Dalkey houses from £310,000

THE new Termon development of 13 townhouses could hardly be more centrally located in the southside Dublin village of Dalkey. Just off the main street, behind the first of Dalkey's two castles (there were once seven), it blends in well thanks to a landscaping job, which has retained many of the site's old trees, and to the original granite walls running along the front and rear of the houses.

Already in demand with denizens of the hilly suburb moving down to smaller homes, there are eight two-bedroom and five three-bedroom houses. Prices reflect the location with selling agents GPK quoting between £310,000 and £330,000 for the two-bedroom units and between £385,000 and £425,000 for three-bedroom homes.

A lot of attention has been given to detail in and around Termon. The name comes from the Irish tearmonn, meaning land or gardens surrounding a castle or church. Features include landscaped rear gardens, drive-in parking spaces for two cars to the front, sunrooms to the rear and attractive hardwood throughout the houses - as in double-glazed teak windows and maple fitted kitchens. The builders, Mondale Developments, are also responsible for an earlier development of townhouses in Dalkey, and the architects are Fenton Simons. The gardens are the work of Sally Kelly, who specialises in landscapes which "complement the natural environment".

In the two-bedroom house, which has a floor area of 1,020 sq ft, the sitting/diningroom has double glass panelled doors leading on to the sunroom at the rear. A fireplace in the sitting area has a wood surround and slate insets.

The sunroom is a definite bonus in the houses. With a vaulted, wood-panelled ceiling, a Velux window, along with wide windows and glass doors to the garden, it's a haven.

The kitchen, which is quite small in the two bedroom homes, has units which are designed to fully integrate, such as a fridge freezer and washing machine. A window overlooks the rear garden and a cobblelock patio leads to the garden proper, where, in many cases, trees flourish and, in all instances, bush and plant life are coming along nicely.

The landing is good sized with space for storage or, as in the case of the showhouse, a work area and desk. The main bedroom has a small bay window, built-in wardrobes and presses and a compact, en suite shower and lavatory.The second bedroom is big enough to fit a double bed and also has built-in wardrobes. The family bathroom, with bath, shower fitting, wash-hand basin and lavatory, has nice mosaic tiling on the walls and ceramic tiled floors. There is a walk-in hotpress with hanging area.

The three-bedroom house is a larger version of the two bedroom unit. Measuring 1,350 sq ft, variations include a downstairs lavatory, two of the bedrooms come en suite, and there is an extra window in the sunroom.

All of the Termon houses have close circuit monitor and intercom linked to the remote control entry gate. Heating is gas-fired and the houses qualify for the £3,000 first-time buyer grant.