A small development of large executive type homes near Wicklow town goes on sale this weekend with five-bedroom houses priced between £795,000 and £875,000. Avonvale Hall, which is approximately a mile from Wicklow, and close to the N11 at the Beehive turnoff, will eventually have 14 houses on an elevated 12-acre site surrounded by countryside.
The first five houses are due to be completed by the end of October. A further nine slightly larger houses will come on stream in the next year.
Selling agent Kathleen Poynton of Dooley Poynton believes the enclave of houses will appeal to business people based in Dublin but not tied to their offices. They are priced to compare favourably with similar new homes in south Dublin, which are now selling for around £1 million.
Four houses in the first phase are priced at £795,000, £825,000, £850,000 and £875,000, depending on size and orientation. The fully-furnished showhouse is also available for sale at around £950,000.
These are large family homes with around 3,150 sq ft of living space and almost an acre of sloping gardens. The houses are set in the middle of their sites with very long fenced gardens front and back. Seeded lawns, landscaped borders and lighting along the driveway will be among the standard features, while further landscaping in the rear garden and patios can be commissioned at an additional cost.
Inside, these are big bright houses with a tremendous feeling of space throughout. High ceilings and well-proportioned rooms eliminate any sense of pokiness, while big windows in every room take advantage of the countryside views. The entrance hall is particularly spacious and leads to a wide inner hall with a pale tiled floor giving way to polished pine in the two main reception rooms.
One of these is a comfortable family room or diningroom, complete with fireplace. The other is a livingroom with tall picture windows looking out across gently rolling hills. The double height ceiling incorporates two Velux windows and a series of internal windows, set high in the wall, that allow light to flood into an upstairs landing.
Lights, heating and the lavish raw silk curtains in this stunning room are all controlled by a computerised system that can be activated at a distance. Other high-tech features include a centralised vacuuming system and wiring for computer and Internet access throughout the house. Also off the hall is a guest lavatory and a pretty box room set under the stairs. The kitchen/diningroom is the biggest room in the house and has an excellent range of cherrywood and painted units, topped in polished granite.
A sturdy island unit separates the working kitchen - with numerous fitted storage units, including two pull out larders - from the dining section, where there is space for a big kitchen table in front of a high arched window. Off the kitchen is a spacious utility room with built-in washing machine and dryer, and a second fridge. There is also a walk-in pantry fully shelved for dry goods and bottles.
A back door opening from the utility room leads out to a wide covered patio at the back of the house; this area can be filled in to make an additional room of around 400 sq ft, should prospective buyers need more space. Beyond this, the garden rises quite steeply and can be accessed by steps or by a sloping path cleverly designed for a sit-on mower to get to the lawn. The mower is being included in the sale.
Upstairs, the landing is particularly spacious and bright with its view out through the livingroom windows. There is plenty of space for a desk and a sofa for those who need an office but don't want to take up bedroom space.
The main bedroom and its en suite bathroom lead off to the right hand side, while a corridor leads off to the remaining four bedrooms. Three of these have en suite shower rooms and there is also a big family bathroom.
Full tiling in the bathroom and en suites, downlighters in every room and high spec door furniture will be standard to each house.
A separate garage has around 1,200 sq ft of additional space.
