Branch out of life in the city
The Willows, Dunshaughlin, Co Meath ASKING PRICE: €323,000-€365,000 AGENT: Hooke & MacDonald (01) 631 8402 and Dillon Auctioneers (01) 8259154
WITH tight supply in Dublin compelling house-hunters to camp out all week to be first in line for a home at today’s launch of a new phase of the Beechwood development in Hansfield, it’s no surprise that other prospective house purchasers are joining the boom era-style exodus from the capital to the commuter belt.
Dunshauglin, a 20-minute drive away from Hansfield, across the Co Meath border, continues to draw first-time buyers and young families. The village is just 34km from the capital, but offers a semi-rural lifestyle with GAA clubs, two primary schools, and the second level Dunshaughlin Community College. The village also appeals to would-be buyers working for nearby employers such as Intel, IBM, Dublin Airport, and Connolly Hospital, and the Blanchardstown Centre.
The scheme of 200 three and four-bed semi-detached homes was launched in September.
A second phase of 40 homes, including new house types, is being released at The Willows this weekend. Prices for the current tranche start at €323,000 for a 1,248 sq ft three-bed, with the 1,463 sq ft four-beds costing from
€365,000. The three-bed semis in this phase are called the Killeen, after nearby 800-yearold Killeen Castle, while the four-bed versions are known as the Tara, after the Hill of Tara.
The houses were designed by McCrossan O’Rourke Manning with growing families in mind: each three-bed has the potential for a future attic conversion and there are plans afoot for an on-site playground.
The homes have traditional brick facades and reconstituted sandstone to the sills and surrounds of the large, white-framed UPVC double-glazed bay windows. There is a slate canopy over the grey hardwood front door and a feature wall light to the entrance. Each house comes with a paved driveway out front with enough parking for two cars, while out back, the garden has timber fencing with a matching side-gate.
At the four-bed Tara style, sliding doors connect the front living room to a kitchen/ diner that comes with a kitchen island and a family lounge area near the glazed patio doors. A separate utility room and guest WC complete the downstairs accommodation. Upstairs, the master ensuite fronts on to the first-floor bay window, and there are three further bedrooms and a family bathroom.
The fitted kitchen from BeSpace is in a contemporary style, with integrated LED lighting and soft-close drawer units. BeSpace also supplied the wardrobes. There are recessed LED downlighters and heated towel rails to all the bathrooms; the ensuites have slimline shower trays, glazed shower enclosures and tiling to the wet areas.
The A3-rated homes are heated via a gas condensing boiler, while PV panels on the roof generate electricity from solar energy.
The M3 motorway has significantly reduced travel times into Dublin city centre.
Would-be residents can also commute by rail in less than half an hour from the
M3 Parkway, the largest park-and-ride facility in the country, which is 9km from Dunshaughlin. The showhouses are on view today, from 12pm to 3pm. Viewings continue tomorrow and Sunday, between
2.30pm and 4pm.