Apartment buyers with an inclination for the high life have a good choice of viewing this week, with penthouses in three developments available. Hamilton Osborne King is handling sales at the schemes by Capel Developments.
The Riverpark scheme, at Islandbridge, beside the Phoenix Park, differs from the other two in size and style. However, buyers will find it difficult to choose between Linden and Dunstaffnage Hall, which are a stone's throw from each other in Blackrock and Stillorgan.
A strong selling point with penthouses is the extra light and space which comes from having multi-aspect windows and rooms with high ceilings. The cachet of owning a penthouse is also a big attraction. People who wouldn't consider an apartment on lower or middle floors will pay a premium price for a penthouse unit with private lift access and a rooftop sun deck.
Its not altogether surprising that barristers and TDs are among the list of early buyers who have put down deposits on penthouses at Riverpark, on Conyngham Road, Islandbridge. The Four Courts is only five minutes along the quays by car from here and TDs can be at a Dail sitting in 15 minutes. The three seven-storey buildings overlook the Phoenix Park on one side and the River Liffey on the other.
Favoured riverfront apartments also look out on a CIE goods yard, the upside of which is that no-one is likely to build another apartment scheme to obscure the view. The development slopes down to the river, so the penthouses are three floors up from the entrance lobby, accessed by a smart steel and oak-panelled lift.
There are four penthouses on offer, priced from £195,000 for the smallest 565 sq ft one-bed unit. Top of the range is a three-bedroom duplex penthouse of 1,600 sq ft priced at £385,000. A typical two-bedroom penthouse has a fair-sized sittingroom, compact kitchen with maple units and granite worktops and two bedrooms, one en suite.
The largest duplex is on two levels, with a large en suite bathroom off the main bedroom upstairs. Windows taking up most of one wall look out on a rooftop balcony with views over the city. One car-parking space is included in the price of all penthouses.
Linden is a stylish development of 12 four-storey apartment blocks off Grove Avenue, Blackrock. The landscaping is an attractive feature, with extensive formal gardens and fountains creating a peaceful away-from-it-all atmosphere. There are six penthouses for sale here, from three-bedroom units of 1,500 sq ft costing from £435,000 to a spectacular 2,000 sq ft duplex for £1,000,050.
There are entrance doors on two levels and the glass blocks used throughout keep the place bright. The sittingroom has a study off, there are dual wash-basins in the main bedroom en suite and the family bathroom has a Jacuzzi bath. A special lift key is used to access this penthouse.
The more modest three-bedroom penthouses at Linden also have special features, such as a mezzanine bedroom off the sittingroom and high sloped ceilings. The Linden development is not due to be completed for another 10 months. The scheme, now 75 per cent occupied, has acquired a lived-in look.
Over at Dunstaffnage Hall, local residents trading down from larger houses have been well represented among the purchasers so far. This small scheme of 67 apartments and 10 houses is off Glenalbyn Road, close to the shopping centre, cinema and numerous restaurants and pubs. The apartments are in one curved block overlooking mature deciduous trees and the vegetable garden of Dunstaffnage House.
Apart from 10 houses well on the way to completion off the entrance driveway, the entire scheme will be ready by Christmas. Ten three and four-bedroom penthouses are for sale at prices starting from £420,000 for mid-block units. These are good-sized, with stone fireplaces and narrow decked balconies.
Junckers oak floors in the living areas are also standard in the penthouses. A typical three-bedroom duplex unit costing from £460,000 has double doors to a cherrywood kitchen.
There are three bedrooms, one of which is presented as a study in the show-apartment. Upstairs off the main bedroom, the black and cream-tiled en suite has a Jacuzzi bath. These range in price from £685,000 up to £1 million.
The £1 million penthouse at Dunstaffnage Hall has 2,250 sq ft of floor space. Stairs lead from the front door to a windowed area with room for an easy chair. A huge loft-style living space houses the open-plan sitting/ diningroom and kitchen with views over Dublin Bay. A wraparound balcony is accessed from three sides. Two bedrooms are on this floor and the main bedroom is upstairs. All are en suite.
A second end penthouse for £795,000 has a smaller floor area, compensated for by a large, curved sun deck facing south. The furnished show apartment , a three-bedroom mid-block unit with a south-west aspect, is for sale for £460,000.
