Goatstown: from €600,000Sorohan has gained a reputation for a high standard of workmanship and the use of top-of-the-range fixtures and fittings. Kate McMorrow visits its Trimbleston scheme in Goatstown while Bernice Harrison looks at The Beeches, a small enclave of 14 houses in Holywell, Dublin 14
Stroll onto a Sorohan site anytime and you're likely to see Mel, Joe or Frank Sorohan putting the finishing touches to their latest new homes project. It's one of the reasons why their brand name is a major selling point, in the same way that Crampton houses have become synonymous with quality build.
This high standard of workmanship has carried through to Trimbleston, a Sorohan development of houses and apartments off Goatstown Road in Dublin 14.
Mark Dunne of Hooke & MacDonald will be taking bookings for apartments and houses on the Goatstown site from noon today and show units will be open for viewing. Prices start at €600,000 for two-bedroom apartments of 74sq m (800sq ft). Three-bedroom apartments from €780,000 provide 92-106sq m (995-1,150sq ft) of living space.
Three-bed duplexes of 112sq m (1,190sq ft) cost from €930,000. Three-storey three-bedroom houses with lawned and decked back gardens cost from €1.3 million for 143sq m (1,540sq ft) of space. Three-bed penthouses of 186sq m (2,000sq ft) with glorious interiors and wrap-around terraces cost from €2.5 million.
The standard of finish is superb by any standard at Trimbleston, down to mature birch and weeping ash which have been carefully preserved and imaginative water features by landscape architect Gordon Leadbetter.
Many early buyers have moved in and the development is taking on a settled look. Owner-occupiers predominate given the price level and neighbours are becoming acquainted. Families and down-sizers in the area are strongly represented.
Exteriors at Trimbleston are part gold brick and cream render, matched by cobblelock paths and clear bitumen tarmac on road surfaces. Standard spec throughout includes Rationel pine windows, white oak panelled internal doors, tall ceilings with spotlighting and polished wood floors. Electrical sockets are either brushed steel or brass.
Brushed steel canopies overhang the entrance to apartment blocks and foyers have roof-high atriums. Worth a mention is the marquetry lobby floor, incorporating box, walnut and beech in a chequered pattern.
Designer Karen McCourt's show-unit interiors are understated and glamorous. A typical three-bedroom apartment has a bright sitting/diningroom with marble fireplace fitted with a gas fire. Kitchen units with granite worktops include a full range of integrated Neff appliances.
Bedroom one is large enough for an armchair and king-size bed. Its en suite has a marble floor, wall tiles and granite vanity shelf.
Luxury touches, such as a television embedded into the wardrobe door and a desk which folds out from the dressing unit, are indicative of the thought that has gone into the second fit.
Penthouses are among the best seen this year so far. Huge airy living/diningrooms are divided either by a pillar with bowl fireplaces on both sides or folding walnut doors which open right back to create a good entertaining space. Surround sound is a standard feature. Kitchens have dappled marble worktops to match the floor and have every possible gadget, including an integrated coffee-maker.
One penthouse has a study off the livingroom, lined with shelves and cupboards. A large terrace wraps around from the study to the bedrooms.
Bedrooms are full of surprises, from a plasma screen that slides up from a wardrobe recess to a mirror that opens up from a walnut jewellery drawer.
Some main bedrooms have their own secluded terrace and marble-lined en suite shower or full bathroom. A second bedroom comes with an en suite shower and there is a third double room.
The three-storey houses have a good level of finish, with wide-plank pine floors throughout the ground floor, limestone fireplaces and granite-topped kitchens with Kuppernbusch appliances. Doors open from kitchen/breakfast rooms to a decked terrace and a back garden. Two of the bedrooms are en suite. Bathrooms and en suites come with porcelain tiles and granite vanity shelves.
The apartments and houses in this phase are mostly south-facing and look out onto mature trees which shade a water feature and flower beds. One underground car-parking space comes with each apartment and two with the penthouses.
