Naas scheme brings homes for first-time buyers into a different league

Showhouses at Oak Glade, on the edge of Naas town are open to the public today. It is one of the most distinctive new housing schemes to come on the market this year in the greater Dublin area. At a time when there is so much repetitiveness in the design of new housing schemes Oak Glade comes as a welcome relief.

The builder, Ballymore, has long established a name for original design and a high standard of finish. It has built a number of notable schemes including Merrion Park in Blackrock, Woodlands in Greystones, and Cyber Plains in Leixlip. In recent years it has concentrated mainly on the London apartment market where it has completed developments at St John's in Westminster and Dundee Wharf in the London docklands.

Ballymore is now set to become one of the main players in the Dublin housing market after assembling an extensive land bank in prime locations.

Oak Glade has a good mixture of house types ranging from three-bed semis up to large five-bedroom detached homes, which should appeal to families trading up. Estate agent Colm McEvoy will also be taking bookings for 18 two-bedroom apartments being built on an adjoining site at prices from £150,000.

There will be 59 houses in this phase of Oak Glade, 17 of them three-bed semis with 1,220 sq ft which will cost from £170,000. A further 31 are four-bed semis with 1,290 sq ft priced from £180,000. There will also be a choice of two types of detached homes: four-beds with 1,850 sq ft which will cost from £315,000 and five-bedroom homes with 2,275 sq ft priced from £375,000.

Most of the houses are likely to be bought by families commuting to work in Dublin. The homes are located in a rural setting just off the motorway on the Blessington Road, near Craddockstown Golf Club.

Gerry Whelan of Ballymore says the Oak Glade houses are easily the best the company has brought to the market.

Designed by Niall D Brennan and Associates architects, they are also the most innovative in terms of design, finish and comfort. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the five-bedroom detached showhouse. A large, welcoming hall leads to a lounge with a limestone fireplace with a slate inset and hearth. Double doors open into a huge open-plan room which combines dining room, kitchen and breakfast area. It is an exercise in spacious luxury - lots of cream-painted wall and floor units finished by Country Kitchens and double doors leading out to a conservatory, which is an optional extra. The utility room off the kitchen has a side entrance.

While most activity will obviously centre on this multi-purpose living area, there is also a good sized study/tv room at the front of the house. Upstairs, the extra floor space adds greatly to the comfort. The main bedroom suite has an en suite shower room, as well as a walk-in dressingroom. The guest bedroom also comes with an en suite. Four of the five bedrooms are doubles and the remaining one is a single.

The four-bedroom detached showhouse has a broadly similar layout. Though the kitchen area is slightly smaller, it has an open-plan area with three distinct functions - a walnut kitchen in black with polished granite worktop and matching black floor tiles that are sure to create a "wow" reaction, a comfortable dining space and a separate breakfast area. There is also the conservatory - again an optional extra.

For those with considerably less to spend there is the choice of three-bed and four-bed semis with a price difference of £10,000 between them. Both have broad bow windows in the livingroom and in the overhead bedroom, giving them extra light and space - one reason why they are considerably larger than most new semis going for sale.

There is a combined living room/diningroom in both house types with fireplaces piped for mains gas. Kitchens are crisp and bright and have lots of space for a breakfast area. There is also a handy utility room in the four-bed type. Upstairs, the layout of the bedrooms differ considerably. The main bedrooms in both cases greatly benefit from the bow window at the front.

However, the main bedroom in the three-bed type is clearly more appealing because it extends the full width of the house and will definitely be a strong selling point. Don't be surprised if other builders try to copy this three-bedroom house style, which is in a different league to most starter homes.