Starter homes in growing commuter town

Co Meath: from €253,950Keen prices and numerous house styles are the key themes at a housing scheme in Ratoath. Kate McMorrow reports

Eleven showhouses will be open for viewing this weekend at Steeplechase, a new development of three, four and five-bedroom family houses in Ratoath, Co Meath.

Joint agents Sherry FitzGerald New Homes and Property Partners Brady Fitzgerald will be taking bookings for a further 40 houses at this popular scheme, where over 120 houses sold in less than a week last April when showhouses first opened.

Families moving out of the city suburbs are pleasantly surprised at the affordability of property a few miles down the road.

Prices at Steeplechase start at €253,950 for three-bedroom townhouses of 88-108 sq m (950-1,165 sq ft). Three types of three-bedroom houses are on offer, with prices varying according to size and location. Larger three-bed mid-terrace units of 104 sq m (1,114 sq ft) cost from €279,950 and similar-sized end-terrace houses start at €291,950.

Four-bedroom end-terrace houses start at €325,000 for 116 sq m (1,250 sq ft) of accommodation. Detached houses with four bedrooms and 125 sq m (1,340 sq ft) of space cost from €430,000. Five-bedroom 156 sq m (1,680 sq ft) detached houses start at €495,000, while larger 165 sq m (1,780 sq ft) five-bed detached houses are from €550,000.

Two new house types have been introduced in this phase of Steeplechase. Four-bedroom 131 sq m (1,408 sq ft) mid-terrace houses start at € and five-bedroom end-terrace houses of 156 sq m (1,674 sq ft) at €.

Ratoath village is about 15 miles from Dublin, near Fairyhouse and a few miles from Ashbourne.

Developers McGarrell Reilly has a strong track record in the new homes market in the Dublin area, with Malahide Marina Village, Stepaside Park and Lusk Village among their best-known developments.

Interiors at the Steeplechase showhouses have been designed by Peter Johnson and Charon Thompson to a high standard, so there are plenty of ideas to look at.

This scheme is mid-way in its construction and the grounds are maturing nicely. Houses are of part rumbled brick and painted render, with timber-framed windows, traditional front driveways and porches.

Interior features included in the price are German-made Alno kitchens with steel splashback and cooker hood and Franke sink. Chrome light switches and plug points are also standard.

Bathrooms have extra-large shower trays and a Mira pumped shower. Each house comes with a fireplace with a working chimney which can be fitted with a gas fire if required. Heating is by natural gas.

A typical three-bedroom starter home has the kitchen/diner to the front and a separate sittingroom opening to the back garden. Upstairs, the main bedroom includes an en suite shower room.

Larger three-bed houses have the sittingroom to the front and the kitchen/diningroom spanning the back, opening to the back garden.

The main bedroom above the kitchen/diningroom is also spacious, with an en suite shower. Two further rooms, one a neat double, complete the bedroom accommodation.

Similar in layout are three-bedroom end-terrace houses, which are particularly bright, with an extended kitchen and full en suite bathroom upstairs.

Four-bedroom end-terrace houses have a bay-windowed sittingroom at the front and airy kitchen/diningroom to the rear. In the detached version, the front sittingroom links through double doors to a formal diningroom, which, in turn, opens to the kitchen/breakfastroom. Two double and two single bedrooms, one en suite, occupy the second floor.

Cream of the crop are five-bedroom detached houses with interconnecting sitting and diningrooms and a separate study / playroom.

The kitchen / breakfastroom has a utility off and double doors to the garden. Four of the five bedrooms are doubles, with one single bedroom and en suite off the main bedroom.

Completion dates at Steeplechase range from autumn/winter 2004 to Spring 2005. Ratoath is an expanding village with a good choice of family-oriented activities.

Ballet and Irish dancing take place in the community hall and GAA, soccer and scouts are very active. Plans are drawn up for an 11-acre park to include a scouts' den, children's play area, tennis courts, running track and an active senior citizen centre. The 105 bus connects to the city centre.