Looking for . . . a home in the vibrant village of Castleknock

With its vibrant village, top schools and the 1,750-acre Phoenix Park on its doorstep, it’s easy to understand the appeal of Castleknock. Still ranking as one of the most expensive suburbs of Dublin, there are a range of options available to suit both first-time buyers and those trading up.

Loachfail, Out Farm Lane, Castleknock, Dublin 15

€1,150,000, Hunters, 380sq m (4,090sq ft)

Built by boxer Steve Collins in 1996, Loachfail is one of 17 luxury houses on exclusive Out Farm Lane. Accessed through a set of electric gates, the impressive redbrick features a cobblelock driveway and is flanked by good-sized lawns front and rear. At about 0.4 acres, the site is substantial but manageable.

A pleasant octagonal-shaped reception hall is at the heart of the ground floor and leads to the home’s four reception rooms and large open-plan kitchen. Like most of the ground floor rooms, the hall features high-quality maple flooring, recessed lighting and cornicing.

The kitchen has an abundance of units, an island that seats six and a large bay-windowed TV/lounge area, in addition to a utility room. The kitchen also opens out to a bright southwest-facing sunroom and interconnects with a formal dining room.

A large TV room has an array of attractive shelving, modern fireplace and ceiling-mounted television. In the double-height den a spiral staircase leads to a mezzanine room.

At first floor level there are five bedrooms and three bathrooms. The master bedroom leads out to a balcony and is particularly luxurious thanks to its sizeable en-suite bathroom, which was originally two separate bathrooms. There are two rooms in the attic, a cinema room and playroom, both of which give access to substantial under eaves storage space.

The house was last on the market in 2005 seeking €2.75 million, however a small corner of the rear garden has since been subsumed into an adjoining site. A neighbouring house, Cor na Mona, hit the market seeking €2.75 million in 2007 and sold for €1,050,000 in 2010 after several price reductions. Out Farm Lane is further from the village than some other houses in this price range, such as in Georgian Village or Deerpark, but Laochfail comes with double the space, is in walk-in condition and has far more land than its competitors. It represents good value in the current market.

43 Collegewood, Castleknock, Dublin 15

€475,000, Sherry FitzGerald, 139sq m (1,496sq ft)

Developed in a number of phases between 2003 and 2005 by Larry Keegan's Kimpton Vale, Collegewood is just a 10-minute stroll from the heart of Castleknock village, thanks to the pedestrian cut-through in neighbouring College Grove.

Spread across three levels, the home’s ground floor features a living room, a kitchen/diner and a WC. To the front of the house the living room has solid oak flooring and a marble fireplace. The tiled kitchen would easily accommodate a large dining table and opens out to a north-facing rear garden. On the first floor there are three bedrooms, all with built-in wardrobes and laminate flooring. The larger bedroom overlooks the rear garden and features an en-suite shower room, while a family bathroom is available to the two other bedrooms. On the top floor there is a large master bedroom suite, which has both an en-suite bathroom and dressing room. There is an additional room at this level, which could be used as a study or perhaps a second dressing room.

To the front there is a low-maintenance garden with off-street parking and to the rear an average-sized garden laid out mainly in lawn.

Costing around €575,000 when originally launched in 2004, prices sought for mid-terraced four-bedroom houses such as Number 43 rose to as high as €795,000 by 2008. No similar house has sold in the past five years, however a larger five-bedroomed house two doors up sold for €550,000 just over a year ago.

57 Millrace Road, Phoenix Park Racecourse, Castleknock

€275,000, Brock Delappe, 80sq m (859sq ft)

Set on a 113 acre site facing the Phoenix Park, the Flynn & O’Flaherty development was intended to house more than 2,300 homes before the property crash took hold, but only about 300 ended up being built on a portion of the site.

Number 57 is bright dual-aspect first-floor apartment, enjoying sunny southerly and westerly exposures. The living room cum kitchen is the home’s most appealing room thanks to its walls of glass and generous proportions, with ample room for sofas and a full dining table. There is access to two balconies, one southwest-facing and one north-west facing, which could accommodate outdoor seating.

The kitchen has attractive oak units with black granite worktops. Both double bedrooms are spacious and have built-in wardrobes. The master bedroom has an en-suite shower room, leaving the second bedroom with sole use of the main bathroom. With gas heating, designated parking, assigned visitor parking and spacious interiors, this is an apartment suited for long-term occupation. The annual service charge is €1,425.

The location has great transport links, being just minutes from the M50, a 10-minute walk from Ashtown train station and close to buses on Navan Road.

In 2005, two-bedroom apartments cost between €400,000 and €500,000 when sold by the developers. The most recent two-bed to have sold, in December 2015, achieved €276,000.

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