Goatstown: from €550,000 Over 220 houses and apartments in a landmark development being launched today have already been built. Property Editor Orna Mulcahy reports
Sorohan Brothers' long awaited scheme of apartments and houses on Goatstown Road in Dublin 14 goes on sale today with prices starting at €550,000 for two-bedroom units. Three-bedroom apartments and duplexes start at €750,000, rising to €800,000.
Trimbleston, the eight-acre development which has extensive communal grounds, has a mix of house types with no less than six show units open from today.
Three-storey, three-bedroom houses priced from €950,000 are among the most interesting homes for sale while a handful of superb three-bed penthouses are priced from €1.8 million to €2 million.
The Sorohans are veterans of the housebuilding industry who built their first houses in Raheny in 1966, winning their first "House of the Year" award 30 years ago. They picked up a similar award in 2003 for their last scheme, Rockford Manor in Blackrock.
They have an impeccable reputation for high quality homes, and while other developers will sell the bulk of their schemes off plans, the Sorohans like buyers to see what they are getting for their money, down to the last brass door handle and chrome-plated light switch.
They have been working on Trimbleston, which was once farmland, for over three years, with a dedicated team of workers who have been with the company for many years.
Over 220 apartments and houses have already been built. The grounds have been expertly landscaped, the corridors swept, the windows cleaned, and the show apartments finished to an immaculate degree. Still, they would like another couple of weeks, says Joe Sorohan, "to get it just right". The development is being sold by Hooke & MacDonald; Ken MacDonald and Mark Dunne are handling sales.
Trimbleston will appeal very strongly to residents of the neighbourhood, a mature area where many residents, who moved into new homes in the 1960s and 1970s, are now looking to trade down in the area. The development is also likely to be targeted by wealthy investors seeking a Dublin home for college-going children.
Affluent young couples will also be drawn to the larger-than-average three-bedroom houses with their well thought out layouts, and neat back gardens. The communal grounds include large areas of lawn bordered by densely planted shrubberies while cobblelock walkways connect the different blocks and courtyards.
In all there are 150 apartments and 70 houses and prospective buyers will be able to view actual units as well as the showhomes. The standard features are impressive - they include pale timber floors throughout, solid American oak internal doors and a wide variety of kitchen types with granite or marble work surfaces and integrated appliances by Neff.
The lighting and electrical spec is generous and each apartment will have video intercom. The apartments have good ceiling heights and fireplaces and each has a good amount of sensible storage space - still all too rare in apartment schemes elsewhere.
Designed by architects MacCrossan O'Rourke Manning, the yellow brick scheme is entered through a wide pillared gateway with access eased by traffic lights at the entrance.
The apartments are spread over seven buildings and the houses and duplexes arranged around two large courtyards while some of the own-door two-bedroom apartments are located on quiet, landscaped and well-lit avenues.
A later phase of the development will have four and five-bedroom detached houses although these are unlikely to come on the market until next year.
Sizewise, the units are larger than average, which will enhance their appeal to owner occupiers. Two-bedroom units average 74sq m (800sq ft) while three-bedroom apartments and penthouses range in size from 95-178sq m (1,030-1,900sq ft). The three-bedroom duplexes average 112sq m (1,200sq ft) while the three-bedroom houses are mainly sized from 148sq m (1,600sq ft).
All the apartments have sizeable balconies, with brushed steel rails and plenty of space for a table and chairs.
While the size and layouts are impressive, it's the small details that will impress viewers. The entrance lobbies of the apartment blocks have handsome woodblocked floors with an intricate circular motif, doors are outlined with curved architraves, many of the apartment main bedrooms have televisions built into the wardrobe doors and in a money-no-object approach, the duplex apartments are approached by wide flights of carved granite steps.
Those looking for a really knockout home should visit number 19 - a wonderful corner penthouse with a sleek marble and stainless steel fitted kitchen, vast livingroom and a main bedroom with its own suntrap terrace.
