A new development of four-bedroom semi-detached houses with uninterrupted sea views from some of the upper floors to Lambay Island, goes on the market this weekend at Rush, Co Dublin. Just two house types are for sale in the initial phase of the 78-house development. Detached houses will be built at a later date, according to selling agent Ross McParland.
Prices for the semi-detached houses will be from £128,950 to £136,950, depending on where they are located. Logancourt Properties have built the houses at Lambay View to a high specification and with attractive rustic brick exteriors.
The superb location is likely to provide one of the main selling points. Lambay View is off the road from Rush going towards Skerries. The site is close to a beach and is sheltered on its northern side by a small council-owned deciduous wood. Outside busy commuter times, the picturesque village of Rush is 30 minutes by car from O'Connell Street. The new Balbriggan bypass gets commuters to Drogheda in 20 minutes and with the M50 a short drive away, the industrial estates of west Dublin are easily accessible by road. However, with the commuter rail station three miles away at Lusk, local residents usually take the train to the city.
The houses are at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, with a gated entrance opening to a green open park facing the sea. Although all the houses on view this weekend are semi-detached and identical in size, purchasers will have a choice of two different floor plans and a variety of elevations.
House fronts vary between all brick and brick and pebble dash. They have full height timbered bay windows to the front with an overhanging tiled porch. The Weaver and Fisherman houses have the same interior layout. There is a wide entrance hallway with a guest cloakroom under the stairs. A good-sized sittingroom has a bay window and open fireplace. The big open-plan diningroom/kitchen would suit a family with small children. Glass doors lead from the diningroom to the rear garden. The Nolan-built kitchen units are of light oak with an unusual carved canopy above the hob. Floor tiles are not included but the Italian wall tiles are part of the specification.
Upstairs there is a wide landing with a solid pine banister and four bedrooms and a family bathroom off. The master bedroom is en suite with fitted wardrobes and a built-in bedside locker unit. A dressing-table will fit snugly in the bay window alcove. There is one other double bedroom and two single rooms at this level. The attic has good storage space.
The gardens are on the large side for a new development, with sturdy timber fencing and a wall to the rear. Front gardens are landscaped and will have copper beech dividing hedges. A communal railed garden for the benefit of residents at the entrance to the small development promises to be a popular rendezvous for families.
In the Reef design, the floor space is the same but the layout is altered. There is an entrance hall with guest cloakroom, sittingroom with bay window and a separate diningroom with glass doors to the garden. The oak kitchen in the Reef is smaller but still has room for a table. The master bedroom, although similar in size to the other two houses and with an en suite shower room, has the advantage of greater wardrobe space. As in all the houses, there is a second double bedroom and two goodsized singles. The main bathroom at the centre of the house enjoys natural light from a stylish atrium window.
At a price within range of those upgrading from a starter home, the opportunity to acquire a four bedroom house in a community such as Rush will be tempting. The village has a thriving arts centre in the old church, a dramatic society, GAA team and no less than three sailing clubs. There are sea glimpses down many of the laneways off the main street and the village has a picture postcard harbour with fishing boats and a stone pier.
A couple of tilled fields lie between the Lambay View development and the sea. Because of its market gardening industry, Rush has been protected from encroachment by Dublin's growing suburbs. Land ownership in the area is still chiefly in smallholdings, with glasshouses on every available patch of land. As a result, the development has been small in scale with in-fill schemes of eight or 10 houses the most common new housing pattern.
Although most of the enquiries to date about Lambay View have come from people living in Rush and Skerries, the busy commuter belt between Drogheda and Dublin is the probable catchment area, according to the selling agent. One query came from a couple working on the Naas road.
