It is rare enough that buyers in the Dublin area have an opportunity to opt for a new home on the edge of a golf course. That is one of the reasons why McPeake Auctioneers expect a strong demand for 34 large detached family homes going on the market today at Hollys town Golf Course, at Hollywood Rath, Dublin 15.
The development is about half way between the Navan road and the Ashbourne road. Within nine miles of the city, it is also less than three miles from Blanchardstown Shopping Centre. Hollystown Demesne has two different styles of detached homes which are expected to appeal mainly to families trading up.
The beautiful rural setting is likely to prove an important selling point.
Prices will range between £220,000 and £225,000 for four-bedroom detached homes and from £260,000 to £270,000 for particularly spacious dormer houses with a flexible layout to allow either three or four bedrooms. The houses are being built in a low density configuration - no more than five to the acre - along one side of the club which is about to open a new nine holes, in addition to the well-established 18-hole course.
The Hollystown club was developed by businessman Oliver Barry and is now one of the leading golf venues in north Dublin.
The housing element - there will eventually be 125 houses in the scheme - is being handled by Eugene Larkin, a leading player in the Dublin housing market.
Along with a former partner, Mr Peake was recently involved in the Belleville housing scheme at Ashtown, and The Mills in Castleknock.
The two show-houses completed by Mr Larkin's company, TwinLite Developments, are likely to impress viewers because of their spaciousness and high-quality finish.
The traditional four-bedroom detached home priced from £220,000 has 1,600 sq ft, including three reception rooms.
The inter-linking living room and dining room are both stylish and bright. The study/tv room on the opposite side of the hall will probably be the most used room in the house, especially on cold winter nights.
There is a particularly well laid out kitchen, which doubles as a breakfast room.
The show house has a terrific conservatory, an optional feature which will cost an extra £20,000.
The conservatory runs along the back of the house and has insulated decorative panels and central heating, which should make it as comfortable in the winter as in the summer.
There is a handy utility room off the kitchen and a guest lavatory hidden away in the hall.
Upstairs, there are three double bedrooms and one single bedroom, all of them bright and comfortable. The main bedroom at the front of the house comes with an en suite shower room and an outside window to keep it ventilated.
The second house type, a two-storey dormer, has the luxuriously roomy proportions of a country home with no less than 1,900 sq. ft in all.
It is an unashamedly modern house built on clean, contemporary lines which puts it in a different league to most other new homes.
The dormer is probably most suited to families who want to entertain on a fairly regular basis.
To facilitate this, there are two wonderful reception rooms on either side of the entrance hall.
There is also a separate dining room with double doors opening into a huge kitchen, which runs the full width of the house. Almost half the kitchen will be given over to a dining and living area, which will inevitably mean that most activity will revolve around this room.
The utility room off the kitchen is larger than usual.
Families who need a fourth bedroom will set aside the formal dining room for this purpose.
The main bedroom is the largest of the three bedrooms upstairs and with most houses facing the golf course, a balcony will come in useful to get an uninterrupted view over the fairways. There is also the en suite shower room.
The conservatory in the show house is an optional extra at a cost of £15,000.
