Silken Park lures first-time buyers with high-end mod cons

Silken Park is a new homes development that is aimed at first-time buyers, but offers many of the modern luxuries you would expect at the mid- to upper level of the new homes market.

Much has been written about passive house living and how, if you could afford to buy into its very low energy consumption systems, either solar and heat-recovery ventilation, it would help reduce bills, increase general wellbeing through its filtered air systems and keep more money in your pocket.

But up to now these mod cons were only offered at the middle to upper end of the market, with builders Cosgrave Group in particular leading the way.

The Durkan Residential has taken all that knowledge and is now passing it on to first-time buyers.

House prices at the A-rated development Silken Park start at €250,000 for the smallest unit – a two-bedroom plus study. When finished, this phase will comprise 59 homes. Agents JLL are launching 33 homes today.

The houses are heated using a Heat Recovery System with the vents in each room providing warm air to regulate the temperature to a constant 21 degreesThis radiatorless heating system frees up valuable wall space, which, in turn, makes the rooms feel bigger than they actually are and leaves more freedom to play with the living room and bedroom configurations.

Kitchens are by Kitchen Elegance, and come with Zanussi, A-rated appliances and marble-effect laminate countertops. In some of the units the heat pump and heat recovery systems are located in a press in the kitchen, and will emit a low hum. In some of the other houses they are hidden behind sliding doors in the downstairs wc.

Outdoor space

The decision was made to put them indoors rather than in the garden in order to free up outdoor space, says Barry Durkan, director at Durkan Residential, and the company’s passive house expert. With dual-tariff meters so you can run your appliances more efficiently at night, Durkan expects utility bills to average €70-€90 per month per home.

The show homes have been fitted out by Ventura Design with wardrobes by Bedroom Elegance.  Instead of a hot press, each house has a small but tall drying room complete with vent to remove the damp air – a useful addition to any home. It means the cluttered clothes horse that is a feature of most real homes can be kept out of everyday sight.

Because of the high levels of insulation used in the build, the rooms all have deep windowsills – an attractive feature that can double as shelf space.

Silken Park, is about a kilometre from City West and Cheeverstown stops on the red Luas line – a commute time to the city centre of under 45 minutes. This is a new phase of an established carefully landscaped development situated within the City West campus .

In this launch there are 17 two-bed-plus-study houses 84sq m (904sq ft) in size. Prices for these start from €250,000 and will suit young families, as at just over six metres square the study is one metre below the minimum size of a single bedroom under the new building regulations. It’s perfect for use as a nursery or as a home office.  In fact its size will compare favourably with the box room in many of the small, terraced, period houses in D7 and D8.

There are 13 three-bedroom houses, either semi-detached or end-of-terrace. The rooms have dual aspects, which makes them light-filled. Measuring 112 sq m / 1206 sq ft they cost from €294,950.

The homes have triple-glazing and every house comes pre-wired for an electric vehicle charge point and two parking spaces out front. Completion dates are set for April and May of this year.