Proof that new house buyers have never had it so luxurious has arrived in the shape of a Castleknock scheme with an impressive list of items included in the price tag. Wiring for multi-room entertainment is one of the more unusual items.
Prices start at £590,000 (749,1500) for 12 detached five-bedroom houses for sale at Park Manor, off Carpenterstown Road in Dublin 15.
With lower stamp duty and values tempered by the uncertain market, the 2,500 sq ft-plus houses compare favourably in price with second-hand properties for sale in the area.
Kildare-based builder Nyanstone has modelled Manor Park's specification on Cosgrave's "millionaire" houses at Clonskeagh, says Hooke & MacDonald's David Cantwell. Bookings will be taken by this agency at the on-site showhouse from today.
Wiring for sound and vision extends to the garden. Mark McNamee of Dublin Hi-Fi has been contracted to install a cabling system allowing owners to control CD, video, radio, DVD and satellite television in any room.
Cables are housed in a specially-designed cupboard under the stairwell and speakers are designed to be mounted flush to the ceilings. The system will be fully operational on viewing days.
Also included are a full range of Neff, Liebherr and Ariston equipment, underfloor heating, a whirlpool bath, timber and limestone flooring and an insulated garden house. Internal doors are solid oak and each bedroom has individually- designed fitted wardrobes.
There are seven 2,100 sq ft detached houses for sale and five additional houses with a converted attic, measuring 2,500 sq ft. Sales will be completed between November and April next.
The houses have sturdy red brick frontages, tiled roofs and canopy porches. Interiors are finished to the highest specification, with solid oak doors, ceiling coving and custom-designed kitchens. Wood floors in the hallway and tiles in kitchen and utility areas are standard.
The layout of the 2,100 sq ft houses - priced from £590,000 (749,150) and ready within six to eight weeks - is traditional but eminently practical. The sittingroom and diningroom are connected by oak and glass double doors, with a Georgian-style marble fireplace an elegant focal point in the sittingroom.
Doors open from both the diningroom and kitchen/breakfastroom to a good-sized back garden. A smaller family room is at the front to the left. At the end of the hall is the kitchen and fully-furnished utility room, which has a guest toilet off.
The oak kitchen-cum-breakfast-room is fitted with a full range of steel electrical equipment, including a Neff oven microwave and dishwasher, Ariston hob and washer-dryer and an American-style Liebherr stainless steel fridge-freezer. An oak dresser matches the kitchen cupboards.
Four double bedrooms upstairs each have fitted wardrobes, all top quality units. In the main bedroom, there is a full walk-in wardrobe in cherrywood, with glass -panelled drawers.
The en suite shower room, like the main bathroom and a separate shower room off the landing, comes with marble floor and wall tiling and a marble-topped vanity unit. Accessories such as mirrors and heated towel rails are included.
Larger 2,500 sq ft houses from £630,000 (799,930) have a similar ground floor layout.
Upstairs, the extra shower room has been replaced by stairs to a bright top floor suite with a variety of possibilities. The large games room/guest bedroom includes a shower room and store room. The five larger houses will be ready to move into next April.
Gardens will be fully landscaped and planted and tall mature boundary trees at the back give a good amount of privacy.
An insulated garden house is also provided. All the houses face a green area, already planted with deciduous trees and flower borders.
As the Corporation will be maintaining the cul-de-sac, there are no management charges.
