Dublin's latest development for millionaires goes on show today in Malahide, Co Dublin, where 12 large five and six-bedroom houses are to be sold from plans at prices ranging from £1.7 million to £2 million. The largest and most expensive scheme of its kind in Dublin, Abington, off Swords Road, will eventually have 50 houses on a 43-acre wooded site that was once a farm on the outskirts of Malahide village. Already, 23 sites have been sold to individuals who plan to build their own houses in consultation with the developers, Parkway Properties.
Parkway will build the remaining 27 houses to four designs ranging in size from 4,264 sq ft to 6,215 sq ft. The first phase goes on sale today through Gunne Residential, where Declan Cassidy is handling sales.
The high prices reflect a growing market for particularly large family homes in readymade communities of wealthy people. Last year, 16 houses were sold for around £1 million each at Carrickmines Wood, Dublin's first enclave of new houses aimed at millionaires, while earlier this year at Ardilea Wood in Clonskeagh, five new houses sold for between £1 million and £1.6 million. Abington is a larger and more ambitious scheme modelled on exclusive housing developments in the south of England, where the developers went for inspiration.
The English architects, Melville Dunbar Associates, made a thorough tour of Dublin's suburbs before coming up with a scheme of Georgian and Victorian-style houses, set in big gardens behind walls topped with wrought-iron railings, and connected by wide, curving roads leading from an entrance marked by a fountain.
Each house will have half an acre of walled and landscaped garden. Electronically controlled entrance gates will lead to large parking bays and garaging. The houses will be faced in sand-coloured brick with Portland stone door and window surrounds. They will have slate roofs, solid timber doors throughout and elegant cantilever staircases.
The showhouse is already built and a larger house is taking shape nearby. The entire scheme is due to be complete by the end of 2002 with the first residents expected to move in later this year.
On view by appointment only, the showhouse is a two-storey over garden-level Victorian-style house with two large conservatories extending out at hall level and supported by wrought-iron pillars. Inside, it has been finished and furnished in a style that is both luxurious and tasteful - a combination not often seen in Dublin developments - by London interior designers TMH Designs. It is a very bright house - reception rooms at hall and garden level have tall windows on three sides while the kitchen opens into a superb conservatory dining area. Fittings throughout the showhouse are standard, such as timber, slate and tiled flooring, under-floor heating, recessed lighting and integrated kitchen and utility room appliances.
The hall-level kitchen is a terrific room with SieMatic units, polished granite worktops, and top of the range Miele integrated appliances that include an eye-level espresso machine.
Bathrooms and shower rooms throughout have attractive marble and ceramic tiling and Villeroy & Boch sanitary ware.
The most impressive feature, however, is the amount of space on offer, even though the showhouse is the smallest of the house designs.
At hall level, it has a superb livingroom leading to a conservatory, a separate diningroom, kitchen, guest cloakroom and large utility room.
The ground floor has his and her studies, a large room fitted as a gym but ideal as a staff bedroom, and a very good family living room with French doors to the garden.
The top floor has four sizeable bedrooms, all with high-spec en suites. The main bedroom also has a fully-fitted dressingroom. The upper landing is lit by an attractive circular skylight, another feature borrowed from Victorian times. Buyers will be able to save on stamp duty. A house costing £1.7 million will be liable for stamp duty of £29,000, compared with £153,000 payable on a second-hand house with the same price tag.
