Cabinteely houses starting at £300,000

The new housing development on the site of the former St Gabriel's Hospital, Cabinteely, Dublin 18, comes on the market today at prices from £300,000 to £400,000 for four-bedroom houses and from £500,000 to £700,000 for five-bedroom detached homes. Apartments range in price from £200,000 for two-beds up to £700,000 for penthouses.

Hooke and MacDonald is handling sales of the 60 large four and five-bedroom houses and 60 apartments and penthouses in St Gabriel's, one of the most expensive schemes in south Dublin this year. Fifteen of the houses were pre-sold and are already occupied. The entire scheme is due to be completed by next spring. Shannon Homes acquired the site three years ago, and architects McCrossan O'Rourke consulted with local residents on the preservation of Marlfield House, a large period building which is to be converted into 15 apartments. Twenty-five houses, from 1,340 to 2,500 sq ft, and one block of 20 apartments are being released for sale today. The two-storey houses are set in two cul-de-sacs curved around Marlfield, with three blocks of apartments on the eastern end of the site.

St Gabriel's is located off Johnstown Road, 400 metres from Cabinteely village and the N11 dual-carriageway.

Front exteriors are all brick, with tall windows framed in contrasting stonework and verandah-style porches. The larger three-storey houses have a very attractive main bedroom spanning the width of the house under the eaves.

Interiors are finished to an exceptionally high standard. There is extensive use of solid wood and bevelled glass, fittings are sturdy and lightswitches in the larger houses are brass. Wardrobe space is generous, bathrooms are a decent size and the kitchen areas are sensibly planned. The smallest 1,340 sq ft four-bedroom semi costs from £300,000 to £315,000. This has a bay-windowed sitting

room and double doors to the diningroom. French windows open from here to the garden. There is an average-sized kitchen with a utility room and a sun/breakfastroom at the garden end. Two of the bedrooms upstairs are double, two are single and the main one is en suite. The 1,800 sq ft three-storey four/five-bedroom house is priced from £390,000 to £410,000. The layout is flexible, allowing one of the bedrooms to be used as an extra sittingroom if required.

The main bedroom on the second floor has an attractive deep triangular window, a large en suite shower room and a dressingroom.

Downstairs accommodation includes a standard conservatory off the kitchen which also opens to the diningroom.

Top of the range at St Gabriel's is a 2,200 to 2,500 sq ft five-bedroom detached house on three levels, at prices ranging from £500,000 to £700,000. The hall and reception rooms are spacious; the sittingroom has doors to the diningroom, which leads through to a conservatory overlooking the back garden. On the other side of the hallway, there is a study and a guest lavatory. The kitchen/breakfastroom is imposing, with a plentiful supply of cherrywood units and a large utility room. The breakfastroom curves round to an integral conservatory which also opens from the dining room.

There are four very large bedrooms, all doubles, with one en suite, a single room/ study and a huge main bedroom with en suite shower and a shelved walk-in wardrobe. Gardens are town-sized, divided by decorative fencing and all fronts will be landscaped and planted.

The three apartment blocks are designed with dormer roof windows and placed to ensure they don't overshadow the houses. Entrance doors and woodwork are solid ash with an atrium window adding light to the stairs and hallways. There are six apartments on each floor, served by a lift and stairs.

Two-bedroom 900 sq ft apartments are priced from £200,000 to £240,000. These have a wide hallway. The sittingroom is also large, with a beech classical-style fireplace and a balcony with room for a few deck chairs. The kitchen, off the sittingroom, has a range of beech units. Both bedrooms are "apartment size" doubles and come with ample fitted wardrobes. The main one is en suite. Bathrooms have floor and wall tiling.

The three-bedroom 1,100 sq ft unit, priced between £245,000 and £280,000, is larger than many three-bedroom houses. The sittingroom fits three sofas with ease and has a dining alcove by one of the windows and a good balcony. The three bedrooms all have fitted wardrobes and the main bedroom is en suite. There are six 2,500 sq ft penthouse apartments costing from £500,000 to £700,000. These are in a striking gothic style, with large A-line dormer windows designed to give maximum light. The living space is clean-lined and spacious, with plenty of ash wood and window seating. There is a huge sittingroom, equally large kitchen/breakfastroom with cherry units and granite worktops and a marble-tiled floor.

The main bedroom also has a balcony off it and white panelled wardrobes with a full en suite bathroom. The two other bedrooms are doubles, also with wardrobes and one of these has an en suite shower. The grounds of St Gabriel's have been carefully preserved. Stands of tall copper beech and oak screen the buildings from the road and the surrounding parkland is an ideal childrens' play area.