Lucan: Two and three-bedroom apartments in blocks the same size as the houses in the Laraghcon, development go on sale today priced from €255,000. Rose Doyle reports

Laraghcon, Lucan, Co Dublin, a development of three, four and five-bedroom houses and a small number of apartments, is enviably close to the Strawberry Beds, a stone's throw from the Liffey and just minutes walk from the old village of Lucan.

Shannon Homes began building began there in June 2002 and when completed, the development will have a total of 266 houses and 16 apartments. Agent Hooke MacDonald is releasing the apartments for sale today, and a number of houses are still available. The architects are McCrossan O'Rourke Manning.

About 40 acres of the site is given over to open parkland and a notable feature of the development is the fact that the apartments, which are in two blocks, are the same height as the houses, so that there are no high rise buildings either overlooking or dominating them.

Twelve of the apartments are two-bedrooms and come in two sizes, 72.9 and 81.2 sq m (785 sq ft and 875 sq ft). Many have balconies and prices range from €255,000 to €280,000, depending on size. There are also four three-bed units available with floor areas 143.9 sq m (1,550 sq ft) which are priced from €345,000.

A typical, ground floor apartment has an entrance hallway from which five doors open into various rooms. The livingroom, with a fitted kitchen at one end, has a deep, bay-style window and gas-fired fireplace.

The main bedroom has a bank of wardrobes along one wall, deep windows and an en suite with shower, toilet and wash- hand basin.

The second bedroom has built-in in wardrobes and two windows to the front. In the tiled, family bathroom there's a bath with shower.

The houses are spacious and reassuringly classical, most of them either semis or detached, with redbrick facades on good- sized sites with front and rear gardens. Heating is gas fired

There are 14 house types in all and prices range from €350,000 for three-bed terraced houses with 116.12 sq m (1,250 sq ft); from €385,000 for a four-bed end-of-terrace with 130 sq m (1,400 sq ft) and from €500,000 for a five-bed semi with 171.8 sq m (1,850 sq ft). There is also a choice of a four-bed detached home of 176.5sqm (1,900 sq ft) from €570,000 and a five-bedroom detached 232.2 sq m (2,500 sq ft) from €650,000.

The larger detached and semi-detached four and five-bedroom houses surround inner courtyard areas, most of which are given over to three-bedroom townhouses.

In one style of four-bed, double doors lead from the livingroom to the diningroom; another pair of doors leads from here into an attractive rear sunroom.

The sunroom has Velux windows and a pair of rear windows and a patio door opening into a wraparound garden.

The well-fitted kitchen has a centre island and utility room off it.

Under the stairs there's a guest toilet. A den or study to the right of the entrance hallway has windows to the side and front.

The four bedrooms, one of which is en suite, are off the good-sized first floor landing along with a family bathroom and hot press.

One of the bedrooms has a quirky, porthole window.

A five-bedroom house similar in style to the four-bed, has a sun- room to the rear and the same sweep of light through the house. The first floor landing is larger and has a stairs leading to the fifth, attic-style bedroom.

This takes up the entire third floor and has a walk-in wardrobe, Velux and dormer windows and tiled en suite with shower.

Prices for the five-bed start at €650,000.

The entire development is expected to be completed by the end of next year or very early in 2005.

Showhouses open today and tomorrow from 12 noon to 2 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 2.30 to 4.30 p.m.