Glamour by the DART in Portmarnock

Co Dublin/from €410,000: Fourteen two-bedroom penthouses are being sold from plans today in 300-unit development. Kate McMorrow reports

No less than 14 two-bedroom penthouses go on sale today at Seabrook Manor, an elegant apartment scheme beside the DART station in Portmarnock, Co Dublin.

Joint agents O'Farrell Cleere and Hooke & McDonald will be taking bookings at show units, on view for the first time today.

Prices start at €410,000 for these very glamorous penthouses, which are large and have the airs and graces expected of a penthouse. Sizes range from 104 sq m (1,120 sq ft) to 121 sq m (1,359 sq ft).

The location is first class, across the road from the rail station and minutes from Portmarnock golf links.

Viewers will be impressed by the attention to detail from developer Barina Construction: the homes have granite worktops, cherry-lined wardrobes, appliances and broad decked terraces already planted up.

Designed by Fenton Simons, the five cream-painted blocks have a slightly Parisian look, with their mansard roofs and formal planting.

These are spacious units and there is a strong sense of being in a house rather than an apartment. Hallways are wider than usual and the accommodation is full of light.

A typical penthouse opens off the hallway to a good-sized sittingroom with a stone and marble fireplace which comes fitted with a gas flame-effect fire.

This room and the main bedroom both access a large decked balcony, furnished with filled planters.

The sittingroom links with a combined kitchen/diningroom, which has a good range of white oak units with granite tops.

A full range of integrated appliances is standard. Floor and walls are tiled.

Both bedrooms are double in size and each has an en suite shower room, fully tiled in white.

The main bathroom is extensively fitted with fashionable stone-coloured tiling. Wardrobes are in cherry, with ivory-painted doors. Parking, underground and above-ground, is free of charge.

With most of the 300 units sold and construction almost completed, the landscaping at Seabrook Manor is beginning to flourish. The amount of open space is excellent, with a large oval-shaped central area and peripheral trees.

Most penthouses have south-facing terraces with good views.

Previous developments by Barina Construction include Furry Park Court in Howth, Santa Sabina Manor in Sutton, Larch Hill, Santry and Hamilton Hall in Dunboyne.

Annual management charges for the penthouses have not yet been decided.

Buyers can expect to gain possession from November 2004 to the end of the year, according to the selling agents. Viewing is from today until Sunday.