A small block of twelve two-bedroom apartments is being launched this weekend at Abbeyvale, Botanic Avenue, Glasnevin, through selling agent Hooke & MacDonald. Ten 700 to 815 sq ft units are priced from £200,000 to £220,000. The two penthouse apartments, which measure 1,050 sq ft, will cost £300,000. All twelve are exempt from stamp duty and qualify for the £3,000 first time buyers grant. This Sorohan-built development has an impressively high standard of finish, with a rustic brick exterior. The varied roof pitches and A-shaped penthouse windows have been designed by architects McCrossan & O'Rourke to blend unobtrusively with the surrounding period terraces. The Tolka River flows to the rear of the development and some apartments look out on the trees in a small park.
The Abbeyvale apartments should attract considerable attention, given the scarcity of this type of accommodation in the Glasnevin/Drumcondra area. Agent Hooke & MacDonald are expecting the main interest to come from retired people in the area looking for secure and easily-managed accommodation and from professionals attracted by convenience to the city and airport. There is a television intercom installed in each apartment. Smaller apartment schemes such as this have an intimate feel and there is evidence of great attention to detail. Foyer and stairs are decorated stylishly, with embossed wallpaper and good quality deep blue carpets. Door handles and brass fittings are sturdily-made, the fireplaces have coal- effect fires and tiling in bathrooms and kitchens is standard.
The timber double-glazed windows are wide, and unusual window shapes in some apartments are a design feature of this scheme. Central heating is gasfired. All 10 apartments vary in size and design. Each has an entrance hall with a storage cupboard. There are three timber windows in the sittingroom, some of which overlook the park and others have river views. Upstairs apartments have a cast-iron balcony and there are French doors to the ground floor apartments. There is a fitted kitchen with room for a breakfast table and a generous-sized bathroom with gold-plated taps, curved sanitary ware and Italian-style ceramic floor tiles. The two bedrooms have fitted wardrobes and deep window sills. The main bedroom has a complete wall of cupboards. The two penthouses are airy and light with views over the tree tops and the river. Angled ceilings and triangular windows create an appealing loft effect - no need for curtaining as these apartments are not overlooked. There is an entrance hallway and double doors to the sittingroom. This room has two Ashaped timber windows overlooking the river. The kitchen/ diningroom is very large, with a range of oak-type units and a built-in dresser. A utility room off it is plumbed for a washing machine. A wide roof balcony is accessed from the kitchen through French doors.
There are two double bedrooms, both with fitted wardrobes and the main room has an en suite with a skylight window. The main bathroom is fully tiled, with good quality sanitary ware and goldplated taps. The grounds are cobblelocked, with a railed side pathway along the banks of the river and heathers and evergreens already planted. Two storage sheds will house dustbins and bicycles.
The amenities of Botanic Avenue should be a considerable draw. The famous Botanic Gardens are at the end of the road and Griffith Park is 100 yards from the apartments. Residents will be able to walk or cycle to the city centre and the recently re-opened Drumcondra rail station is five minutes walk. With both Dublin City University and Trinity College within easy reach, property in Glasnevin and Drumcondra has good letting potential and is popular with both investors and owneroccupiers alike.
