Hersil Wood, Knocklyon

Red31

Has anyone been to the open house for the new development at Hersil Wood in Knocklyon?

I was there at the weekend and the show house was really nice but the asking price of 595-625k seems quite high for the area.

The three storey layout and the energy rating is attractive. The appeal of a new home in ready to move in condition is great but I haven't seen anything online except ads etc and no reviews from the "average" person.

There was a big crowd at the viewing but that hardly means much.

(Sorry, can't post a link as I'm a new member although long time reader)

seamus

For the size of the properties, the asking prices are actually a little lower than prices in the surrounding areas. But that's probably an acknowledgment that someone with €700k+ to spend probably won't drop it in Knocklyon, they're more likely to go to Terenure.

I can tell you the area is fine. Your main issue where it is, is traffic. Not only just traffic on the Knocklyon road, but traffic coming in and out of the petrol station along with traffic going in and out of Coolamber. Until they re-align the Knocklyon road, that junction is going to be a complete mess when/if those houses are sold.

nolj

We were at the viewing too.We thought they were little overpriced however most of the houses available were sold already. For the floor space available we found the house interiors felt a bit pokey , the smaller one in particular felt narrow , it would be a tight squeeze to get 2 cars into the space available. the hall seemed claustrophobic. The houses were finished well however little things .. the sink in the kitchen was tiny and there was no additional sink in the utility to compensate also the window in the bathroom on the first floor looking out onto the driveway was not glazed which we thought was odd .. step out of the shower and give your neighbours a lovely show!

dori_dormer

Yeah we thought they were pokey too. Gardens were very small, no front gardens. Kitchens tiny too. Only reason the square footage is so high is because they converted the attic. Which means there is zero storage.

Also most people who are looking at 4 beds would need more living space than offered.

Think there's better older houses in the area for less money and do them up.

Also was told the builder built the 2 detached houses for his own family.

Red31

Thanks for the replies, its good to get views from others.

I didn't notice the bathroom windows or the sink size really so its good to have those potential drawbacks pointed out.

We're just a family of 2 at the moment so the living space would be adequate for our needs but I did think it seemed quite small myself. And the big crowds all around at the viewing definitely made the hallways and stairs seem tiny.

We did love the place and are very attracted to the idea of a new build as it can be hard to find a very large master suite in a lot of older houses and I haven't got a great imagination for seeing potential at a house viewing beyond what is in front of me.

We're living in Rathfarnham at the moment and wanted to stay in the area. This development is 5 minutes from our current place so I'm very familiar with the area and I think I would actually prefer it to Terenure but thats probably due to nostalgia!

I think we might have another look this weekend and try to look at it more thoroughly and a more critical eye.

I appreciate the thoughts, I was half thinking that there might be a lot of replies from people up in arms about the price and quality- similar to some views to Stocking Wood- so I'm glad I got a balanced view!

dori_dormer

The question I always ask is , where will the kids toys go, where will the Xmas tree go ( storage and in dec) is there room for a swing set and shed and enough room for a kick about in the garden. Where will the outside bins go. Where will visitors park.

Also I was a little concerned about the garage and the car repair shop in the estate. Th garage because if its open late/24 hrs. The types of people it will bring close to the estate. As well as noise from cars and robberies etc.

I didn't find out with this dev, but they didn't have solar panels for hot water or a rain water tank did they? Other new builds we've seen did.
I don't count A rated anymore. It's easy enough to make one now, and it's a requirement for all new builds. I'd care more about sound insulation.

nolj

we actually bought in stocking wood and went to view Hersil wood for interior design ideas.. Our house is theoritically less sq footage however seemed so much more spacious than Hersil wood . We didnt see anything that would justify the extra 150k to us personally however the flooring included was nice . Based on the Hersil Wood site map some of the gardens looked like they are smaller and narrower than SW particularly on the side of the estate closer to the road .. check out the site map well before signing on the dotted line !

seamus

dori_dormer wrote: »

Also I was a little concerned about the garage and the car repair shop in the estate. Th garage because if its open late/24 hrs. The types of people it will bring close to the estate. As well as noise from cars and robberies etc.

Nah, I can tell you for definite that there's very little hassle at that garage, never has been. It has never been open past 10pm in all its time (30+ years), as far as I know they are functionally prevented from opening any later because it's a residential area.

The original plan for where Hersil wood now stands was to actually pull the garage down completely and stick apartments in (of course). The garage is pretty lucrative though, pretty much everyone in Knocklyon uses it.

MrWalsh

seamus wrote: »

Nah, I can tell you for definite that there's very little hassle at that garage, never has been. It has never been open past 10pm in all its time (30+ years), as far as I know they are functionally prevented from opening any later because it's a residential area.

The original plan for where Hersil wood now stands was to actually pull the garage down completely and stick apartments in (of course). The garage is pretty lucrative though, pretty much everyone in Knocklyon uses it.

+1
Although I havent used it in ages because the forecourt is so tight!

Red31

nolj- Thats interesting you bought in Stocking Wood, we're also going to view a place up there this weekend. I like the look of the houses and estate but its a bit further out than I'd ideally like. The prices are significantly lower than Hersil Wood though so we'll be factoring that in.

Its good to hear that there is unlikely to be any hassle at that garage. I wasn't overly concerned as I actually think its quite a perk to have a shop so close by!

Iintripod

Anyone any idea if these house have sold or not. I'm looking in the rathfarnham area and not sure if these would be a little too far out. Any opinions on these welcome

seamus

I can tell you they're definitely not too far out, and well serviced by public transport. Traffic is an issue, but that's true of anywhere inside the M50.

I guess it depends on what you're definition of "far out" is. Some people think not being able to walk into the city centre is "too far".

Iintripod

Thanks Seamus! I'm Renting in ballinteer so yeah not too far from what I'm used to. Viewing grangehill in rathfarnham on Wednesday night. Big houses and look well. Has anyone here been to see them?

MrWalsh

Iintripod wrote: »

Thanks Seamus! I'm Renting in ballinteer so yeah not too far from what I'm used to. Viewing grangehill in rathfarnham on Wednesday night. Big houses and look well. Has anyone here been to see them?

Wouldnt go near them. Backed onto the M50, the floor plans look very unattractive, the finish looks like it will age badly and the road they have been built on already suffers with traffic at rush hour. Plus absolutely no access to public transport without a long walk. Nice to have Marlay park on your doorstep but thats about it.

groovyg

Iintripod wrote: »

Thanks Seamus! I'm Renting in ballinteer so yeah not too far from what I'm used to. Viewing grangehill in rathfarnham on Wednesday night. Big houses and look well. Has anyone here been to see them?

Post and thread here and here

Red31

Iintripod wrote: »

Anyone any idea if these house have sold or not. I'm looking in the rathfarnham area and not sure if these would be a little too far out. Any opinions on these welcome

We have a deposit down on one of these houses that it fully built but there has been no movement in 6 weeks, still waiting to get the contracts. As far as I know all but two of the houses have sold, one being the showhouse which has an asking price of 695K. Who knows if people who paid deposits have backed out now though.

They were still doing viewings recently and there was some sort of gas explosion a few weeks back in the front of the estate so that may have slowed things down.

Re: the location- its ideal for us as I know the area very well and its not far from where we're living now. Also I work in the city centre so didn't want to move as far out as Stocking Wood/Grangehill etc and add to my commute. Rathfarnham village is actually closer to here than some of the other new build estates that are presenting themselves as Rathfarnham.

The next phase of houses wont be built/released for another year I believe so who knows what prices will be like by then.

Iintripod

Red31 wrote: »

We have a deposit down on one of these houses that it fully built but there has been no movement in 6 weeks, still waiting to get the contracts. As far as I know all but two of the houses have sold, one being the showhouse which has an asking price of 695K. Who knows if people who paid deposits have backed out now though.

They were still doing viewings recently and there was some sort of gas explosion a few weeks back in the front of the estate so that may have slowed things down.

Re: the location- its ideal for us as I know the area very well and its not far from where we're living now. Also I work in the city centre so didn't want to move as far out as Stocking Wood/Grangehill etc and add to my commute. Rathfarnham village is actually closer to here than some of the other new build estates that are presenting themselves as Rathfarnham.

The next phase of houses wont be built/released for another year I believe so who knows what prices will be like by then.

Rumour has it that there is problems with the title here so that probably explains the lack of a contract... How many houses have they built in this development? Stocking is a bit far out alright. I'll wait till I see grangehill hill tomorrow evening before passing judgement

Iintripod

So dropped up to grangehill last night and had a look around. Viewed 5 bed first and got blown away. It's a big house. 2600sqft according to brochure. Well finished and according to the guy I met everything's included except furniture. It's outta our budget so couldn't get wife out quick enough. 4 bed is open plan and as a previous poster mentioned imo doesn't work. I love my kids but they would drive me demented all in one room. Was brought into a different house with a more traditional layout downstairs and for me that works much better. Again finish is good internally and included apparently. Now saying all that my issues are more around public transport. Drive to luas stop or walk down Marlay park for bus. Also does anyone know the situation with schools in that area? Prices are similar to new homes in the area so I'll await to see if they achieve them. There is a house across the road from it in pine valley. I'm having a look at it Saturday so we'll see what that has to offer. It's out of my budget also at 750k but it'll be interesting to compare the 2. New home versus second hand do up...

NuckyThompson

Hi all, they are launching the second phase of Hersil Wood shortly. Does anyone know what happened to those who bought in the first phase? It doesn't look like much has happened in the last 6 months building-wise & some of the existing houses have not been finished. Thanks