One of the most interesting new developments being launched this week is a just-completed scheme of seven townhouses and 18 apartments at Lanesville, Monkstown, Co Dublin.
Unobtrusively worked into the fabric of a quiet road off Monkstown Avenue, the Laurel Bank development is notable for its lack of uniformity and for the fact that no two units are exactly the same.
Built by Willow Park Construction on the site and lands of Laurel Bank House, the units are a mixture of two and three-storey townhouses, one and two-bedroom apartments and three-bedroom duplexes on either two or three storeys. Prices range from £165,000 (€209,506) for the one-bedroom apartment with a floor area of 480 sq ft to £250,000 (€317,434) for the three-bedroom duplex or townhouse, both of which have 1,100 sq ft. They will be on sale from Saturday through agent Ross McParland.
Playing fields to the rear of Laurel Bank and landscaped, tarmacadamed parking to the front give the development a self-contained quality while a pleasant, corner courtyard containing three townhouses gives it architectural interest.
Notable features of the development, designed by Paul O'Toole Architects, are the individual gardens which come with all the ground-floor apartments and townhouses and the south-west facing terraces which are part of the duplex apartments. Windows in all units are of hardwood, all bedrooms have built-in wardrobes, there is a stainless steel oven, hob and extractor fan in each kitchen, timber surround fireplaces in livingrooms and gas-fired central heating. The development has 37 car-parking spaces - one for each unit plus a surplus dozen and four visitor parking spaces.
In the three-bedroom, three-storey townhouses the kitchen is to the left of the entrance hallway. The units are beech with brushed steel handles and windows look out over the communal parking/courtyard. The livingroom is to the rear and the timber surround fireplace has a slate inset. Wood-framed, double glass doors lead to the garden and patio area.
Upstairs there are two bedrooms and a partly tiled bathroom. The main, en suite bedroom is reached via a narrow, attractively winding stairs on the second floor. The window here overlooks the front courtyard and gives distant views of the bay to Howth. The en suite has a double shower, wash hand basin and toilet.
Like the apartments and duplexes, the three-bedroom, two-storey duplex has a south facing balcony and terrace area. The kitchen is to the front and has a balcony just large enough to hold a small herb garden. There is a guest toilet on the ground floor and, on the second floor, three bedrooms (the main en suite) with sloping ceilings and a good-sized family bathroom with window, toilet, wash hand basin and bath.
In the three-bedroom, three-storey duplex two of the top-floor bedrooms have views over the bay while the best views are from the en suite bathroom in the third. The corner courtyard has three two-bedroom townhouses which, at 820 sq ft, are slightly larger than those in the main block. They have en suite main bedrooms with balconies.
Ross McParland will be showing Laurel Bank on Saturday and Sunday between 3.00 p.m. and 4.30 p.m.
