Buying in castleknock

jos_kel

This forum was recommended to me for my question.
I'd just like to get opinions on good areas in castleknock.
Just to flesh out more of the details.
Approx value of current house: 320k
Outstanding tracker mortgage: 20k
Salaries: 70k + 35k (wife will prob give up work if we have 2nd child, son is 6)
Combined savings: 100k approx
Would like to be near castleknock train station if possible and near schools preferably educate together.

daymobrew

Looking to be close to Castleknock train station and the nearby Castleknock Educate Together National School (heavily oversubscribed so getting in is the hard part) are all good areas.

Feel free to post some daft.ie links for us to review.
I am up in Riverwood and go to Castleknock ETNS 3.5km away (there are nearer schools to me). What I like about Riverwood is the good number of green areas for playing. Many other estates are not so lucky.

amdublin

Are you looking to have no mortgage? Or will you be taking out new mortgage once you sell your old house?

I.e. what's your budget?

Agree stick up some houses you like and we can point out the good and the bad of the location.

Where do you live currently?? Me personally, with your small mortgage I'd be staying put for rest of my life....

jos_kel

amdublin wrote: »

Are you looking to have no mortgage? Or will you be taking out new mortgage once you sell your old house?

I.e. what's your budget?

Agree stick up some houses you like and we can point out the good and the bad of the location.

Where do you live currently?? Me personally, with your small mortgage I'd be staying put for rest of my life....

Yes that has crossed our minds alright.
If we could move without taking out another mortgage that would be ideal.
We probably have to have a real close look at our criteria for a different house and weigh it up against the advantage of being virtually debt free.
My wife does have valid points, eventhough the house is spacious, the layout isn't great eg Kitchen is small while dining room is large. Also house is quite dark with not a lot of natural light. I know these might not sound major but over time they can get annoying.

jos_kel

amdublin wrote: »

Are you looking to have no mortgage? Or will you be taking out new mortgage once you sell your old house?

I.e. what's your budget?

Agree stick up some houses you like and we can point out the good and the bad of the location.

Where do you live currently?? Me personally, with your small mortgage I'd be staying put for rest of my life....

We live in leixlip currently and I guess our budget would be 380k depending on what we would get for our house.
Having said that, don't like the thought of more debt or digging into savings.

Shemale

My advice is hold fire and check out the development beside St Patrick NS (near Carpenter pub). Ground has been broken and iirc planning is for.over 200 houses.

If you dont like the development prices in the.area should drop.when these come on stream.

I have noticed a recent surge in for sale signs in Laurel Lodge and up towards the Carpenterstown Road, this is a lovely established. Riverwood is way overpriced for what you get and as far as I know enrolment policies in that general area are changing to ensure diversity in schools

daymobrew

jos_kel wrote: »

My wife does have valid points, even though the house is spacious, the layout isn't great eg Kitchen is small while dining room is large. Also house is quite dark with not a lot of natural light. I know these might not sound major but over time they can get annoying.

It is probably cheaper to change your existing house with internal work and external extensions. My neighbours broke the wall between kitchen and the adjacent dining room to make a very large area.

Shemale wrote:

Riverwood is way overpriced for what you get and as far as I know enrolment policies in that general area are changing to ensure diversity in schools

The latter point is certainly true - it is in the middle of the catchment areas for primary school (St Patrick's/St Mochta's) and secondary school (CCC/LCC), with people sometimes not getting their preferred (local) school.
Schools aside, Riverwood is very close to Coolmine train station and has, as I said earlier, tons of green space areas for children to play on.

beauf

The point about catchments, is you need to be on the waiting list. If its one of the educate together, its just a list. first come first served. So you should check if you apply now will you get a place. Other schools you need to be living in certain area's. Other schools don't have problem with space.

amdublin

jos_kel wrote: »

We live in leixlip currently and I guess our budget would be 380k depending on what we would get for our house.
Having said that, don't like the thought of more debt or digging into savings.

I would agree.

IF you can do it without upping your mortgage fine. If you can't I respectfully suggest you stay put. Particularly as your wife wants to give up work.

As some other poster suggested can you remodel?

beauf

Riverwood isn't realistically in the catchment for ccc or Patricks even though its beside them. It's a good location though.

Laurel Lodge is another consideration. Lot of older houses in the general Castle Knock area. Same as Lucan.

jos_kel

amdublin wrote: »

I would agree.

IF you can do it without upping your mortgage fine. If you can't I respectfully suggest you stay put. Particularly as your wife wants to give up work.

As some other poster suggested can you remodel?

On the other hand part of me is thinking that if we're going to the hassle of moving, are we better off pushing the boat out a little while still maintaining a reasonable mortgage.
To do this and get a house that is really a step up it seems we're looking at 430-450k or what do people think?
These 2 houses caught our eye. I know they are more coolmine.

www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/25-luttrellstown-oaks-castleknock-dublin-15/3098791

http://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/21-burnell-park-green-castleknock-dublin-15/3082410

amdublin

IMO Luttrellstown is Luttrellstown. Not castleknock. but those who live there do insist on calling it Castleknock.
I could be wrong, but that is my opinion

Would you consider Clonsilla??? For example Charnwood. I think you would get a 4bed for €100k less than these houses...

amdublin

Look at this house:
http://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/13-charnwood-dale-clonsilla-dublin-15/3117547

amdublin

Or Limelawn...
http://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/17-limelawn-rise-clonsilla-dublin-15/3103486

amdublin

OR!!! If you really want to push it out how about Portersgate beside Clonsilla station (a really nice estate)

http://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/35-porter-s-gate-crescent-clonsilla-dublin-15/3063445

Edit.
That is some hideous interior decor. But if you can get over that it's one hell of a big house (if you are into that)

December2012

If you are trying to get into a non denominational school you could consider the Community National School model. There is one in Porterstown called Scoil Colm. Here's their website - www.scoilchoilmcns.ie/Enrol - they are multi cultural and multi religious including none.

Shemale

I would be careful with Limelawn and Charwood, we looked at some and the Ongar Distribution Road was almost in the garden, would imagine its loud in some houses all day.

Also as far as I know the houses there are that price as they were catchment area for some of the Castleknock/ Luttrelstown but the catchments are changing back to Blanch schools so prices could drop if I am right.

The older houses around Blanch are well worth a look in terms of being quieter and better built

Pat Dunne

Shemale wrote: »

I would be careful with Limelawn and Charwood, we looked at some and the Ongar Distribution Road was almost in the garden, would imagine its loud in some houses all day.

Also as far as I know the houses there are that price as they were catchment area for some of the Castleknock/ Luttrelstown but the catchments are changing back to Blanch schools so prices could drop if I am right.

The older houses around Blanch are well worth a look in terms of being quieter and better built

Whomever is giving you all this information on catchment areas is filling you full of horsemanure. From what I see of your previous posts on other boards forums, I for one would have thought you would recoginise what comes out of the rear end of a horse!

Shemale

Pat Dunne wrote: »

Whomever is giving you all this information on catchment areas is filling you full of horsemanure. From what I see of your previous posts on other boards forums, I for one would have thought you would recoginise what comes out of the rear end of a horse!

I trust my wife and she works in one of the schools whose catchment area is changing also in one of secondaries there was a problem with nearly all Irish in one school and nearly all non Irish in the other one, hence the change.

BabysCoffee

Shemale wrote: »

I would be careful with Limelawn and Charwood, we looked at some and the Ongar Distribution Road was almost in the garden, would imagine its loud in some houses all day.

Also as far as I know the houses there are that price as they were catchment area for some of the Castleknock/ Luttrelstown but the catchments are changing back to Blanch schools so prices could drop if I am right.

The older houses around Blanch are well worth a look in terms of being quieter and better built

Charnwood has always been in the catchment of Mountview school it was never in the catchment for Castleknock/Luttrellstown. It's a quiet estate (noise wise) and is extremely settled. It's definitely worth considering.

Shemale

BabysCoffee wrote: »

Charnwood has always been in the catchment of Mountview school it was never in the catchment for Castleknock/Luttrellstown. It's a quiet estate (noise wise) and is extremely settled. It's definitely worth considering.

To the best of my knowledge it's the primary schools catchment which either have or might be changing, there were tons of meetings of all the primaries to discuss changes. Their meetings centred around distance from home to school with the idea it would make more sense to attend the school closest and this should aleviate some of the traffic carnage outside schools.

Any change in primary schools would knock on the secondarys as I think they look at your road and primary school. I think the estates north of the Distribution Road with entrances from Clonsilla Road are included in LCC and all/ nearly all of Luttrellstown, Carpenterstown and surrounding are CCC.

The_Valeyard

The Educate Together school has a very mixed reputation there. while the National School by the Carpenter pub is the one people desperately want. Also CCC is a very good second level school. Many refer to Carpenterstown/Laurel Lodge/Sycamore as New Castleknock, while referring to Pecks Lane, Castleknock Park, Georgian Village as old castleknock. Prices are very steep though .

beauf

Theres no point in discussing the catchments unless you know them exactly. As if you buy a house on one street you are in one school, if the next street your in another. Its all irreverent if the school requires you to be resident for X no of years, or if all the places will be filled by siblings, or are already taken if its first come first served list. Some have no problem with spaces at all.

The point is, if you have kids, and you are looking at houses in Castleknock/D.15 You need to make yourselves aware of the various school enrollment policies/ catchments. Relevant to the that specific location. Also be aware that local traffic is bad at peak. Which effects getting the kids to school, and your commute to work. But you'll be used to that from Lucan.

theLuggage

beauf wrote: »

Riverwood isn't realistically in the catchment for ccc or Patricks even though its beside them. It's a good location though.

Laurel Lodge is another consideration. Lot of older houses in the general Castle Knock area. Same as Lucan.

Not quite true - we are in Riverwood and our first got a place in St. Patricks for September 2015. I know it's supposed to be very difficult to get into St. Patricks from Riverwood but not impossible, to our delight

beauf

I was referring to some one new to the area. Do they have a residency rule? They may also have a quota for not RC I think. Most kids seem to go to st mochtas from there.

theLuggage

Most kids do go to Mochtas, hence our surprise and delight. It's the same school we are discussing - up near CCC.

No residency rule - it's a joint enrolment to Mochtas and Patricks. They have listed out all the estates in their catchment area, one school starts at one end and the other at the other end and they fill up that way.

Quotas for non RC and they offer preference to siblings (neither applied in our case).

Just wanted to point out that it can happen to get Patricks from Riverwood.

beauf

The numbers must have dropped so. Maybe it will also drop for ccc when it comes around. Goes to show you need to know the policies.

jos_kel

beauf wrote: »

I was referring to some one new to the area. Do they have a residency rule? They may also have a quota for not RC I think. Most kids seem to go to st mochtas from there.

So in effect, ye're saying check the school policies first and use that to drive the house hunt.

annR

There is also Scoil Choilm (Community National School) at the other end of the Diswellstown Rd from St Patricks.

jos_kel

annR wrote: »

There is also Scoil Choilm (Community National School) at the other end of the Diswellstown Rd from St Patricks.

Correct me if needed but isn't st paddys in coolmine

beauf

jos_kel wrote: »

So in effect, ye're saying check the school policies first and use that to drive the house hunt.

Well be aware of them. Be a pity to buy a place and find out you can't get into the school across the road.