Go large in Oak Grove
Kildare scheme serves up a taste of country life with sizeable four-beds
Oak Grove, Derrinturn, Co Kildare ASKING PRICE: €245,000-€265,000 AGENT: Sherry FitzGerald Reilly (045) 868412
IN RESPONSE to the fuel shortage caused by the outbreak of World War II, the Turf Development Board — the predecessor to Bord na Mona — placed ads in local newspapers across the country for workers to come to Kildare to harvest the bogs. The men who answered the call in the 40s and 50s were housed in military-style camps, including one in the small village of Derrinturn.
These days, housing for newcomers to the village are a world away from the harsh conditions of camp life endured by the bog workers.
At Oak Grove, a new development in the heart of Derrinturn, most of the prospective buyers are seeking to relocate from west Dublin, according to the selling agent.
In their quest for a taste of rural life 60km away from the capital, they can have a large four-bed semi-detached or detached home with an A2 BER, while still having the option to commute.
Of the 16 properties launched at Oak Grove, eight are still for sale. Built by Town & Country Developments Ltd, the scheme features a range of house types named after trees, and most have attics ripe for conversion into a fifth bedroom. All but two of the 16 houses throughout the estate are 1,345 sq ft in size.
The largest home styles, the Sycamore and the Chestnut, were the first to go, but there are units available from the Beech — a semi-detached style costing from €245,000 — and from the Oak, a detached version priced from €265,000.
Included in the price are fitted kitchens and wardrobes, oak internal doors, a painted staircase with an oak handrail and a wood-burning stove in the living room’s feature fireplace. Buyers will have a choice of two interior paint colours.
Both the Beech and the Oak essentially have the same internal layout, with a separate living room to the front and an open-plan kitchen/diner to the rear with double-doors opening on to an Indian sandstone patio and a back garden.
There is also a utility room, a guest lavatory and underfloor heating on this level. Upstairs are four bedrooms, one of which is ensuite, and a family bathroom.
The exteriors at Oak Grove are half red-brick, half cream render with hardwood double-glazed windows and a cobble-lock driveway to the front. The homes were designed to have an A2 BER and come with energy-saving features such as an air-to-water heat pump heating system and PV panels to generate electricity.
Would-be residents with an interest in sport can avail of the Highfield and Edenderry golf clubs or the local soccer, rugby and GAA clubs. Commuters from Oak Grove can access the M4 motorway from the interchange at Enfield, 13km away, or use the Tullamore to Dublin bus route.
Allenwood Enterprise Park is to the east and the market town of Edenderry is 8km away.
Viewings of a detached showhouse at Oak Grove will be held tomorrow and Sunday, between 12pm-2pm.