New Development Royal Canal Park D15

slayerking

Beata K wrote: »

Hi, when you contact kitchen supplier and ask about appliances they provide you with a list of four brands, one model each, to upgrade. Prices should be ballance between new and standard but I think in some cases is almost full price.
For appliances which I could find and compare functions and efficientcy rates are the same, only difference is a price of brand.

It'd probably make most sense to just stick with what they install and upgrade to new ones in a few years if they are more or less the same functionality and efficiency wise. Its one less expense that can be kicked down the road especially if they are charging up to full price again just to swap brands.

It was similar with the worktop for us, we asked regarding stone/granite, and got a ballpark of 1800 to 2500 for the cheapest one. Decided to just stick with the minerva for now and if its really crap, Ill replace it in the future at probably the same cost or maybe even less from another supplier if shopping around. Its not worth getting them to do it at an inflated price.

From what I can see regarding the kitchen suppliers, its head ache for them to change stuff from the default install, so they charge you through the teeth to deter you.

minkey

Hi

Re the kitchen, Id probably agree with slayerking

I would say the appliances are probably pretty basic alright. The Fridge is the 70/30 style, so not a big freezer. The dishwasher is OK, I have no problems with it, and the cooker and microwave do the job. To be honest I just took the attitude I was getting these appliances for free, so I was not really too concerned about the exact spec, it was pretty low on my list of priorities. I didn't even know there was an upgrade option. I think Ill be happy enough to replace things as they need to be with possibly higher spec appliances in the future, but for now its just something I don't need to think about or worry about
I do wish we could have had a stove, in the plans I think some of the houses had a chimney and solar panels added in originally, but maybe its not allowed, or interfered with the BER.
Worktop, again I have no problem with this. I find its easy enough to keep clean , but I'd say if you are a fan of the granite it might be worth it to get that installed now rather than later , it probably depends what you are used too.

Beata K

minkey wrote: »

Hi

Re the kitchen, Id probably agree with slayerking

I would say the appliances are probably pretty basic alright. The Fridge is the 70/30 style, so not a big freezer. The dishwasher is OK, I have no problems with it, and the cooker and microwave do the job. To be honest I just took the attitude I was getting these appliances for free, so I was not really too concerned about the exact spec, it was pretty low on my list of priorities. I didn't even know there was an upgrade option. I think Ill be happy enough to replace things as they need to be with possibly higher spec appliances in the future, but for now its just something I don't need to think about or worry about
I do wish we could have had a stove, in the plans I think some of the houses had a chimney and solar panels added in originally, but maybe its not allowed, or interfered with the BER.
Worktop, again I have no problem with this. I find its easy enough to keep clean , but I'd say if you are a fan of the granite it might be worth it to get that installed now rather than later , it probably depends what you are used too.

Thank you all for advices. I think I will go either standard.

Arbie

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

When you say you were thinking of upgrading, does that mean ballymore will just charge the difference between the cheap appliances and better ones, or do you foot the full bill yourself?

I don't know unfortunately as we found it very difficult to get any info from them.

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

Thanks. It's annoying that this is not made clear in any documentation.

The whole way through the process of buying its a mission of discovery, having to discover, mostly via this thread and mails to ballymore if we can change things, or if there are options for things like doors etc.

This should all have been included in some Kind of welcome pack provided when we signed the contract.

A little organization from ballymore and Sherry Fitz would have made the whole process quite pleasant, instead of frustrating and a little stressful.

We felt the same way. SherryFitz told us things then Ballymore said the opposite, each blaming the other and then eventually blaming us. The overwhelming impression was that they did not want to offer any modifications at all as it causes them more work, more hassle, and potentially delays.

This thread is great for info and will hopefully help people avoid some of our mistakes.

Manion

You're not getting free appliances, you're paying for them in the cost of the house. I paid a flat fee for 5 years service when I bought a car a few years back and every time I bring it into get serviced they threat it like a freebie. Same kinda attitude when it comes to this. You are paying for it, you've a right to quality. I had very strong opinions on this when it came to the kitchen after spending the best part of ten years in rented accommodation putting up ****e appliances. For us I decided the exact make and model to be installed.

cronos

Manion wrote: »

You're not getting free appliances, you're paying for them in the cost of the house. I paid a flat fee for 5 years service when I bought a car a few years back and every time I bring it into get serviced they threat it like a freebie. Same kinda attitude when it comes to this. You are paying for it, you've a right to quality. I had very strong opinions on this when it came to the kitchen after spending the best part of ten years in rented accommodation putting up ****e appliances. For us I decided the exact make and model to be installed.

But you paid for those new model appliances with no discount for the fact you had already paid for the previous shi*** ones?

Manion

There was a discount applied for not taking any of the standard appliances, I couldn't tell you the exact amount. But I also took into account that I could avoid the cost of having an electrician or plumber call out to install new appliances down the road. The price from them was bang on as I was able to do direct comparisons.

If the Kitchen crowd refuse to discount now, grand, still request the upgraded appliances and also demand delivery of the standard, but not fitted. Then sell them on DoneDeal or the the like.

Miss Lemon

Has anyone heard anything today in relation to timing of snagging for Bridge Avenue?

NebPlanders

Hi there I've bought in Royal Canal park wondering if anyone has measurements for the Ash by room as looking to get a few quotes on flooring- any recommendations? Also looking for a decent snagger - all help appreciated

Nhol78

Not a peep on Snagging, It is getting annoying.

Manion

NebPlanders wrote: »

Hi there I've bought in Royal Canal park wondering if anyone has measurements for the Ash by room as looking to get a few quotes on flooring- any recommendations? Also looking for a decent snagger - all help appreciated

Hi You should contact ballymore and request a PDF of the plans which will have the measurements.

fret_wimp2

Manion wrote: »

Hi You should contact ballymore and request a PDF of the plans which will have the measurements.

make sure you specify the house number and street number.
When i went looking for plans for the heron i got numerous different plans, all slightly different.

Bruncvik

NebPlanders wrote: »

Hi there I've bought in Royal Canal park wondering if anyone has measurements for the Ash by room as looking to get a few quotes on flooring

We asked for our house plans, got them, but they were far too detailed and very difficult to read. Here are the room measurements (in mm) I extracted and put over the house plans from the Web site. We used those when we roamed Dublin for flooring materials.

Mind you, despite being in mm, these measurements may vary by several cm. We used them to get a very rough idea how much floor coverage we'd need; for furniture and blinds we did much more accurate on the spot measurements. Also, if I'm not mistaken, your house will be the mirror image of ours.

Nhol78

Can anyone who has closed on their house explain how the management fees were handled. My solicitor mentioned nothing about them.

Do I pay them through my solicitor, Were there details in the contract outlining the cost of the fees?

cronos

Nhol78 wrote: »

Can anyone who has closed on their house explain how the management fees were handled. My solicitor mentioned nothing about them.

Do I pay them through my solicitor, Were there details in the contract outlining the cost of the fees?

Details were not in the contract as far as I could see.

I paid the first year of management fees in full to the solicitor as the final part of the payment just after paying the main money. The solictor will only know when the ballymore solicitor requests it right at the end. You pay a little under 1k and I believe you get a discount of the relevant amount on next years fees for the overpay this year.

PhoenixParker

There was a space in the contract for Ballymore's solicitor to write in the number. They didn't so we clarified it before contract signing. We paid the full yearly fee via solicitor on closing. That was pro rata'd and the extra put against the following years fees.

RandomAccess

Hey, if anyone can recommend their snagger please send me a PM with some details.

Likewise if you have one to avoid for some reason let me know also!

Thanks

Arbie

Would someone who has their router installed in their utility room be willing to send me some photos of their setup, please? I'm particularly interested in anyone who has it hooked up to their alarm box.

Also could anyone recommend someone to set it up, put in correct sockets, etc?

Finally, can anyone tell me what the 3-beds in the most recent phase going for?

Thanks in advance!

cronos

Arbie wrote: »

Would someone who has their router installed in their utility room be willing to send me some photos of their setup, please? I'm particularly interested in anyone who has it hooked up to their alarm box.

Also could anyone recommend someone to set it up, put in correct sockets, etc?

Finally, can anyone tell me what the 3-beds in the most recent phase going for?

Thanks in advance!

+1 for this

sdhway

Can I ask anyone who is already in about the heat pump/heating. How many zones are there? Did you get a manual or know the model so we can look it up? How many thermostats?

Any advice would be great.

andreionut

Arbie wrote: »

Would someone who has their router installed in their utility room be willing to send me some photos of their setup, please? I'm particularly interested in anyone who has it hooked up to their alarm box.

Also could anyone recommend someone to set it up, put in correct sockets, etc?

Finally, can anyone tell me what the 3-beds in the most recent phase going for?

Thanks in advance!

I'm a bit proud of this as I did it by myself, except for the fact that I don't have a proper faceplate in place.

IMG_1159 (1).jpg

I've upgraded from the default cable setup by asking for Cat6 (in retrospect not that good of an investment as wireless is much better and will improve) and asked for ethernet face plates, connected properly.

To setup the cables there are two options: terminate the cables and just connect them to the router and/or switch or get a patch panel and patch cables. I chose the latter.

I had to buy the tools, including a cable tester and an insertion tool. The cables are patched with the T568B standard and are not labeled. Since I had a router, I put the Air router in modem mode and used my one. In the master bedroom I have an Access Point connected via cable.

Lessons learned:

• Demand that the electrician labels the cables. Ideally ask them to terminate them so you don't have to get a patch panel. Make sure they connect all the cables.
• When the Eircom installer comes in, tell them to install the modem in the utility room instead of in the hallway. It will save you some trouble re-connecting the cable.

Let me know if you have more questions.
How would hooking up to the alarm system would work. Is it because you have a wireless system?

Manion

Hi

Network setup:

Alarm Panel.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/l4jq7ldkcyxp6j5/2017-04-24%2008.29.19.jpg?dl=0

8 Port switch

https://www.dropbox.com/s/82f4fchn2lg7u0v/2017-04-24%2008.27.26.jpg?dl=0

VDSL Modem

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gx6gbevq63j5ujb/2017-04-24%2008.27.42.jpg?dl=0

Hall Box
https://www.dropbox.com/s/g7osmmizdjce2p5/2017-02-17%2010.27.07.jpg?dl=0

The cable circled in blue on the alarm panel runs behind the wall and out again into the 8 port switch. The red circle on the alarm panel is a unused cable, it runs from that point out to the box in the hall, and was my third "mystery cable". It's there to facilitate people installing the VDSL modem in the hall and connecting directly to the panel.

The switch has an uplink to the VDSL modem via the cable circled in red.

I've personally found wifi to be a problem in the house. The nature of the membrane used will attenuate radio signals


Heating System

There are two zones, one for hot water, one for central heating. I've not confirmed this directly myself. They seem to just be used for timing on and off and there is an internal system for regulating temperature on each floor. There are 2 thermostats that are configurable. We where given both a manual and a quick start guide. There was also an information night held to explain the operation, but I didn't make that. The main point of that night was that you shouldn't be interfering with any of the settings except to put it in holidays mode when you're gone for a long period.

Nhol78

Thanks Manion,

It looks like you had a blank installed and added a small hole to pull all of the 8 cables through before crimping them, am I correct? It looks reasonably neat.

Manion

Exactly, but I didn't do it myself. The electrician knew a guy who did it. At the time I had neither the energy nor inclination to go crimping.

Danny87

Also Curious about the Fees .

SF advised that they include for the Gym Membership , Landscaping maintenance, security and bin collection .

Im Very curious as to why they would want these fees now especially up front in advance like that? Is its a deal breaker in the contract unless you pay upfront ?

Id imagine none of the above bar the bin collection would be operational and wont be for some time (its still essentially construction site )Id like to think myself that you would not have to pay unit you receive full benefit of the services.

Manion

Danny87 wrote: »

Also Curious about the Fees .

SF advised that they include for the Gym Membership , Landscaping maintenance, security and bin collection .

Im Very curious as to why they would want these fees now especially up front in advance like that? Is its a deal breaker in the contract unless you pay upfront ?

Id imagine none of the above bar the bin collection would be operational and wont be for some time (its still essentially construction site )Id like to think myself that you would not have to pay unit you receive full benefit of the services.

They are all operational. The site is being released on a phased basis. There is an existing Gym and a second one opening soon. The bins are being collected, the security is onsite though cameras on bridge avenue might not be installed yet. You pay the full year up front and then it gets credited to your account based on the date you moved in.

I'd like to just point out that another area in Royal canal park opted to not pay for onsite security and from reading various forums there is a perception that it became targeted for criminality and anti social behaviour.

Danny87

Manion wrote: »

They are all operational. The site is being released on a phased basis. There is an existing Gym and a second one opening soon. The bins are being collected, the security is onsite though cameras on bridge avenue might not be installed yet. You pay the full year up front and then it gets credited to your account based on the date you moved in.

I'd like to just point out that another area in Royal canal park opted to not pay for onsite security and from reading various forums there is a perception that it became targeted for criminality and anti social behaviour.

I see, thanks good to know thanks very much.

Thats a bit worrying about the criminality. Were buying on Hamilton Walk and had concerns about this as its very near the old ratoath bridge which is now cul de sac . Would you have any further information on this, is it regular thing ?

PhoenixParker

Danny87 wrote: »

Also Curious about the Fees .

SF advised that they include for the Gym Membership , Landscaping maintenance, security and bin collection .

Im Very curious as to why they would want these fees now especially up front in advance like that? Is its a deal breaker in the contract unless you pay upfront ?

Id imagine none of the above bar the bin collection would be operational and wont be for some time (its still essentially construction site )Id like to think myself that you would not have to pay unit you receive full benefit of the services.

You should probably read up on the management company a bit. The houses aren't their own management company, they're joining the existing management company for the area which has all the existing apartments and terraced houses.

It's essentially a town council with about a thousand properties and it's established ten years. The fees are split into categories so for instance houses don't pay for lift maintenance, but as Manion says everything is long established and run.

MengJiang

Hi all,

My husband and I have just signed the contract for a house in Royal Grand Canal park. We were very excited since Nick said we could do our snagging a few weeks ago. However, we went on the site ourselves. House itself seems mostly done but the garden is not done at all and the back door of the garage isn't installed either. So we asked Nick when this is actually ready for us to do snagging. He gave us different answers each time. It seems that Sherry Fitzgerald isn't the best to ask.

We tried to reach out to the developer with email. But no response at all for the last few weeks. Can anyone provide us a phone number and name of who is in charge if the tenants have any queries?

Thanks a million and we are looking forward to meeting you all.

minkey

Hi

You should contact SF immediately and tell them you need a contact at Ballymore to discuss some issues with your house. They should provide you with a phone number. If not, you can call Ballymore head office (number is online) and they will give you the name and details of the Site Clerk at Ballymore
Alternatively I think the details were posted earlier in this thread

I will advise , back garden will not be done to any great standard, a they will just put seed down , thats it. The front area will be landscaped before you move

As mentioned earlier SF are not useful for details regarding the house, so just be careful with anything they do tell you. I have been dealing with them for some time before purchasing this particular property and always double checked anything they said. In saying that I didn't have much dealings with them and did find them professional in the few Administration task they had to do on behalf of the builder

fret_wimp2

MengJiang wrote: »

Hi all,

My husband and I have just signed the contract for a house in Royal Grand Canal park. We were very excited since Nick said we could do our snagging a few weeks ago. However, we went on the site ourselves. House itself seems mostly done but the garden is not done at all and the back door of the garage isn't installed either. So we asked Nick when this is actually ready for us to do snagging. He gave us different answers each time. It seems that Sherry Fitzgerald isn't the best to ask.

We tried to reach out to the developer with email. But no response at all for the last few weeks. Can anyone provide us a phone number and name of who is in charge if the tenants have any queries?

Thanks a million and we are looking forward to meeting you all.

Sherry Fitz are beyond useless when it comes to information. they gave us incorrect information more than a few times, including telling us the kitchen floor would be included in the price, and a few other things.

They are only good for taking the deposit, dont ask them anything.

Contact the site office, get talking to Tom. Hes the site clerk. He is good, but busy dealing with a lot of queries for a lot of different properties so be concise and clear in your questions.

MengJiang

Amazing Thanks a million for the information. We will get onto them soon.

Manion

MengJiang wrote: »

Hi all,

My husband and I have just signed the contract for a house in Royal Grand Canal park. We were very excited since Nick said we could do our snagging a few weeks ago. However, we went on the site ourselves. House itself seems mostly done but the garden is not done at all and the back door of the garage isn't installed either. So we asked Nick when this is actually ready for us to do snagging. He gave us different answers each time. It seems that Sherry Fitzgerald isn't the best to ask.

We tried to reach out to the developer with email. But no response at all for the last few weeks. Can anyone provide us a phone number and name of who is in charge if the tenants have any queries?

Thanks a million and we are looking forward to meeting you all.

Is Nick a Ballymore employee?

One things to absolutely avoid is sending in multiple rounds of snagging lists early on. That only plays into the vendors hands. By all means go on site, spot things but insist that you're only willing to start the snagging once the building process is completed and the site cleaned. You're the one that will have to enforce order on chaos here.

PhoenixParker

The call to snag was quite formal and unmistakable for us. Their solicitor wrote to our solicitor advising building was complete and requesting closing + final money within 14 days.

I presume it's the same for everyone.

In our case we already knew it was coming from talking to Ballymore but we did nothing until we got that letter.

slayerking

PhoenixParker wrote: »

The call to snag was quite formal and unmistakable for us. Their solicitor wrote to our solicitor advising building was complete and requesting closing + final money within 14 days.

I presume it's the same for everyone.

In our case we already knew it was coming from talking to Ballymore but we did nothing until we got that letter.

Does that mean you have 2 weeks to snag, for them to fix everything and resnag again to verify? Do they generally resolve everything with 2 weeks?
I would have expected snagging in many cases to go on longer than 2 weeks?

fret_wimp2

slayerking wrote: »

Does that mean you have 2 weeks to snag, for them to fix everything and resnag again to verify? Do they generally resolve everything with 2 weeks?
I would have expected snagging in many cases to go on longer than 2 weeks?

You dont hand over money until all fixes are completed, otherwise, what incentive would there be for them to fix anything?

There may be rare cases where a buyer is pedantic and never happy, and im not sure what happens in that situation.


FYI- our call for snagging was quite informal, it was a phone call from Tom saying the building was ready for snagging. There was nothing official, unless our solicitor has not informed us of some correspondence from Ballymore's solicitors.

PhoenixParker

slayerking wrote: »

Does that mean you have 2 weeks to snag, for them to fix everything and resnag again to verify? Do they generally resolve everything with 2 weeks?
I would have expected snagging in many cases to go on longer than 2 weeks?

In theory. In reality you arrange your snagger, give them the list, they take two weeks to fix it, you check it, pick up on the stuff they've missed. They promise to fix it, you tentatively set closing and arrange drawdiwn; you check again. When you're happy you proceed. Typically takes about four weeks, or at least that's what it took us.

My solicitor was a personal friend so there's a chance he passed stuff on to me that another solicitor would have left sitting longer then it took Tom to start making phone calls.

Keithchap

Anybody know which one's are coming up?

RandomAccess

I presume it's the last remaining block on the site plan. Those close to Ratoath road.

360k is most likely 2 Hamilton rise as it has no snug at the rear. Could give them a call.

Danny87

RandomAccess wrote: »

I presume it's the last remaining block on the site plan. Those close to Ratoath road.

360k is most likely 2 Hamilton rise as it has no snug at the rear. Could give them a call.

Fyi : €360k will be the ash houses with one car space . €370 for two spaces. Nr 11 & 12 is not for sale. Not sure if nr 2 will be up for sale but if it is id imagine it would be less than €360

The Iris at the end is 365k (poor back garden positioning)

Keithchap

They are using the original show houses hence the appointment only for safety reasons.
4 beds are starting from the same price as the last phase.

n1ckymar1e

Hi all, do you know what the price points are on the most recent releases? Do the prices change based on land or are they all pretty much the same? Thanks.

fret_wimp2

Anyone have any idea how the damage to the windows and doors (in below images) will be dealt with by Ballymore?

It looks like it would be expensive to replace a window and door, but they are clearly roughly treated and not in a finished new condition.

Is it a big enough of an issue to hold back on payment?

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

Was up that side of town today so went for a spin past Bridge Avenue. Yes, they are looking close to being ready.
I even had a look in the window of one or two!

I was disappointed with how rough the windows and front door were on some.
Around the windows, the rubber seal looks uneven, pinched in places (see below picture). I hope this was just a case where they wanted to get the house sealed and will come back to tidy it up. if not, then its a job for the snagger.

The window frame was also scratched and scuffed up, i hope they will be repainted.
The front door on another was all scratches also.



Scratches on window frame


front door scratches


seal around the window pinched in

Arbie

andreionut wrote: »

I'm a bit proud of this as I did it by myself, except for the fact that I don't have a proper faceplate in place.

IMG_1159 (1).jpg

I've upgraded from the default cable setup by asking for Cat6 (in retrospect not that good of an investment as wireless is much better and will improve) and asked for ethernet face plates, connected properly.

To setup the cables there are two options: terminate the cables and just connect them to the router and/or switch or get a patch panel and patch cables. I chose the latter.

I had to buy the tools, including a cable tester and an insertion tool. The cables are patched with the T568B standard and are not labeled. Since I had a router, I put the Air router in modem mode and used my one. In the master bedroom I have an Access Point connected via cable.

Lessons learned:

• Demand that the electrician labels the cables. Ideally ask them to terminate them so you don't have to get a patch panel. Make sure they connect all the cables.
• When the Eircom installer comes in, tell them to install the modem in the utility room instead of in the hallway. It will save you some trouble re-connecting the cable.

Let me know if you have more questions.
How would hooking up to the alarm system would work. Is it because you have a wireless system?

Thanks very much for this! The alarm is wired but it needs an ethernet connexion to access by app.

Arbie

Manion wrote: »

Hi

Network setup:

Alarm Panel.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/l4jq7ldkcyxp6j5/2017-04-24%2008.29.19.jpg?dl=0

8 Port switch

https://www.dropbox.com/s/82f4fchn2lg7u0v/2017-04-24%2008.27.26.jpg?dl=0

VDSL Modem

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gx6gbevq63j5ujb/2017-04-24%2008.27.42.jpg?dl=0

Hall Box
https://www.dropbox.com/s/g7osmmizdjce2p5/2017-02-17%2010.27.07.jpg?dl=0

The cable circled in blue on the alarm panel runs behind the wall and out again into the 8 port switch. The red circle on the alarm panel is a unused cable, it runs from that point out to the box in the hall, and was my third "mystery cable". It's there to facilitate people installing the VDSL modem in the hall and connecting directly to the panel.

The switch has an uplink to the VDSL modem via the cable circled in red.

I've personally found wifi to be a problem in the house. The nature of the membrane used will attenuate radio signals


Heating System

There are two zones, one for hot water, one for central heating. I've not confirmed this directly myself. They seem to just be used for timing on and off and there is an internal system for regulating temperature on each floor. There are 2 thermostats that are configurable. We where given both a manual and a quick start guide. There was also an information night held to explain the operation, but I didn't make that. The main point of that night was that you shouldn't be interfering with any of the settings except to put it in holidays mode when you're gone for a long period.

Cheers for this!

guns_healy

Has there been an update on when they're laying the last layer on the roads on Phelan park/drive and opening up the side entrance to phelan park/drive?

Nhol78

Is anyone else's oven almost at floor level in Heron's

fret_wimp2

Nhol78 wrote: »

Is anyone else's oven almost at floor level in Heron's

looking at a video of the show house, and thats just shy of a foot lower than in the show house. quite a variation.

Manion

Nhol78 wrote: »

Is anyone else's oven almost at floor level in Heron's

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7uijqia73cr0xno/2016-05-22%2015.42.13.jpg?dl=0

Looks about right when comparing where the microwave is placed. Looks like you have a longer oven.

fret_wimp2

Manion wrote: »

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7uijqia73cr0xno/2016-05-22%2015.42.13.jpg?dl=0

Looks about right when comparing where the microwave is placed. Looks like you have a longer oven.

Over does look longer but whole unit is clearly lower than the show house, see the below screen capture ( apologies for blur, its literally a video frame)