Bray three-bed semis from £180,000

Houses in Fern brook, a development of 13 houses on Old Connaught Avenue, in Bray, Co Wicklow, go on sale today. The site will be familiar to locals as the houses have been built on lands once occupied by the old St Patrick's Presbytery.

Old Connaught Avenue is an attractive, tree-lined road on the Dublin side of Bray. Small developments of new houses are relatively uncommon, which will undoubtedly make Fernbrook appealing to house-hunters. These houses are laid out in a traditional cul-de-sac shape. There are nine three-bedroom houses and each has 1,000 sq. ft. All are semi-detached and will sell from £180,000. The internal layout is slightly unconventional in that the eat-in kitchen is to the front. This has been fitted with maple units and laid out so that the table can be positioned by the window. The good sized living-room runs the width of the back of the house and features an attractive fireplace as well as double doors opening out to the back garden. Also downstairs is a guest lavatory, which is to the front of the house, as well as a roomy cupboard under the stairs.

Upstairs, there are two double bedrooms and one single and all have built-in wardrobes. The main bedroom has an en suite shower room and the family bathroom is well laid out. The four-bedroom semi detached houses have 1,400 sq. ft and will sell from £200,000. The only detached four-bed is £225,000.

All four-bed houses have an integral garage and this has been plastered and wired so that it could, subject to planning permission, be converted into an extra room. However, as few new houses now feature garages, this could turn out to be a keen selling point. In this style of house, the eat-in kitchen is larger, as is the living-room. This room is accessed via double wooden doors from the hallway, which is a nice feature.

Upstairs, the four bedrooms are laid out as two doubles and two singles and again the main bedroom has an en suite shower room.

The development will be landscaped and it will feature a large green space fronting on to Old Connaught Avenue. Fernbrook was built by Dowling Homes, whose previous developments include Minnowbrook in Terenure, and Edenbrook Manor, in Rathfarnham.

The selling agents are Jackson-Stops McCabe, which expect the houses to have strong appeal for first-time buyers and for locals moving from much larger houses.