Hooke &MacDonald will be taking bookings at the launch this weekend of 14 large five-bedroom detached houses, showing for the first time in the pretty village of Johnstown, Co Kildare. These are the top of the range at Dwyer Nolan's St John's Grove development and are finished to an extremely high standard.

Prices compare favourably with big family houses in the city suburbs. There are seven 1,900 sq ft five-bedroom houses starting at £289,950 (368,160). A further seven huge 3,400 sq ft five-bedroom houses - on very generous plots and with no expense spared in the fit-out - are guaranteed to attract queues of admirers. These are priced from £430,000 (545,990).

St John's Grove is tucked behind the centre of Johnstown and has been designed to complement the quaint cottages on the main street. The village is just off the N7, a mile on the Dublin side of Naas and 18 miles from the city. The plans at St John's Grove provide for a tennis club, creche, medical centre and community offices.

The larger showhouse has been given a particularly sumptuous makeover, in keeping with what selling agent Des Donnelly describes as "the finest detached houses since the Cosgrave millionaire houses at Clonskeagh".

The seven 3,400 sq ft five-bed houses from £430,000 (545,990) are arranged around two tennis courts and a pavilion, which will be privately-run. They are on wide plots, with large gardens back and front. Frontages are redbrick.

Conservatories to one side are topped with Victorian-style finials. Attached to the kitchen end of the house is a double integral garage with a rear window, suitable for conversion to a games room or workshop.

With so much interior space to work with, entrances are large and include a separate room-sized outer lobby. Throughout, brass door handles and solid teak doors, skirtings and architraves create a luxurious feel.

The family room at the front of the house includes a stone fireplace and full-height windows with teak sills. A modern brushed-steel and stone fireplace is an attractive feature in the bright formal sittingroom.

Off this room, the 17 ft by 16 ft conservatory - spacious enough to accommodate a couple of sofas - has glass doors to a terrace.

Doors also open from the sittingroom to a diningroom with access to the garden. This, in turn, connects with a large breakfastroom-cum-kitchen area which has a five-sided bay window at the family dining end.

The cherrywood kitchen is a very smart but practical working area. There are granite worktops and an island unit fitted with basket drawers, wine racks and a glass cupboard. A huge utility room has enough floor space to leave the ironing board unfolded.

Upstairs, four of the five bedrooms are doubles and there is one single room fitted out as a study. Two bedrooms have en suites with double power showers and there is a walk-in dressingroom in one room. Wardrobes are of different designs, with cherrywood units in the main bedroom. The gardens attached to the larger houses are landscaped to the front and seeded to the rear, with cobblelocked driveways and automatic garage doors.

The 1,900 sq ft five-bedroom houses from £289,950 (368,160) are smaller, but still good-sized houses with plenty of extras. There is a family room, large sittingroom with a maple and cast-iron fireplace, separate diningroom and an extensive oak kitchen/breakfastroom. A neat utility room is off the kitchen. Gardens are landscaped.