Three large detached homes at Huntsbury, a new development in Kilquade, Co Wicklow, go on sale this weekend priced at £750,000 each. Five houses are being built in an attractive setting just minutes from the N11 motorway, close to the National Garden Exhibition Centre and with views towards the Sugar Loaf.
Two have already been sold and of the remaining three houses, one is built and furnished, another is nearing completion and a third is under construction. Sales are being handled by Hassett & Fitzsimons.
The four-bedroom houses are being built to identical plans, at least on the outside. They are large dormer-style houses with around 3,000 sq ft of living space which includes a huge, airy conservatory to the back of the houses and a double garage that can be converted to extra accommodation. Builder Eamonn Holmes is offering buyers flexibility with the interior layout in the two houses that are currently being built. Owners will be able to dictate the size of rooms, the layout of the kitchen and even the distribution of the bathrooms.
The current design should appeal to couples with a young family, with the central axis of the house being the large kitchen-cumdiningroom that opens into the conservatory. The conservatory also connects to a formal diningroom that can be accessed from the hall, and new owners might consider knocking the kitchen through to this smaller room. At one end of the house is the livingroom - a large airy room with windows on three sides, handsome oak flooring and a marble fireplace - and at the other is the main bedroom with its spacious en suite dressingroom and bathroom.
There are three further bedrooms upstairs, all of which will appeal to children because of their sloping dormer ceilings and nooks and crannies. Two of these bedrooms have en suite shower rooms, while the third is next to a full bathroom.
The ground floor also has a guest lavatory and a small room that could work as a study, but could also be just a box room, a rare luxury in a modern house.
All of the downstairs rooms lead off a long L-shaped corridor and right at the end of it is the door to the garage. One owner is converting this large space to a gym, but it would also be ideal as a games room or workshop.
The doors deserve a special mention. They are beautifully made in solid red oak with modern wavy chrome handles. These, along with much of the decorative detail in the houses, are optional and buyers can choose more conservative door furniture if they please.
As one might expect of houses in this price category, there are generous fit-out allowances, such as a £15,000 sum to fit out the kitchen and a further £15,000 to spend on landscaping the one acre plot.
Kilquade is within easy commuting distance from the city, about 30 minutes from Donnybrook in off-peak hours, and a short drive to Ashford, Co Wicklow. The nearest village is Kilcoole. Greystones is also close and Druids Glen golf course is about a mile away.
