Spacious newbuilds in the city and suburbs

Two infill houses in top southside neighbourhoods have a high spec and good energy ratings, say Frances O'Rourkeand Edel Morgan

BRENNANSTOWN VALE, DUBLIN 18: AN INNOCUOUS looking cupboard on the first floor landing is the nerve centre of a deceptively traditional looking new house in Brennanstown Vale, Carrickmines, Dublin 18. It’s the communications room of a very modern high-tech home which hides wiring and equipment for a house-wide audio visual system controlled by discreet panels in every room.

Simply, it means that you can turn TVs, DVD players, radios and music on and off from every room in the house. (The panels also control heat and an alarm system incorporates a camera that records every visitor who buzzes the front doorbell.)

Ridgeview House’s owner, Pat Chambers, is delighted with the high-tech efficiency of the property he has built on a 0.2-acre site next door to his own home in one of south County Dublin’s first luxury estates.

He’s equally proud of the B1 Building Energy Rating (BER) awarded to the house: it’s a high rating, mainly due to the use of modern insulation materials in external and internal walls.

Ridgeview, a detached five-bedroom 294sq m (3,160sq ft) property, is for sale by private treaty for €2.5 million through Savills in Blackrock, Co Dublin.

Brennanstown Vale is an enclave of 22 houses each built to a different design by people who bought sites there – most on around an acre – in the 1990s. The homes are large – one is nearly 100sq m (10,000sq ft) – and traditional in style, with meticulously landscaped gardens. It’s a quiet spot with views across to the Dublin mountains, the only noise the distant hum of the nearby M50.

Ridgeview is a handsomely designed house, built by Durkans. Downstairs, light floods the front hall from a double height entrance.

On the right is a family room, on the left, a large interconnecting drawingroom/diningroom, off which opens the kitchen/breakfastroom.

It’s a bright space, with a bay window to the front of the drawingroom, and floor-to-ceiling windows looking over the back garden.

All the floors are wide plank walnut except in the kitchen, which has black polished granite floor tiles that match the countertops. It is, of course, high- tech too, with Siemens units, a Liebherr fridge, and Vino Thek wine cooler next to the fridge. A utility room opens off it.

There are four big bedrooms on the first floor, with the main bedroom on the top attic floor, giving it great views over the surrounding countryside.

Bathrooms abound – three bedrooms are en suite, and two have clawfoot baths as well as showers. All showers have rain shower heads. There’s also oodles of storage, with built-in wardrobes, a double size laundry press on the first floor and on the top floor, a dressingroom. Another room at this level could be a gym or home office.

There is room to park about four cars at the front of the house and side access to the back garden, which is laid out in lawn with a tiled patio area. The Carrickmines Luas stop, to be built near Carrickmines Tennis Club, will be in walking distance from here.

Ridgeview House, Brennanstown Vale, Carrickmines, Dublin 18

High-tech detached five-bedroom house on 0.2 acres in one of south County Dublin’s first luxury estates

Agent: Savills

YOU DON'T get many new build homes in this part of Ballsbridge but Aclare in Shrewsbury Park is an exception.

A three-bed detached house of 191sq m (2,060sq ft), it is for sale by private treaty through Lisney for €1.55 million. Shrewsbury Park is close to the junction of Merrion Road and Shrewsbury Road.

Downstairs there's a sittingroom cum diningroom with a large window overlooking the front garden, oak floor and limestone fireplace. Double doors lead to an L-shaped kitchen and living area with porcelain tiled floors and a high gloss and walnut kitchen with a quartz countertop. This room comes equipped with lots of appliances, including two ovens, a dishwasher and microwave. A sliding door leads out to a sandstone patio and small lawn.

There's also a utility room with a door to the side of the house and guest toilet at ground floor level.

Upstairs there are three bedrooms, all with fitted wardrobes .Two of the bedrooms, including the main one, have en suite shower rooms with marble shelving. The main bathroom has a step-in shower, bath and a vanity unit with a marble countertop and heated towel rail. A staircase leads to the attic room which has two Velux windows and under eaves storage. This area is 34sq m (362sq ft).

Outside to the front there's a substantial gravelled drive and planting. The rear garden can be accessed from both sides of the house. The house is wired for sound and has gas-fired central heating with an energy efficient condensing boiler and a solar heated water system.

Aclare, Shrewsbury Park, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4

Three-bed detached house of 191sq m (2,060sq ft) with a high spec and converted attic

Agent: Lisney