The owners of a three-storey, five-bedroom house in a development that backs on to the grounds of Kimmage Manor in Terenure have had little to do to it since they moved in five years ago. College Square, an upscale scheme of 113 four and five-bed Victorian/Edwardian-style modern houses launched by Ballymore in 2014, appealed to the vendors because it was so modern, with an A2 energy rating thanks to the air-to-water heat pump and high-end fittings as standard in their new home.
Number 90, an end-of-terrace house, sold in 2015 for €660,793 plus VAT. Now the 183sq m (1,970sq ft) house is for sale through Sherry FitzGerald for €825,000. Another similar five-bed house nearby in the development, number 53, which was for sale for €825,000 through the same agent has been sale agreed.
Neutral shades
Number 90, a comfortable family home for the couple who own it and their son, is presented in very good condition, with a simple, unfussy décor: walls are painted neutral shades of grey, all the bedrooms have ample fitted wardrobes and bathrooms are part-tiled and smart. All the windows – double-glazed – are fitted with plantation blinds; the ground floor has wood-effect laminate flooring.
There are two rooms, on each side of the decent-sized front hall: the bright kitchen/diningroom on the left has a large marble-topped island unit and countertops, space for a long wooden table, a good-sized utility room-cum-pantry off it and doors opening into the back garden. The livingroom on the right of the front hall (where there’s a tiled downstairs toilet) has built-in shelving on either side of the fireplace.
Upstairs, there are three bedrooms on the first floor and a family bathroom and two bedrooms on the top floor. All but one are doubles, three have part-tiled en-suite shower rooms, all have good built-in wardrobes, especially the main bedroom, where they stretch across one whole wall. A single bedroom on the middle floor has been turned into a home office by the owners. There is access to the floored attic.
Lawn and parking
The back garden is small and looks easily managed – it has a tiled patio around a pocket of lawn, with space for a Wendy-house style shed and a timber unit for storing equipment like the barbecue. It’s private, sheltered by high walls – but you can glimpse an extension across the back of the house behind. Number 90 is a gable-end side-entry house with two designated parking spaces.
The communal grounds of the development are well-kept thanks to an annual service charge levied on owners. In the case of number 90, the annual service charge is €1,500.
There is a residents’ pedestrian access to Kimmage Manor, the Irish headquarters of the Holy Ghost (now Spiritans) society, and its Church of the Holy Spirit from the back of College Square. The entrance to the development is off Wainsfort Manor Road.
