Comment: Just one comment so far — I see red, orange and yellow markers on the map, but no green markers. I know that some townhomes last week fell into the green/slow (18-20/20) category, so why am I not seeing any green markers?
John Brown
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Comment: Doug,
There should be. Must be a glitch with the software. Thanks for letting us know.
Comment: I had difficulty visualizing how the furniture would work in the living room. The window is good as it lets light in, but the focal point would be where? on the outside of laundry/pantry block wall? Then would get in the way of the circulation path.
The Study could be in the Opt. Retreat.
The main Bedroom could have larger windows, and Bedroom 4 is awkward with the location of closet.
Corey
Project Name: SANTA CRUZ AT WOODBURY EAST – RESIDENCE 1
Size: 2027 sqft
Project Address: Towngate and Sand Canyon Avenue Irvine California 92620
Comment: What a nice new look! Thank you for continuing to make this project informative, user friendly, and a home that we are free to share and grow in.
Here are comments! Feel free to contact me if you have further questions or comments for me regarding them.
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New design- bugs etc. First I should tell you I am a firefox user if that has anything to do with issues or things I point out.
1. Looks like the GREEN of the location map is not working.
2. The compilation of the plans, in the sliding box with the scores, is showing same item at least TWICE.
3. Where am I to put the PLAN name or number I am looking at?
4. For launching the analyze plan form- I would have like some underline or other signifier that tells me to CLICK ON THIS.
5. Is EMAIL optional?
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Matthew and John are you limiting us on the number of plans for the development? My first one has 5 that qualify (and many are so similar). Should I add them all?
Can we add a blurb or link to walk score (is it under learn more maybe?) and what is needed to be considered walkable (food within x or whatever!)?
Can we also put a side note in the test that whatever item you are scoring cannot be determined (like STUDY not included, outdoor living space is defined, or orientation is unknown) that you should put NO?
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As for my first entry:
1. Note that mapquest was having an issue finding this project BUT not the walk score site. 49 was the return YUCK.
2. No site plan or orientation is available.
3. I will score PLAN 1 A
The Good. For under 1850 we have 3 decent bedrooms. They have enough closet place and TWO windows each! Master room windows- the bed may have to block one of them (Not known how high they are on the wall). We even have a study upstairs which I like since the public space on the first floor can get loud. The kitchen- has an unusual place/space for a pantry that I think would work. Enough counter space!
Not so good. Dining is complete disaster. No window- just THREE yes THREE entry doors . Upstairs HALL goes FOREVER. Living room is narrow, no focal, and not enough light.
Thanks!
John Brown
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Comment: M.A.M.
Thanks for the great feedback on the site. I am glad you like it.
Mid America Mom
Project Name: Olive Grove
Size: 2049 sq feet
Project Address: 14063 N. Carlton Lane, Sylmar, CA 91342
No site plan or orientation provided on this last unit (at least they could provide that for the last one).
Front entry has space, a good size closet, and nice separation. But the one off the garage …you are dropped into the kitchen. So I had to go with NO :(
Kitchen. It looks to be 14 by 10 which is a great size BUT. DARK- Not enough window space (needs at least double). TRAFFIC issues- Entry at back of it. The refrigerator to the peninsula is too tight. If you had the door open you could not walk past it. DESIGN (ok I know it is not in our slow measure but it is POOR). No excuse for having the dishwasher on the LEFT of the sink. The sink needs to be closer to the dining area making a more workable triangle. Is that a teeny tiny pantry behind the garage entry door?
The master closet is way too big but the room and other bedrooms are just fine. These are baths that are compact and work (though the master vanity really should only have one sink).
I scored this as a study WITHOUT the optional bedroom. With laundry right across from it, which can be noisy, we really need wall with a door.
thanks!
Matt KB
Project Name: Artisan at west Creek – Residence 2
Size: 1664
Project Address: 28723 Calle De La Paz Valencia CA, 91354
Comment: This plan has potential. They needed to take it a little further. As it stands if we had a walkable location and a EAST or North orientation it would be a moderately slow home.
They minimized the windows from the side of the home and had decent sized ones in back. ALL rooms orient to the backyard of the home! The bedrooms work, closets are decent sized, and I love the ability to have a deck off the master. The kitchen is a classic compact design we all have seen.
But the downfalls. We see some wasted space on the first floor. The entries- too big for the front and poor from the garage. Baths- The 1/2 bath has issue with being narrow and the door swing. The master bathroom gave a zipcode to the toilet space. They tried to get a “tech space” in but it fell short.
Comment: I gave the kitchen a good rating assuming the optional island is added; I suppose the great room could be divided into living and dining areas, but a dining area is not defined so I gave it a 0. The area only got a 29 walkability score; the house may rate a bit higher based upon orientation (this is just a model).
Sarah
Project Name: Stetson Ranch, Canyon Country – the “Remington 5″
Comment: Only a 46 walkability; orientation unknown; I thought the master bath was awkward with the tub in the middle like that… Otherwise, not too bad.
Sarah
Project Name: Enclave at Harp Springs – “Lucena” model
Size:
Project Address: 1276 Hollysprings Lane Santa Maria, CA
Comment: This is my highest score ever! It has a 54 walkability and the back of the house (where most of the windows are located) faces south. There are some nice options (decks, etc) to add on. I took off points for the bedrooms because of some wasted space in the master. otherwise, this one is pretty good!
Wayne
Project Name: Stetson Ranch
Size: 2900
Project Address: 15978 Thompson Ranch Drive, Santa Clarita, California 91387
Comment: Walkscore: 95/100
Entry opens dumbly into the living space.
The Fireplace is a silly feature placed in the dining area – do you even really need a fireplace in LA in 985 sq ft? Without it and this would have been in the Slow range.
Comment: I gave the bedrooms a “no” because I dislike the fact that the master bedroom shares a wall with the living room. I also gave circulation a “yes” based on the removal of the optional walls.
Comment: Walkscore 0/100!
The website is missing a properly labeled site plan that shows where this house is in the community, so I right-clicked on the google map and chose “what’s here?” and it displays an x and y coordinate that is of a specific lot that I randomly chose. This is also the reason why I don’t think this unit deserves the orientation point since if any house can go on any lot then the design was not intentionally oriented to ‘take advantage of the sun’.
Comment: I hate the fact that the laundry is located in the kitchen.
I also do not understand the extra sinks in both upstairs bathrooms.
If the second sink in the master bath was removed you would not have to go through the bathroom to get into the walk-in closet.
Comment: The laundry is doing triple duty! Very awkward to move from main entry to kitchen – you are walking around the rear entry!
Basic organization, but leaves two bedrooms (or one and a den) with unsatisfactory sideyard windows. I do like the way the bathrooms are organized into a single block with the fireplace and master closet. Would prefer if the kitchen had a peninsula instead of an optional island (which I took to give the kitchen point).
Comment: Except for the entry, this plan is really good. Funny – this is the EXACT same developer that produced Apartment/Loft week’s Gomer Pyle – The Market Lofts! The circulation around the dining are is not so good, as is the way the route through the master to the master ensuite leaves a strip of wasted space along the side of the room since you couldn’t place a chair there without bumping into it every time you wanted to change your shirt.
Eunice
Comment: Bad bowling-alley feel to the entry-hall that ends on the distant dining table. Don’t like the corner pantry or the placement of the fridge – imagine hitting your hip on the corner of the island (ouch!). I also noticed that the site plan shows shadows falling on basically every lot’s rear yard. This is totally misleading. If you look at the google map and compare the siteplan (sans North arrow of course) you’ll notice that basically every rear yard in fact faces South or West!!! The shadows on the plan are from very very early morning sun. When you’d actually use your yard, it’d be full of hot mid-late day Californian sun!
I agree on that laundry. Why am I here laundry? no oops I need corn flakes? no I need to pick up milk in my car for the corn flakes!
I would something in the kitchen as well.. for that size it really needs more counter and there is plenty of space for stools.
That living room could easily handle a 6 seat sectional. What I am thrown off with is that fireplace. Tucked so far in the corner but not at a 45… what do you folks think of it?
WOW this is up to 5 beds. In a plan this size I wonder what square footage they are.
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Alejandro
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Project Name: Aria @ West Creek — Residence 2
Size: 1897 sq ft
Project Address: 28847 Coal Mountain Ct, Santa Clarita, CA
Comment: Private spaces harshly split. Lots of 45 degree ‘business’. The scale of the hallway is the worst part of all perhaps. It is so overscaled, so grotesque, I’m sure there’s a row of chandeliers in a row there (not only to look ‘good’, but to take up space and light this darkest part of the plan). As well, the kitchen is buried, far from the windows (and gets no partial care from a crummy sideyard window) and sprawling – i think that there is such a thing as ‘too much storage’.
Comment: There is a siteplan with this development! The garage does not take the entire front of house which is nice. I like the dining and secondary bedrooms.
Windows are everywhere so sun will be everywhere. This house has a family room and living room and I looked at them equally. Issue I have is with the super bath and where in the master am I to put a bed? Then I was not sure what was going on in the kitchen. Are those extra appliances? The door from the garage is here too.
Comment: Sorry for not posting earlier, my computer’s been a problem. I have a few I have found. This one (and the next one) is a very typical California type: a luxury home in a private, gated community.
Comment: ****John,
Homes with more than one space for a similar function, what shall we do?
This really will show up next week. Bigger homes may have more duplication type of scenarios (game room, great room((though I look as these as the combo eat and live space)), family room, living room, theatre room… an upstair loft which could flex). Friends of ours have two den/office.
For an earlier plan I had a family on second floor and living on first and I looked at both for the living measure. I liked one but not the other but I said YES.
Any thoughts on these situations?
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Anonymous
Comment: Joti I have to laugh at the refrigerator on that 2456 ft shapell home. So far and such a bad spot.
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Joti Singh
Comment: Back Entry is laundry room, making laundry room difficult to keep clean. Nook will only fit a very small table. Family room is ok, but I think couch will be very far from either fireplace or tv. The living room at the front will not be used. Both Bed 2 and 3 have sideyard view. Master bathroom is weird with opposite sinks.
Comment: This must be a narrow lot, since there is no connection to all to a decent outdoor space (the porch is unfortunately cut straight through by circulation, leaving 2 small spaces on either half). I think that the location of the stair in relation to the position of the front door (centered on the facade) makes for a really poor set of spaces on the main floor. I also think that there are way too many bathrooms (I took the optional bed 3 as the basis for my review).
Project Name: Las Brisas at Porter Ranch — Residence 5
Size: 1645 sq ft
Project Address: 20327 Paseo Meriana Northridge, CA
Comment: M.A.M
In response to your question about multiple rooms, in general I would say you need to be skeptical. Too often, these redundant spaces are used to make the house sound better and more grand on the feature sheet. Sometimes, a second living space can work well if it is for a loud use(media) or a quiet one (reading) that needs to be away from the rest of the living space.
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Jodi J
Comment: Lot and orienatation information is not provided.
The kitchen did recieve a “yes” vote; however, that rating includes the optional island.
Master en suite vanity is grossly undersized and does not take advantage on the long wall.
No study to speak of.
Laundry crowded into hallway. No suitabel work space.
Garage passage door opens directly into the kitchen.
Project Name: Sedona II @ Terreno Vista
Size: 1413
Project Address: 3218 East Patti Lane, Lancaster CA, 93535
Comment: There are a number of unusual things about this house. It is odd to have the family room in the same room as the kitchen, separating the kitchen from the dining room. The living room has no focus point.
The Master bathroom is the most unusual I’ve seen so far, with two walk in closets, and an over-sized tub in the middle of the room. The bathroom with it’s closets is larger than the Master bedroom its self. The Master bathroom entering from the kitchen/family room is unappealing.
It was difficult to distinguish where the optional bedroom would fit into the plan.
Project Name: Cherry Hill
Size: 2, 600 sq/ft
Project Address: 13834 Eaton Hollow Ave Moorpark, CA 93021
Comment: Looking at residence 2, on Lot 78 per site plan, on drhorton builder website.
The good- the bedrooms, dining room. Most of the rooms face NORTH. In the great room we have a media center and fireplace on the one wall- creating a focal wall. The porch can handle a table with chairs!
Issues: Entries have lack of closet and is front is a massive two stories high.. just out of scale with size of home. Hallways are long. Kitchen triangle is too spread out, the distance from pantry to island is wide, and it needs more light. The master bath has much square footage but the layout is good.
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