With a new launch of apartments and duplexes coming on stream at Woodbrook in Shankill in Dublin this April, there are still new homes available in this development by Castlethorn. The apartments starting at €500,000 are eligible for the Help to Buy scheme, while the houses for sale are priced above the threshold for the scheme but will still be of interest to buyers seeking family homes. Three- and four-beds are currently being brought to market by Sherry FitzGerald New Homes, priced from €575,000-€700,000.
Location and accessibility are the key selling points of this development; it lies between the M11 and Woodbrook Golf Club and is close to the sea, sitting just north of Bray. A new Dart station, that will be located close to the entrance of the development, near to where the new apartments and duplexes will be situated, is due to open in 2025.
The developers are intent on creating a community, not just a housing estate, and to this end, a creche, a new primary school and retail units are also planned. With 207 units built to date, the houses for sale are a mix of three- and four-beds, with names referring to local sites such as the Conna, the Glen and the Crinken.
Houses currently available include: a three-bed midterrace Cricken unit for €575,000 (96sq m/1,033sq ft); one three-bed midterrace Conna unit (108sq m/1,162 sq ft) for €590,000; two three-bed semidetached Ferndale units (107sq m/1,151 sq ft) for €600,000; and three Glen four-beds (151sq m/1,625 sq ft) for €700,000 – the four-beds are midterrace and end-of-terrace units laid out over three floors.
Designed by O’Mahony Pike architects, the houses, which have an A2 Ber rating, have a focus on space, with double-glazed windows by Munster Joinery and an efficient air-to-water heating system. All kitchens have appliances included, subject to contract, and all double bedrooms have built-in wardrobes by Mountlodge Furniture. Bathrooms and en suites are fitted out with Roca sanitary ware, wall and floor tiles and heated towel rails, and all houses have a utility room and guest toilet.
The Crinken has a white rendered exterior, a kitchen/diningroom to the front of the ground floor and the living area to the back, overlooking the garden. Upstairs there are three bedrooms, one of which is en suite, and a family bathroom.
The Conna has a traditional brick exterior, tall windows, a livingroom and kitchen/diningroom on the ground floor, and three bedrooms on the first. The kitchens are lovely, with painted Shaker-style units and Carrara quartz countertops.
The Ferndale has a different design; the house is long rather than deep, with the livingroom on one side of the hall and the kitchen/diningroom on the other. The orientation allows for dual-aspect windows in the kitchen/diningroom, a bonus in terms of light.
The Glen is laid out over three floors, with a large area allowing for two livingrooms, one on the ground floor and the second on the first floor, a win-win for families with teenagers or young adults. Two of the four bedrooms have en suites, allowing for a choice of location for the principal bedroom on the first or second floor.
Weekends and downtime will be easily and quickly filled living in Woodbrook; it is at the foot of the Dublin Mountains with its numerous and extensive tracks and trails. The Sugarloaf is calling to be climbed, with the option for picnics at Powerscourt waterfall and there are amenities, shops, schools and clubs in nearby Bray.
