Located nicely at the end of the cul-de-sac in Northwood Park, 37 Richmond is a two story, 4 bedroom and 2 ½ bathroom home. The home is on a zero-lot-line with a neighbor on one side and a wood fence on the other side, which backs to Northwood. It has a lovely, large yard. Last week I happened to review another property at 14 Charleston on the north side of neighborhood which was also located at an end of a cul-de-sac but backed to Irvine Boulevard. One question that automatically struck me was whether a cul-de-sac location outweighs backing to a street with traffic.

Asking Price: $809,900

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 2 ½

Square Footage: 2,011

Lot Size: 6,098

Price per Square Foot: $403

Property Type: Residential, Single Family

Style: Two Level, Cape Cod

Year Built: 1977

Community: Northwood Park

HOA Fees: $60

Mello Roos: No

Days on Market: 26

The home has new windows, clean paint, laminate wood flooring, newer carpet and a nicely landscaped yard. Although it is a zero-lot-line, it is only the living room that does not have windows along one side of the wall. However, this is easily overlooked by the large skylights and big windows along the front and back walls that bring in an abundance of natural light. The layout is nice and the location at the end of a cul-de-sac is desirable, however the only thing to consider is living next to the street, Northwood. It is not a major street such as Irvine Boulevard, but it still has a fair amount of cars passing through that can be heard from the property. Pedestrians on the sidewalk can also be heard from the yard, but I am not sure if they would be heard from inside the home with open windows.

Approaching the front door, there is a fence with plants that provides a small private front porch area with more plants and a bench.

Upon entry, the large rectangular living room with cathedral ceilings and a skylight is located to the left. The room is long enough to be decorated in different ways and still have space for extra sitting chairs or a desk. The staircase and a small hallway with a bathroom, which leads to the family room and kitchen are to the right. Behind the staircase is the dining area. The living room is separated by the carpet, whilst the dining room, entry and hallway have laminate wood. Immediately to the left of the front door is the fireplace which has been remodeled.

The dining room is a decent size and currently has a table with 6 chairs. A sliding glass door to the backyard is located off the dining area.

Behind the dining room wall is the kitchen. Directly to the left is the refrigerator. On the perpendicular wall is the stainless steel range with a microwave hood vent. On the other wall is the sink and stainless steel dishwasher. The counter wraps around as a peninsula with a couple of bar stools on the other side. It separates the kitchen from the family room. It appears a pantry was built in on the other side of doorway (leading into the kitchen from the dining room). It sits across from the peninsula. The tile countertops and backsplash in the kitchen could be updated, but it has enough cabinetry for storage and it is nice with a window overlooking the side yard.

The family room has a glass door leading to the side yard and a large window next to it. The entry to the garage is located at the far end of the room. The hallway leading back to the front entry is located off of the family room. A half bathroom sits in the hallway. It has original cabinets and appears to have original countertops and flooring, but is very clean.

The yard is large, flat and well landscaped. It has a lattice patio cover with vines grown as cover. The balcony from the upstairs master bedroom provides some solid cover over part of the patio. There is a large concrete patio, plenty of grass for kids or a pet and a wide side yard. A door was created in the wood fence that leads directly out to the sidewalk on Northwood.

The staircase has original railing. Once upstairs the master bedroom is to the left. It is a decent size with two closets: one mirrored two-door –sliding closet and one walk-in closet. A sliding glass door leads out to a small balcony that overlooks the backyard and Northwood. An open entry leads into the bathroom which has dual sinks and a separate toilet with a large oval bath/shower combo. Original cabinets are found in the bathroom but it is excellent condition.

There are two secondary bedrooms that have windows facing out towards Northwood. They are similar in size and have single door walk-in closets. On the other side of the hall are a linen closet and the shared bathroom. The bathroom has an updated vanity and flooring. It has a tub/shower combo.

At the end of the hallway is the last bedroom which has windows facing out towards the cul-de-sac. Like the other bedrooms, it has a walk-in-closet.

Overall, the house is in great condition and the layout is nice. Northwood street is not a major traffic street, but there is some traffic that could be heard from the yard. However, could the nice cul-de-sac location and larger yard outweigh the fact that it backs to a street?

As I mentioned last week in my review of 3 Clocktower, I am going to compare it this week with 39 Tall Cedars. Also located in Woodbury’s Sonoma neighborhood, this home is a bit bigger and includes a bonus room.

The basics:

Asking Price: $1,238,000

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 3

Square Footage: 2,777

Lot Size: 5,100

$/Sq Ft: $446

Days on Market: 44

Property Type: Single Family Home

Year Built: 2010

Community: Woodbury – Sonoma

Schools: Woodbury Elementary, Jeffrey Trail, Irvine High

HOA dues are $110 per month and there are Mello Roos.

At a quick glance, 39 Tall Cedars is 145 square feet bigger, the lot is 862 square feet bigger, and the price is $48 less per square foot ($61,000). You’re definitely getting more for your money on Tall Cedars than you are on Clocktower. In terms of location, Clocktower backs to another home, has homes on both sides, and is close enough to Sand Canyon to hear street noise from out front (and probably from inside if the windows were open). Tall Cedars backs to a non-residential street (though toward the end, so there probably isn’t much traffic), with a swimming pool for the neighboring apartment complex right across from the home. In addition, one side of Tall Cedars borders a small cul-de-sac and doesn’t have any houses directly next to it. I think I give the location edge to Tall Cedars, but others may disagree.

The houses themselves are quite similar. When you walk inside, you can see down the hallway to the great room at the back of the house. The downstairs bedroom is off a short hallway immediately on your left. It is on the smaller side, though there was a lot of furniture that made it feel more crowded. It has windows on three sides and a two-door sliding closet. While the bedroom is carpeted, the rest of the downstairs has travertine floors.

Just outside the bedroom is the downstairs bathroom. It has a single sink and a decent sized stall shower. The main hallway has a large closet that extends under the stairs, providing plenty of storage.

The great room in Tall Cedars is bigger than that in Clocktower. The owners opted to extend it toward the back, rather than have an outdoor California Room. The extra space is surrounded by windows, plus a door to the backyard. The main room is quite similar to the one in Clocktower. There is a fireplace surrounded by white crown molding on one wall, flanked by windows on both sides. Overall, it feels a lot more spacious and open.

The adjacent kitchen is also quite similar. It has a large center island with bar seating. There are white melamine cabinets and the same color granite counters. The sink and dishwasher are in the island; the stove and one oven are directly behind it. A second oven, microwave and fridge are on another wall, next to a walk in pantry. This home does not have a tech center off the kitchen, but it does have a small drop zone leading to the garage.

The dining area is more a part of the kitchen than in Clocktower, but does still have some separation. It also has additional counter and cabinet space.

The backyard is a good size for the neighborhood. About half is hardscaped; the other half is a combination of grass and a garden. It has a free standing gazebo and a large built in barbecue that includes a sink plus a stove with two burners.

The biggest difference between the two rooms is that Tall Cedars has an open loft area/bonus room at the top of the stairs. This is the only room in the house with wood floors. Several windows bring in a lot of light. It has a space where you could add a nice built-in unit or mount a TV on the wall. In one corner, a small alcove offers space for a mini office, toy storage, or maybe a place to store off-season/holiday items.

You have to cross through the bonus room to get to the master bedroom. It is a simple, rectangular room with plenty of space. One corner could work well as a sitting area. Windows overlook the backyard and side of the house.




The master bath has two sinks with a tub in between them. The vanities have white melamine cabinets and granite counters. The bathtub surround is plain, white tile. The shower has matching tile and is a decent size with a built-in seat. There is a large walk-in closet as well.

Both of the secondary bedrooms are a good size and noticeably bigger than the room downstairs. Each one has several windows plus a French door leading to a large, shared balcony. They have two-door, sliding closets that are bigger than the one in the downstairs bedroom.

These rooms share a bathroom off the hallway. It has two sinks set into a long counter and a door that separates them from the toilet and shower/tub combo. The shower has tan, square tiles.

The laundry room has a sink, side by side machines, and a big linen area at the back.

The two houses – 39 Tall Cedars and 3 Clocktower – are quite similar. There are a few main differences: the combination of travertine and carpet in Tall Cedars versus wood floors throughout Clocktower; the tech center and pantry in Clocktower versus the drop zone in Tall Cedars; the added space to the great room and the bonus room in Tall Cedars; the nicer tile and marble in the master bath at Clocktower; and the balcony on Tall Cedars.

While a few of the differences go in Clocktower’s favor, I think the extra square footage – both inside and out, along with the location make Tall Cedars the better choice. Of course, the lower price clearly swings in Tall Cedars’ favor as well.

Located nicely at the end of the cul-de-sac in Northwood Park, 14 Charleston is a single story, three bedroom and two bathroom home. The home is on a zero-lot-line property with a neighbor on one side and a brick wall on the other side, which backs to Irvine Boulevard. Although the northeast side of the home does not have a neighbor, and the yard wraps around in a U-shape around the home, there are no windows on one side of the home. There are many upgrades and a good size backyard, but does the location of a cul-de-sac outweigh the noise of backing to the high traffic Irvine Boulevard?

Asking Price: $749,900

Bedrooms: 3

Bathrooms: 2

Square Footage: 1,520

Lot Size: 5,663

Price per Square Foot: $493

Property Type: Residential, Single Family

Style: One Level

Year Built: 1977

Community: Northwood Park

HOA Fees: $65

Mello Roos: No

Days on Market: 17

Upon entry, directly behind the open front door is the entry to the garage. The garage has epoxy flooring, cabinets, recessed lights and a pull-down ladder to the attic. Straight ahead in the home’s entryway are windows and a sliding glass door leading to the atrium. To the right is the living room and step up to the dining area. The vaulted ceilings create an open feel to the rooms. All of the windows in the home have been replaced, apart from the atrium windows. The home’s flooring consists of newer neutral colored carpet and a black and white checkered tile.

The atrium is a nice square size that has enough space for a table and seating. The living and dining rooms have an abundance of natural light with windows from the atrium, two sets of windows in the corner of the living room, and a sliding glass door in the dining area. The carpeted living room has an original brick fireplace that has been painted white. Recessed lighting has been installed in the vaulted ceiling. The dining area is currently used as a small seating area with a ceiling fan. It has black and white checkered tile flooring. One entrance to the backyard is located off of the dining area.

The checkered tile flows directly through the kitchen doorway and throughout the kitchen. It is a bright kitchen with 4 windows and a set of French doors. The kitchen has been updated with new wood cabinets, black granite countertop, colorful backsplash and stainless steel appliances. Along the left hand side of the wall are two pantry cabinets with a couple of cabinets above them. The double oven is located next to the cabinets. Immediately to the right of the entrance is the refrigerator, gas stovetop and microwave hood vent. On the perpendicular wall is the sink and dishwasher. A window sits over the sink which overlooks the side yard. There is plenty of counter space and a good number of cabinets for storage. A small island sits in the middle of the kitchen which has room for a few bar seats. Behind the island is plenty of space for an eating area.

The backyard can be accessed through the kitchen French door or the dining room sliding glass door. Both lead to the side patio which is concrete and stone. It wraps around to the back of the house where a covered lattice porch and grass are found. There is also a built-in bar-b-q in the corner. On the other side of the house is another concrete area. There are no windows on that side of the house and the section is used more as a storage area next to the air conditioning unit or just provides extra space that separates the house from the brick wall with Irvine Boulevard behind it.

The bedrooms are off of the checker tiled hallway located off of the dining room. To the left is the master bedroom. The only window in the room is the sliding glass door that leads out to the atrium. It is a decent size carpeted room with vaulted ceilings. An open bathroom with the checkered tile has dual sinks and to the left of the sinks is a separate toilet and tub/shower combo. There are plain 4×4 white tiles in the oversized oval tub area. The hardware looks original. A thin rectangular frosted window is located in the tub area, providing some natural light. On the other side of the dual sinks is a large walk-in closet with laminate flooring and closet organizer.

Down the hall to the right is the shared bathroom. It has a pedestal sink, toilet and large walk-in shower. The flooring is small neutral tile. There does not seem to be a lot of storage space in the bathroom, and without the counter space area or cabinet space, I am not sure how functional the bathroom is for the shared bedrooms.

The secondary bedrooms are very colorful. Both are carpeted, have a ceiling fan and the windows face the backyard. The first room to the left is pink and larger than the other bedroom. The other room is striped pink and green. Both have the closet doors removed, but they have closet organizers and appear to have originally had a two-sliding door closet.

14 Charleston is desirable for anyone looking for a single story home with a nice size backyard. It is in clean, good condition. However, with the comps in the area, I feel that the house may be overpriced, especially with the location of it backing to Irvine Boulevard. The traffic could clearly be heard from the back and front yard. Would the nice cul-de-sac location deter you from having the noise from a major street on the other side of the wall?