Location will be the strong selling point for a new development of three and four-bedroom houses which go on the market tomorrow in Celbridge. All 34 houses in the first phase of the Oldtown Mill scheme, off a newly completed relief road on the edge of the town, are well advanced. Three-bedroom semis with 1,100 sq. ft are priced from £144,950 while four-bedroom semis with 1,300 sq. ft will be available from £159,950, according to selling agent Billy O'Sullivan and Associates.
Bookings will also be taken for two four-bedroom detached homes with 1,450 sq ft, one of them at £175,950 and the other, with a large garden, at £179,950.
New housing developments like this have a broad appeal among young families because they are within walking distance of schools, shops and other facilities.
The Celbridge formula has already proved highly successful for Sean Dunne's company, Mountbrook Homes, which is launching the Oldtown Mill scheme just as it is putting the finishing touches to the last of the 450 houses in the adjoining St Raphael's Manor. That development is but a baby in housing terms - only about three years old - yet it has mellowed already. The high standard of landscaping, the attractive lamp standards and the harmonised appearance of the scheme will prove a good advertisement for Mountbrook's latest project, which will eventually have 134 houses.
The 34 units going for sale will be mainly three and four-bedroom semis grouped in small cul-de-sacs - a world removed from the boring rows of houses that were once the hallmark of most estates.
The attention to detail in the Oldtown Mill houses is quite impressive. Two show-houses, tastefully furnished and decorated, will open tomorrow from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The emphasis in both is on style and roominess.
Designed by architects McCrossan O'Rourke, the houses have an impressive range of standard features, including en suite facilities with the main bedrooms, gas central heating, downstairs lavatories and broad bay windows to ensure that living-rooms get maximum light. The bay windows are repeated in one of the double bedrooms upstairs. The three-bedroom semis have double doors between the living-room and dining-room, as well as sliding doors out on to a patio. The rear garden is larger and more private than usual with high wooden fencing at the side and seven-foot high walls at the rear. House hunters will undoubtedly be impressed by the kitchen's attractive floor and wall units, slanting pine ceiling and spotlights, a large window to keep the place bright, and plenty of room for a dining area. Two of the bedrooms are doubles and the third is a single. All come with wardrobes.
For those needing even more space, there are the four-bed semis with a broader layout, an open and warm character and lots of light throughout. The entrance hall is larger than in the other house type while the living-room to the front is also more spacious. There are double doors leading into the dining-room at the rear which overlooks a good-sized garden. The combined kitchen/breakfast-room has a good selection of wall and floor units and a handy utility room. A similar space in the hall is used for a guest toilet.
Upstairs, there are two doubles and two singles opening off a fine landing. The main bedroom has an en suite shower room and a wall of full-length wardrobes and drawers.
