Ballybrack/from €300,000: Location is the key to a very smart new own-door apartment development launching today through Des Donnelly of Hooke & MacDonald.
In the wooded grounds of a former garden centre, Ridge Hall is at the crossroads of Church Road and Military Road in the centre of Ballybrack village and a few minute's walk from Killiney beach and the Dart.
There are preservation orders on beech, sycamore and chestnut trees and one giant Canadian Redwood which is 250 years old. These have been supplemented by extensive new planting which is already mature. In the middle of all this, five three-storey brick, steel and glass apartment blocks strike a pleasing contemporary note. Windows are Scandinavian pine.
Thirty units are being sold in this initial launch, out of 104 in the entire development. Most will be ready within two months and the developer expects to be off-site 12 months from now. Prices start at €300,000 for a couple of one-bedroom units of 48 sq m (515 sq ft). In the majority are two-bedroom apartments priced from €365,000 for 74 sq m (800 sq ft) of space. Viewers will like the space in 76 sq m (815 sq ft) two-bed plus study apartments from €370,000.
The developer is Albany Property Holdings, a firm with a reputation for quality. This is noticeable at Ridge Hall, where ceilings are high, layouts are well thought out and fittings are top end.
The apartments are all entered via a granite floored walkway edged with a glass and steel balcony rail. A small exterior lobby has room for a couple of tubs by each entrance door. Internal doors are oak and the show units have been furnished by designer Helen Kilmartin in shades of cream, grey and taupe, emphasising the sense of spaciousness. Most units are dual aspect, looking into the wooded garden and south to the Wicklow hills.
A typical two-bedroom with study apartment has a good hallway, with the study/guest bedroom off the front hall. Further along is a big family bathroom with sleek taupe wall tiles and white sanitary ware.
Some units have a separate kitchen with cream-painted units and mosaic wall tiling. Others are included in an open-plan living/dining/kitchen area. Appliances are not included but provision has been made to integrate these.
Good-sized balconies open off the sittingroom and main bedroom, all decked and walled in glass and steel. Ivory wardrobes with latticed panels are fitted in all bedrooms including the study/guest bedroom. En suite showers with plenty of turning space are also included with main bedrooms.
The standard of finish has been raised a notch in top floor penthouse apartments with great views over Killiney. Polished granite kitchen worktops, walnut internal doors, double sinks and larger balconies add a touch of luxury.
Gardens are densely planted and landscaped. The front of the blocks and in borders lining the car-park are copper beech, maples and an array of expensive planting.
Parking is under cover to the rear, with access to a lift, and one space is allocated to each apartment. Additional spaces can be bought for €15,000. An old house at the centre of the development will be restored to residential use. Some retail units will front onto the road at the Wyatville Road end of Ridge Hall. Previous schemes by Albany Holdings include Shrewsbury Lodge, Cabinteely and Heath Square in Finglas.
