A small and very elegant new development right in the heart of Rathgar is being launched today with prices starting at £140,000 for one-bedroom apartments. The location is ideal for anyone wanting to live in Dublin 6, adjoining Christ Church at the village end of Rathgar Road. A total of 19 one and two-bedroom apartments and three-bedroom penthouses are for sale in two redeveloped Georgian houses, and these will be ready for occupation by September. The mellow brick facade of the original houses has been carefully retained and restored to its original condition. An extension has been added to the side, with access to the rear through an archway. Old brick has been used to blend the extension unobtrusively into the existing houses.

Builders Brendan Kelly and Tom Egan of Fermont Developments have completed a similar scheme in Rathmines and also Millfarm, a housing development at Dunboyne, Co Meath.

The selling agent for Grenville is Hooke & McDonald, which says that no deposits have been taken prior to today's launch, although there has been considerable interest locally in the scheme.

The apartments are in two linked blocks. There are five one-bedroom apartments, 13 units with two bedrooms and one three-bedroom penthouse with views over the church, Rathgar Road and the gardens to the back. The main building is two-storey over garden level, with a full brick exterior and granite steps leading to the front door.

The two original Georgian doors have been restored, and retain their side columns. The doors will be painted a fashionable black gloss, and will have brass fittings. New granite window sills add to the period look of Grenville, as do the newly built stone walls surrounding the scheme. All the apartments, regardless of size, have very tall ceilings with decorative cornicing and ceiling roses which give an appearance of spaciousness to even the smallest units. Windows to the front are of timber sash, while those to the rear of the two blocks are low-maintenance PVC. The interiors have been finished with high quality fittings, including full wall tiling and floor tiles as standard. All the bedrooms have fitted wardrobes.

The one-bedroom apartments of 430 to 550 sq ft cost from £140,000 to £160,000, depending on their position in the development. These have a small entrance hall, sittingroom, one double bedroom with en suite shower, a fully-tiled bathroom and a sittingroom with the kitchen off. The kitchen is furnished with maple Shaker-style units and granite-look worktops. The floor tiles in the kitchen are mosaic.

The two-bedroom apartments of 700 to 800 sq ft are priced from £198,000 to £279,000. They have a similar layout to the one-bedroom units, but with an additional bedroom. Bathrooms have burgundy and cream bathroom tiles as standard, and kitchens are Shaker-style wood with steel handles. There are two apartments to each inner lobby, and none of the long corridors found in standard apartment blocks.

One of the attractions of the development is its location: this is the first such development to come on the market in Rathgar in the past eleven years. This should ensure the investment potential of these apartments, although according to the agent, most will be snapped up by owner-occupiers. The 1,240 sq ft three-bedroom penthouse has sloping ceilings and wall alcoves created by the mansard roof. The price is £350,000 for this one-off apartment, which has a very large livingroom over the archway to the rear. The proportions of this room are good, and there is plenty of space for an office area and a dining table. The kitchen, which is off the livingroom, is spacious, with a breakfast area by the window looking out on the trees to the rear. Wardrobes in the bedrooms are built into alcoves and the main room is en suite. The builders will work with the purchaser to adapt this penthouse to individual requirements, says the agent.

Outside, the grounds will be landscaped, with lawned areas and shrubs to the front, and paved to accommodate some visiting cars. Main carparking will be to the rear of the two blocks and there will be one parking space provided free for each apartment. Nice old copper beeches and sycamores bordering the site to the rear have been retained, and these give a mature look to the landscaping.