Dublin 3: from €300,000Bearing its developer's name, Crosbie's Yard is a confident-looking scheme near the IFSC which has been designed by a top architecture firm, writes Bernice Harrison
It's a brave - and rare move - for a developer to put his name on a building, but that's what Harry Crosbie has done in his large new apartment scheme in Dublin's East Wall.
Aside from anything else, it certainly suggests a certain degree of confidence and pride in the building. The well-known businessman has already been involved for a long time now in the rejuvenation of Dublin's docklands and this is his first run as sole developer of such a large scheme.
Crosbie's Yard has 200 apartments - 70 have already sold off the plans - and 50 are for sale from this Saturday with prospective buyers able to view showflats.
Prices start at €300,000 for the one-bedroom duplex apartments which have an average of 50sq m (540sq ft) of space; while the two-bedroom apartments of 63-80sq m (675-860sq ft) are from €370,000.
Crosbie commissioned one of the country's most prestigious architecture firms, Scott Tallon Walker, to design the development which is made up of four, six-storey sides built around a large, landscaped central courtyard.
One side of the square is a office building. Car-parking is underground.
There are some unusual features. The one-bedroom apartments are duplexes - with a deep mezzanine bedroom accessed via a spiral staircase.
The two-bedroom apartments run front-to-back which means that they have two balconies, one is outside the livingroom looking out in one direction, the other is on the other side, so both bedrooms have access to a balcony.
The apartments come with fully fitted-out kitchens, a plus for young, first-time buyers who only have to buy a couple of pieces of furniture. The bedrooms have fitted wardrobes and storage is good with a large cupboard in the hall and a good, deep hotpress with plenty of space for shelving.
The small kitchens, which are off the livingroom, are well finished with granite worktops, integrated appliances, stainless steel details and tiled floors. Oak internal doors make for an attractive finish and a good starting point for decoration.
The two-bedroom apartments have a good-sized double with and en suite and a large single - with room, at a squeeze, for a double bed.
The overall design means this should make for pleasant apartment living in that there are no long corridors, each core has access to only 11 apartments with two apartments on each level, so owners will find themselves sharing a small hallway with only one other apartment.
Windows are large and plentiful so they should be bright, particularly the two-bedroom units which get light from two directions.
A small negative is that they have ugly electric wall heaters which seem placed in inconvenient positions.
Crosbie's Yard has an entrance on Ossory Road off North Strand Road. Show apartments are on view this weekend and the sales agent is Hooke & MacDonald. The first apartments are due for completion in April.
Listeners to the Gerry Ryan Show on 2FM will become familiar with Crosbie's Yard for the next couple of weeks as the developer has given an apartment to the Irish Hospice Foundation to be auctioned off through the radio show.
It's a very special two-bedroom apartment, as designer John Rocha was brought in to completely redesign the space and he has done a stunning job. Key changes include making the kitchen and livingroom open-plan and replacing the standard kitchen with a sleek glossy cream version.
He redid the bathrooms - making the main bathroom a small sophisticated shower-room with extensive use of glass - while the en suite features a stunning stone bath and matching sink.
There is walnut flooring throughout; the standard internal doors have been replaced with oversized versions and the small second bedroom has been fitted out as a home office with a clever wall bed. There is good storage everywhere.
Viewing times for this particular apartment have not yet been arranged, but other show units at Crosbie's Yard are on view over the weekend.
