Co Dublin/€4.25m, €3m: Two newly-built houses in Glenageary come with lower stamp duty rates, reports Property Editor Orna Mulcahy
When the owner of a large period house on the Upper Glenageary Road in Co Dublin decided to refurbish, he hardly guessed that it would take seven years and involve demolishing the entire building and replacing it with four new homes.
The original house, Tinoran, near the Glenagery roundabout and close to Rathdown girls school, stood below the road on a wooded site with a stream running through its garden and an ancient well marked by a cross.
The well has inspired the name of the big new house that is central to the site. Called Monk's Well, it's a five-bedroom home surrounded by landscaped grounds and it carries an AMV of €4.25 million prior to auction through Sherry FitzGerald.
One of the three new houses at the back of the site is also to be sold with the owner keeping another as his new home, and the third as an investment. Called Pampas, it's a six-bedroom house and it carries an AMV of €3 million. Both properties will be auctioned on November 8th.
As these are newly built houses, the stamp duty is calculated on the site value. At the AMV price, the stamp duty on Monk's Well would be €135,000 (a second-hand property of the same price would incur duty of €382,000) while the stamp duty on Pampas would be €99,000 versus €270,000 for a second-hand home.
The entire scheme is designed by Paul Brazil Architects and his signature style is evident throughout. High vaulted ceilings, polished hardwood floors, and sleekly-fitted bathrooms decorated in a calm, rather masculine style will all appeal to buyers who want to move straight in with the minimum of fuss. The standard of finish is impressive and this too is a Brazil hallmark.
Monk's Well is a three-storey house of around 325sq m (3,500sq ft). One enters into the middle level, where a large square hallway leads through double doors to a bright drawingroom that opens onto a very large patio overlooking the rest of the grounds.
The kitchen is on the ground floor and it's a vast space with custom designed units, stone worktops, integrated appliances including a fridge you can almost walk into and a black double Aga cooker. Beyond the kitchen is a large livingroom with tall windows on two sides and French doors opening onto a deck that wraps around the house.
There's a modern day glory hole under the stairs - this one come complete with built-in wine racks.
Upstairs, the main bedroom suite is off the first landing, and has the feel of a self-contained apartment. There's a large bedroom, a sitting room, dressingroom and a fabulous bathroom with a huge round window fitted with opaque glass. There are four further bedrooms, three on the top floor and another at hall level with its own entrance that's ideal for an au pair.
The grounds, landscaped by John Durston of Landscape Designs, include both native and exotic planting, and there is a good screen of pleached hornbeam between Monk's Well and the houses behind.
Pampas is the central house of the row of three three-storey homes built in the former orchard.
It faces the long driveway leading up to the road and so it has a pleasant open outlook. It's a double fronted house with around 292sq (3,150sq ft) of living space, and a large patio. On the ground floor the kitchen is a stunning double height room with plenty of space for a dining area. There is also a sizeable drawingroom and a second fine reception room. There are bedrooms on the two upper floors including two very large attic style rooms. There is hardwood flooring throughout.
