By Eric Engelbert
The Highest Address in Irvine
Most of Irvine is flat. That is by design. The Irvine Company spent decades leveling and grading the Irvine Ranch into the efficient, grid-oriented city it is today. But the northeast corner of Irvine is different. The foothills that rise above Portola Parkway and the 241 Toll Road give way to rolling terrain with genuine elevation, open ridgelines, and views that do not exist anywhere else in the city.
Summit at Orchard Hills is built on that land. It is the newest and most premium phase of the Orchard Hills master-planned community, a gated enclave of 520 estate homes being built by two of the most respected luxury homebuilders in the country: Toll Brothers and Shea Homes. Model homes opened in July 2025, some homes are available now, and deliveries continue through 2027. If you are looking at the upper end of the Irvine new construction market, this is the community worth knowing.
What Is Orchard Hills and Where Does the Summit Fit?
Orchard Hills is a master-planned community developed on Irvine Company land in the northeast foothills of Irvine. The community spans more than 1,000 acres and has been built out in multiple phases over several years, each offering a distinct price point and product type. Earlier phases include neighborhoods like The Reserve at Orchard Hills, which established the area's reputation for high-end hillside living with tree-lined streets, private gates, and a village center.
The Summit is the final phase and the most elevated in every sense. It sits at the highest point of the community, offering views that span from the surrounding hills down toward the broader Irvine landscape. Because it is the last major development opportunity at this elevation on the Irvine Ranch, it carries a scarcity premium that earlier Orchard Hills phases did not have. Once these 520 homes are built, there is no more land of this type available in Irvine.
Toll Brothers: Estate Homes from $5.9 Million
Toll Brothers is building the upper tier of Summit at Orchard Hills across two collections. Both are large, highly customizable estate homes on expansive lots in the gated portion of the community.
Pinnacle Collection
Floor plans range from 4,354 to 4,804+ square feet with five bedrooms and four or five bathrooms. Starting price is $5.925 million. Quick move-in homes are available: one home (Site 98) at 4,608 sq ft is priced at $6,150,000 with a March 2027 move-in date, and another (Site 84) at 4,646 sq ft is priced at $6,581,000 with a June 2027 move-in date.
Skyline Collection
Floor plans range from 4,514 to 5,344+ square feet, priced from $6.6 million to $6.8 million. Move-in ready homes are currently available in this collection, making it one of the few opportunities to buy a brand-new luxury estate in Irvine and move in without a construction wait.
Both collections feature dynamic modern architecture with buyers' choice of Spanish, Tuscan, Italianate, and Coastal exterior styles. Structural options include home offices, flex spaces, multigenerational living suites, lofts, primary bedroom retreats, and covered decks. Lots are large enough to accommodate a private pool house or casita on select home sites. Toll Brothers opened six model homes at a grand opening event on July 19, 2025.
Shea Homes (Crestview): 70 Homes from $2.9 Million
Shea Homes is building Crestview, a collection of 70 homes that represents the more attainable entry point into Summit at Orchard Hills. The homes are still large and well-appointed but come in at a meaningfully lower price point than the Toll Brothers collections.
Crestview offers four floor plans ranging from 2,826 to 3,259 square feet with four to five bedrooms, 4.5 to 5.5 bathrooms, and two-car garages with driveways. Prices run $2.9 million to $3 million. Architectural styles are Spanish, Tuscan, and French Provincial. The homes feature open-concept layouts with chef's kitchens flowing into great rooms, spacious primary suites, and generous room sizes throughout.
HOA dues are estimated at approximately $975 per month during the construction phase of the community, stepping down to approximately $774 per month once the community is complete.
Community Amenities and What Makes This Location Different
Summit at Orchard Hills is a fully gated community with resort-style amenities that include pools, spas, a club room, community parks, playgrounds, basketball courts, soccer fields, and volleyball courts. All of this is managed within the Villages of Irvine framework, which means the Irvine Company's standards for landscaping, maintenance, and common area upkeep apply throughout.
What sets the location apart is the elevation and the views. Most Irvine communities look out onto other neighborhoods or commercial corridors. Summit at Orchard Hills looks out over the Santa Ana Mountains, open hillsides, and the broader Irvine landscape from a perspective that is simply not available at lower elevations. The community sits near the intersection of the I-5 and the 241 Toll Road, giving residents relatively fast access to the coast, South County, and the employment centers of central Irvine.
The surrounding open space is part of the Irvine Ranch's protected lands, which means the hillside views to the east and north are permanent. There is no development planned behind or above the community. That kind of view protection is rare and meaningful to long-term value.
Delivery Timeline
The community is actively delivering homes and will continue to do so through 2027 and into 2028 as phases complete.
- Now: Move-in ready homes available in the Skyline collection by Toll Brothers.
- March 2027: Pinnacle home site 98 available ($6.15M, 4,608 sq ft).
- June 2027: Pinnacle home site 84 available ($6.581M, 4,646 sq ft).
- 2027: Shea Homes Crestview continuing to deliver across remaining lots.
- 2027–2028: Full community buildout expected as remaining phases complete.
Because this is a gated community with a finite 520-lot capacity and a single final phase, there is no follow-on development coming. Buyers who move in during active construction will see the community reach completion relatively quickly compared to a larger master-planned project that builds for a decade.
Who Is Buying Here
At these price points, the Summit at Orchard Hills buyer profile is specific. The community attracts high-net-worth buyers who want new construction, not a resale renovation project. Many are coming from within Irvine or other parts of Orange County and are moving up from homes in the $2M–$4M range. A meaningful portion are families prioritizing Irvine Unified School District, which consistently ranks among the best public school systems in California, combined with the lifestyle of a gated, amenity-rich hillside community.
The Shea Homes Crestview price point at $2.9M–$3M also draws buyers who want to be inside the Orchard Hills gates without reaching into the Toll Brothers price range. For that buyer, Crestview offers a way into this community at a size and price that is still very competitive with what is available elsewhere in Irvine at similar square footage.
Summit at Orchard Hills is one of many Irvine developments covered on the New Developments in Orange County page.
