New homes: High-spec houses and apartments in Goatstown raise the bar

The Grove, off Goatstown Road in Dublin 14, originally had permission for high-density apartments for a consortium of builders on the site of Our Lady's Grove School.

This was later scaled back when the economy collapsed, and the order of nuns that owned the land applied for permission for 40 units and placed the site on the market. It was then purchased by Durkan Estates, an English-based Irish company.

This is Danny Durkan's second development in Ireland, with Beech Park in Leixlip well under way.

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The Grove was designed by O'Mahony Pike Architects, interiors were by Rhona Roe of Hedgeroe Design and the project was overseen by Danny Durkan's brother, Liam.

"Quality and light were the brief for the build, and craftsmen in Ireland were taken to the UK to inspect Durkan Estates' work, as Danny wants Durkan Estates to be synonymous with quality in Ireland," says Liam Durkan.

High calibre

The result is a remarkably high-calibre build, with bespoke interiors. Ceiling heights soar to 10ft (3m) in the downstairs rooms, which include a vast kitchen/living/ diningroom that overlooks the rear garden through an entire wall of glass, and a smaller drawingroom to the front.

Interiors are modern and elegant, with plantation shutters, limed-oak engineered flooring, and high-end Nolan kitchens.

Painted in a mix of gunmetal and silver greys, these come with Silestone worktops, AEG appliances and integrated wine caves.

Gardens are tiered and laid out with optional synthetic grass framed by neat box hedging, and Chinese wisteria will provide swathes of purple each May.

Bedrooms, of which there are four in the houses and two in the apartments, are spacious, with robust amounts of storage and high-end bathrooms.

The energy rating of A2 will appeal to many buyers, as will the high-spec mechanical heat recovery system, which reduces heat loss and provides constant dust- and pollutant-free air.

Four-bedroom townhouses (166sq m) in the developmentare are going on the market from €745,000; four-bedroom duplexes (140sq m) are €675,000; and two-bedroom apartments (94sq m), which have the bonus of a garden, have an asking price of €470,000 through estate agent Sherry FitzGerald.

If the standard of work at The Grove is anything to go by, the bar has been raised again for quality homes in Ireland.