It can be interesting to stand in a show house and just listen. Serious potential buyers tend to whisper to each other as if they might be in competition with others examining the same room, while those being simply nosy tend to comment loudly on whatever meets their gaze.
At Littlebrook, by Lowick Homes at Delgany in north Co Wicklow there was an awful lot of whispering when the first tranche of 27, of a total of 99 homes, were launched on a sunny Saturday afternoon in September. Most of the stylish couples who inspected the three- and four-bedroom show houses did so quickly enough, before moving to the agents’ desks where site layout maps were filling up with red dots.
In the first two hours of opening some 14 of the 27 homes being released in the first phase were snapped up. Ivan Gaine, managing director of Sherry FitzGerald New Homes, was clearly pleased, particularly in the light of recent hikes in interest rates, but said he was always confident about the Littlebrook scheme.
According to those who came, the factors involved were the sylvan location, the facilities north Wicklow has to offer families — and the price. One couple told The Irish Times they were hoping to move out from Cabinteely “for a better house for the money”. Another couple said they were thinking of moving out from Castleknock as they had a three-bedroom house already and wanted a bigger home with a fourth bedroom. They were much taken by the brightness of the four-bed show house, drawing special attention to the four large windows in the sittingroom and the size of the main bedroom suite.
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House types at Littlebrook include the Primrose, a three-bed, mid- and end-terrace house extending to 120 sq m (1,292 sq ft) and ranging in price from €540,000 to €550,000. The Sorrell is a three-bed semidetached house extending to 120 sq m (1,292 sqft) and ranging in price from €565,000 to €575,000. Next up is the The Hawthorn, a three-bed detached home extending to 115 sq m (1,238 sq ft) and priced from €600,000.
The Bramble is a four-bedroom semidetached house extending to 135 sq m (1, 453 sq ft) and priced from €640,000. The Charlock is a four-bed detached house extending to 132 sq m (1,421 sq ft) and priced from €710,000 to €725,000. The showhouses at Littlebrook are open for viewing this coming Saturday from 12pm to 2pm.
Designed by Eoin J Carroll Architects, a Wicklow-based firm, the architecture of Littlebrook was inspired by its countryside surroundings, with a country cottage feel including heritage-style elevations of buff- and redbrick facades, and windows and doors with granite surrounds.
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Mature trees surround the site and there are good views of surrounding hills at Coolegad and Bellevue. With an A energy rating, all the homes at Littlebrook offer air-to-water heat pump systems for heating and hot water.
Contemporary kitchens all feature composite quartz worktops with essential kitchen appliances included. Fitted wardrobes are also supplied in all bedrooms. Bathrooms and en suites are tiled or part wall tiled and fitted with Sonas sanitary ware.
Littlebrook is located 1km from Delgany village and less than 3km from Greystones with its Dart station and range of fine eateries, shops and schools. Delgany village, which lies between Greystones and the N11/M11 corridor, offers an array of amenities such as the Firehouse Bakery and cafe and the newly reopened Wicklow Arms Bar & Restaurant.
