Monkstown: €825,000 A terrace of five mews type houses have been built in the grounds of Monkstown Castle in Co Dublin.

The main house, glimpsed through the screen of trees at the back of the new terrace, is not in fact a castle as the name suggests but an imposing 18th century house of architectural importance designed by John Skipton Mulvany. His other projects in the area include Trafalger Terrace and the Royal St George Yacht Club.

Mindful of this heritage, the architects behind the new terrace, de Blacam & Meagher, have designed a set of attractive three- bedroom mews that bear a resemblance to period estate houses. One of these is now for sale through HOK for offers of around E825,000. As it is a new house, there will be no stamp duty for first time buyers and reduced stamp duty for investors or trader uppers.

You'd easily drive by the gated entrance to the castle which is on Monkstown Avenue and the new terrace shares this gate and driveway so the houses are in a quiet private setting, not visible from the road.

Inside there are three bedrooms upstairs, two doubles and a small single as well as an ensuite to the materbedroom and a family bathroom. Downstairs there is a large living room with two sets of French doors opening out to the back garden. The galley kitchen can be accessed from the living room or from the hall. It is smart and contemporary with white fitted cupboards, polished granite worktops and integrated appliances. Also downstairs is a guest wc. The bathrooms have been finished with granite worktops and mosaic tiling.

The most striking feature of the terrace is the use of natural materials which outside range from the Carlow limestone sills, base plinths and front door surrounds to the granite setts and reconstituted stone kerbing. Inside, the floor in the living room is solid oak as is the staircase and the sash windows are hardwood.

To the front of the houses is a gravelled communal parking area with two parking places each, and to the back each house has a small town garden which has been landscaped to provide a grassy, as well as a granite sun patio, area. The gardens are screened off from each other and the main house by a hardwood screen and laurel hedging.

This house will have obvious appeal for someone in the locality wanting to trade down to a very easily managed, new house with character. The private location on a mature site will also be a selling point. It's also likely to interest first time buyers drawn to what is still a rare enough feature in the new house market, a house that has been designed by a top architectural practice with the well-thought out, high specification build as well as the creative flair that inevitably brings.