House of the week: Dromkeen Wood homes go on sale
Innishannon, Cork
€350,000 / €440,000 /€455,000
4
3
A3
Rock solid
Just bring your furniture: that’s the tag line for the sales launch of eleven fully finished out homes, in the 22-unit first phase of four-bed homes at Dromkeen Wood, in Cork’s Innishannon – almost a toe-hold into West Cork, above the River Bandon, writes
Due to launch on Friday of next week is a mix of three house types, all four-bed family homes sizeable enough for the long-haul at sizes from 1,450 to 1,760 sq ft over two levels, in a development by Castle Rock Homes.
The development’s called Dromkeen View, after the 18th century planted wood across the steep river valley scything through Innishannon, 25kms west of Cork city’s boundaries, and the houses here are being sold ready to move into, ie painted, tiled, floored and/or carpeted, with finished bathrooms, built-ins in bedrooms and all done out kitchens, with a choice of finishes, and integrated appliances – part of PC packages worth €16k-€21k, depending on house size.
And, the aim is to hand over the first tranche by Christmas of this year, after a November 2017 start on site.
Set up on Church Hill, uphill from writer Alice Taylor’s family-owned supermarket in the village of Innishannon, Dromkeen View picks up the build baton over a decade after a previous development, Barr na Claise, hit the skids here for another builder, Bernard O’Mahony, during the economic and construction meltdown, triggered by the Lehmann banking crash ten years ago this month.
Two residential developments on this valley-set hill above Innishannon got stymied in the slump, Barr na Claise, and Fleming Construction’s Ard Aoibihinn. Both now have construction crews on site, actively building, with Ard Aoibhinn the more complete. There’s a new edge now in at the back of Barr na Claise, where 22 new Dromkeen View homes are under advancing construction. A later phase of a further 29 looks likely to be stalled until 2022, when a treatment plant is expected to fully unlock Innishannon’s potential.
Dromkeen View is on 6.1 acres, with elevated views, and the developers are Castle Rock Homes, now ratcheting up their output around Cork after the return from Russia of company director Tim Murray, with co-director Peter O’Sullivan.
Having acquired a number of sites, including half completed schemes from Nama, the firm has already completed out schemes in East Cork’s Midleton, such as Blossom Hill and Poppyfields, and has a site in the wings, in Bandon.
His selling agent for Dromkeen View is Bandon-based Mark Kelly, with sales set to proceed at 9.30am on Friday, September 14: given the level of existing enquiries, and the successful recent sales at Ard Aoibihnn, a very strong and swift pick-up is anticipated.
Prices? Most within a first time buyer’s grasp will be the four-bed 1,450 sq ft semis, at €350,000. That will be a stretch for most FTBs but the houses are big enough to hold growing families for years ahead, says Mr Kelly, and the presence of employers like Lilly in Dunderrow and MSD in Brinny means plenty of strong pay packets in the wider locale. The Government’s Help to Buy initiative will also be a factor in many buyers’ calculations, Mr Kelly adds.
The variations on the four-bed detacheds, with floor areas of 1,650 sq ft and 1,760 sq ft, sees prices at €440k and €455k, respectively. Castle Rock are using completed homes in Midleton as an example of their standard of finish and air tightness (the internal pics here are from Midleton) and Dromkeen View homes will be A3 BER rated, with heat pumps for heating and hot water, with heat recovery ventilation, A rate appliances and utility rooms also with appliances, and all house are built with an extra layer of block at ground floor level for additional ceiling height and sense of airiness.
Externally, back gardens are being grass-seeded, with patios, bases in place for garden sheds, with power supply, and in front drives are Tobermore brick paved, with charge points for electric vehicles.
: Valley-set Innishannon’s coming out of the property market’s own deep valley slump.
