. That hasn?t stopped us from walking to the Resort on several occasions, though. It?s about a 10-15 minute walk from where we are (by taking the trail from the Saviero entrance), so I would imagine it?s a much shorter walk from Saviero. Also, as you mentioned, the backyards at Saviero are larger in general, so that?s certainly a plus. But the architectural outdoor space (courtyards, covered outdoor rooms, etc.) offered in Messina may make up for that, depending on how you want to use your outdoor space.

Good luck with your decision!! Both are great options, so you really can't go wrong. :)
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Great to hear from a Messina plan 2 resident! Thank you Zippohunter! Sounds like Messina plan 2 really suits your needs and life style. The outdoor kitchen, California room, internal courtyard, the pool and indoor/outdoor space! You guys must make excellent party hosts. Congratulations on getting a large lot and making it work so perfectly for your family.

I also think the natural lighting will be great at Messina plan 2 from the internal courtyard. But if we get it we may consider using the outdoor kitchen space for another bedroom suite which is separately from the rest of the house. It will separate the internal courtyard from the outdoor room and not sure whether that will look/feel nice. Oh, good that you mention that master bath. I agree with you. I love love that master bath. And piano in dining room facing the courtyard surely sounds a good plan too.

Maybe I should get on the VIP list for both, and see which one has a better lot in terms of location, size etc opens up first!

Thanks again!




Zippohunter said:
You can't go wrong either way.  We live in Messina plan 2 so you know what our preference was.  We considered plan 4 at Saviero.  The below were factors in our decision between Messina plan 2 and Saviero plan 4:

1) We love the outdoor kitchen and courtyard.  We also built a pool and patio structure in the backyard so the whole things flows really nice.  We spend a lot of time outdoors.  We have lots of parties and guests over all the time and we almost always end up outside no matter what time of day or night.  If you love to be outside then I think Messina plan 2 is tough to beat.

2) Lot size - we were able to get a big lot to be able to build a pool as stated above.  Saviero lots at the time were small.

3) Bright House - By far more natural light then Saviero plan 4 because of the central courtyard.  That's both 1st and 2nd floors.

4) We like the separate dining room.  To us having a dining table in basically the same room as the kitchen and nook is redundant for us.  Also when there are larger gatherings people sitting at the dining room table tend to speak amongst themselves vs. those at the nook table.  If both are in the same room we found that to be a bit chaotic.  We like the option to have separation.  In cases where we want everyone seated in the same area we have 8 seats in the dining room, 10 seats in courtyard and we can move 8 seats and a table in the covered outdoor space next to the outdoor kitchen.  Slide open the glass door between family room and outdoor area and even the nook is now somewhat connected.  We have the same travertine the entire 1st floor inside and out including the courtyard and most of the backyard so when we open up the sliding doors everywhere, indoor-outdoor becomes seamless.  Guest and us enjoy that a lot.

5) Bonus Room of the Messina plan 2 is very good sized.  Enough room to get creative.  We have not yet but one day...

6) Master bath is probably my favorite in all of Orchard Hills.

7) Last bit about the location of the dining room.  If you wanted to put a piano there it is nice how it would open up to the courtyard, especially if you have guests over.  Or even a library if that works better.  You can landscape the courtyard so you have a nice view as you read.

Things not as good as Saviero plan 4:

1) The entrance of our home is well...not so dramatic but we don't spend a lot of time there so its not that bothersome.  People get over the entrance once they step past and see the courtyard, outside kitchen and the dining.
2) The master bedroom is ok but a bit small for us.  No way around that we still wish it was a little bigger.
3) Saviero was closer to trail, park, and school.  Its ok but it would be nice not to have to cross settlers.

In summary, we wanted to have great outdoor space and I was able to envision what Messina plan 2 could become before we purchased.  Luckily it really worked out for us.  I don't think the plan 2 model has quite the same feel as our home because of the size and what we did with our back yard.  Also we have a 10 feet wide side yard which also make a difference.  We also prefer the separate dining and brightness of the interior as well.

All personal preference.  If you are not outdoors often then Saviero may very well be your choice.  Either way you will have a beautiful home!!  Congratulations I remember having a lot of fun going through the process you are about to start.
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MovingtoIrvine said:
We are considering Orchard hills and would like to hear your opinions on Saviero vs Messina.

We need five bedrooms and hope to keep the open bonus room on 2nd floor for kids play/study, so that rules out Capella, La Vita or Vicenza and leaves  Saviero and Messina in our target price range.
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It's been a long time since I visited OH but doesn't Vicenza also have an open area at the top of the stairs?
 
Yes, but they have 4 bedrooms. (or close the bonus to be the 5th room)


Happiness said:
MovingtoIrvine said:
We are considering Orchard hills and would like to hear your opinions on Saviero vs Messina.

We need five bedrooms and hope to keep the open bonus room on 2nd floor for kids play/study, so that rules out Capella, La Vita or Vicenza and leaves  Saviero and Messina in our target price range.
Click to expand...
It's been a long time since I visited OH but doesn't Vicenza also have an open area at the top of the stairs?
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Thanks for posting, we too have been going back and forth between Saviero and Messina.  I've found that everyone's comments are very helpful and 100% spot on.  Currently we are leaning towards Saviero either 3 or 4.  We like S2 with the long interior entryway, but want the fifth bedroom.

I think we'd settle on S3 if the front bedroom was connected to the entire house.  Having 2 entrances seems like a lot of back and forth.  Has anyone though about just enclosing the exterior walkway and building a single entrance?  I noticed one of the homeowners is already doing construction on an S4 entrance.  Guessing that needs HOA and City Approval.

Hate to pile on the questions, but should we be using an agent for new home purchase?  Pro's vs. Cons?


 
OCNewHome said:
Thanks for posting, we too have been going back and forth between Saviero and Messina.  I've found that everyone's comments are very helpful and 100% spot on.  Currently we are leaning towards Saviero either 3 or 4.  We like S2 with the long interior entryway, but want the fifth bedroom.

I think we'd settle on S3 if the front bedroom was connected to the entire house.  Having 2 entrances seems like a lot of back and forth.  Has anyone though about just enclosing the exterior walkway and building a single entrance?  I noticed one of the homeowners is already doing construction on an S4 entrance.  Guessing that needs HOA and City Approval.

Hate to pile on the questions, but should we be using an agent for new home purchase?  Pro's vs. Cons?
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YES get an agent who will split the broker Co-Op with you 50/50. Make sure it's in writing so they hold their end of the bargain after sale. We some great TI agents you can work with that have a lot of experience in new builds
 
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