New Development Royal Canal Park D15

slayerking

dovetail wrote: »

Has anyone noticed that the 'family' room in the Heron is quite a cold room. i appreciate its stuck out into the garden without any neighbouring rooms and would expect it so be a little cooler than the main part of the house...but it seems so cold...almost as if it had no insulation!

Defo. Coldest room in the house. Honestly wonder how well it's actually insulated.

Col_Loki

We have just moved in, love the house and area. Same thing with the family room, definitely colder than the rest of the house.

Sorry to hear about all the problems with broadband, we signed up to Eir (through switcher.ie) and were told fibre is no problem. KN engineer called out to connect the line (monday), no problem, DSL engineer should be out to hopefully install the broadband on Thursday. Feel free to PM me if the house number might help others.

Thanks for all the sharing on this thread btw, long time lurker, it's been very helpful.

fret_wimp2

slayerking wrote: »

dovetail wrote: »

Has anyone noticed that the 'family' room in the Heron is quite a cold room. i appreciate its stuck out into the garden without any neighbouring rooms and would expect it so be a little cooler than the main part of the house...but it seems so cold...almost as if it had no insulation!

Defo. Coldest room in the house. Honestly wonder how well it's actually insulated.

never found issue with it. main bathroom is colder in our house by quite a bit.

I think it's because the door is closed more. if all the other doors are propped open heat circulates through the house and keeps it all at a nice temp.

dovetail

slayerking wrote: »

Defo. Coldest room in the house. Honestly wonder how well it's actually insulated.

same here. I expected warmer for BER A rating. .....I guess if other are experiencing the same i guess that's just how how it is.....was getting worried that somebody forgot to put insulation in that room at the time of building the house

slayerking

dovetail wrote: »

same here. I expected warmer for BER A rating. .....I guess if other are experiencing the same i guess that's just how how it is.....was getting worried that somebody forgot to put insulation in that room at the time of building the house

If the door is left open its grand, its only really when its closed that you'd notice it being a bit cold. We've taken the pins out of some of the hinges so we can just leave doors open where we need to.

andreionut

dovetail wrote: »

Has anyone noticed that the 'family' room in the Heron is quite a cold room. i appreciate its stuck out into the garden without any neighbouring rooms and would expect it so be a little cooler than the main part of the house...but it seems so cold...almost as if it had no insulation!

It was the same for us until we stopped the main sources of draft. If you see an opening between the windowsill and the window, or underneath the windowsill use some caulk to cover it (The cracks are normal as the house settles), and close the "vent". the latter won't do that much as those plastic flimsy things are not great for keeping the draft. You can put in a roll of toilet paper to fill the whole in the wall that is called a vent.

I forgot to post this, but the plumber mentioned that the radiator valves in the rooms (be big white ones with `eres`on the top) are actually thermostatic valves, which means that each number corresponds to a temperature. Once the room has the set temperature it shuts down the valve and does not get more hot water.

I found what the gradations mean:
Temperature Settings:
* 0: Fully Off Position
* Star: Frost Position (7°C)
* 1: 12°C
* 2: 16°C
* 3: 20°C
* 4: 24°C
* 5: 28°C

I keep the main bedroom (I'm in a Heron) a bit above 3 and the thermostat at 22 and I can see from a room thermometer that the temperature is 20-21 most of the time. This is useful as the heat goes up and you could end-up with a hot bedroom at night.

fret_wimp2

andreionut wrote: »

It was the same for us until we stopped the main sources of draft. If you see an opening between the windowsill and the window, or underneath the windowsill use some caulk to cover it (The cracks are normal as the house settles), and close the "vent". the latter won't do that much as those plastic flimsy things are not great for keeping the draft. You can put in a roll of toilet paper to fill the whole in the wall that is called a vent.

I forgot to post this, but the plumber mentioned that the radiator valves in the rooms (be big white ones with `eres`on the top) are actually thermostatic valves, which means that each number corresponds to a temperature. Once the room has the set temperature it shuts down the valve and does not get more hot water.

I found what the gradations mean:
Temperature Settings:
* 0: Fully Off Position
* Star: Frost Position (7°C)
* 1: 12°C
* 2: 16°C
* 3: 20°C
* 4: 24°C
* 5: 28°C

I keep the main bedroom (I'm in a Heron) a bit above 3 and the thermostat at 22 and I can see from a room thermometer that the temperature is 20-21 most of the time. This is useful as the heat goes up and you could end-up with a hot bedroom at night.

Good information here.
Its really not recommended to fill the vent however. If people are in the room much, then it will start to accumulate moisture and can lead to damp and mould issues.

if you want to test for yourself, get one of the cheap unibond moisture absorbers and put it in your bedroom, one night with a blocked vent, one night without.

Notice the difference in quantity of moisture it collects when the vent is covered.

You can get baffled vents that help prevent a straight through draught, and also help dampen the noise.

dmcc123456

Hi everyone. Thanks for all the posts, all very helpful. I’m hopefully moving into one of the Ash houses and have a quick question I hope someone might help me with.

Does anyone have the internal dimensions of the family room/snug?

Thanks

Bruncvik

dmcc123456 wrote: »

Hi everyone. Thanks for all the posts, all very helpful. I’m hopefully moving into one of the Ash houses and have a quick question I hope someone might help me with.

Does anyone have the internal dimensions of the family room/snug?

Thanks

2775 x 3035 mm. Measures may vary a little. We got it in the second phase; I visited one of the Ashes in the next batch and one of the walls actually has a bend in it, so it wasn't a perfect rectangle. Also be aware that those are wall-to-wall measures. We ordered a media wall for the room to go along the longer wall and specced it to 2915mm, as we won't be removing the skirting boards.

After we got the keys, I measured our house for flooring and posted all measurements here.

Keithchap

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

Good information here.
Its really not recommended to fill the vent however. If people are in the room much, then it will start to accumulate moisture and can lead to damp and mould issues.

if you want to test for yourself, get one of the cheap unibond moisture absorbers and put it in your bedroom, one night with a blocked vent, one night without.

Notice the difference in quantity of moisture it collects when the vent is covered.

You can get baffled vents that help prevent a straight through draught, and also help dampen the noise.

Are all bedrooms supposed to have vents?

fret_wimp2

Keithchap wrote: »

Are all bedrooms supposed to have vents?

Not sure of the regulations, but all rooms except the smallest bedroom have vents.

Unsure why that one has no vent.

Nhol78

For any one interested the Garda have an open day for people to drop over if they have any issues or questions, The attached gives the details it is tomorrow 6th of Feb

gilga

Looking for an installer for a wired alarm system. Anyone happy to suggest someone they used for a heron?

From reading up looks like either hkc/spc model is way to go. (Or at least the models preferred by installers)

Any advice pm or ogherwise is welcome

Keithchap

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

Not sure of the regulations, but all rooms except the smallest bedroom have vents.

Unsure why that one has no vent.

Thanks. We only have them in two bedrooms, top floor and back room, neither of the front rooms.

mooninite1

Morning All,
In case anyone isn't aware of progress with the current status of the canal path from RCP to the Luas in Broombridge, this falls under the Royal Canal Greenway project.
The stretch from RCP to Broombridge is Phase 4 of this project, which has been delayed in recent years, but is now due to proceed to procurement of a consultant (Q1 2018) and then design and tender preparation (Q4 2018).
https://raymcadam.com/2018/01/10/so-just-when-will-work-start-on-the-royal-canal-greenway/
Based on that timetable it is likely that work on that stretch of the path (which according to the overview at the link below will see the path widened, with lighting and CCTV installed - see Phase 4/Section 6) will not commence until some time in 2019.
http://www.dublincity.ie/main-menu-services-planning-planning-news/royal-canal-greenway-part-8
Has anybody heard anything else about the above? Not looking forward to walking in the dark to the Luas through another winter, especially with a couple of deep drops into canal locks and derelict industrial units along that stretch!

mooninite1

Morning All,
In case anyone isn't aware of progress with the current status of the canal path from RCP to the Luas in Broombridge, this falls under the Royal Canal Greenway project.
The stretch from RCP to Broombridge is Phase 4 of this project, which has been delayed in recent years, but is now due to proceed to procurement of a consultant (Q1 2018) and then design and tender preparation (Q4 2018).
https://raymcadam.com/2018/01/10/so-just-when-will-work-start-on-the-royal-canal-greenway/
Based on that timetable it is likely that work on that stretch of the path (which according to the overview at the link below will see the path widened, with lighting and CCTV installed - see Phase 4/Section 6) will not commence until some time in 2019.
http://www.dublincity.ie/main-menu-services-planning-planning-news/royal-canal-greenway-part-8
Has anybody heard anything else about the above? Not looking forward to walking in the dark to the Luas through another winter, especially with a couple of deep drops into canal locks and derelict industrial units along that stretch!

RandomAccess

Get a flashlight from Nitecore, Olight or Fenix.
I doubt things will speed up considerably and the path might close entirely during the renovation, I don't know if it will or not.

slayerking

I was hoping it would be renovated sooner but what can ye do.

Another alternative is to take the slightly longer route around by the Ballyboggan road. Should be safer and better lit, though I havent walked it yet myself.

mooninite1

The longer route is pretty well lit alright so it's not the end of the world. It will be great when it's finished though.

PhoenixParker

It's grand in the morning. I don't usually use it in the evenings but when I have there's been four or five people walking together.

The main hazard is the seas of mud that form after heavy rain. I have a personal plan to head down with a bucket of gravel some Saturday to make those passable all the time.

I've had far more issues with the swans in summer then the darkness in winter.

Also there are no locks between the new ratoath bridge and broombridge so there are no extra deep/scary/freefall sections.

RandomAccess

slayerking wrote: »

I was hoping it would be renovated sooner but what can ye do.

Another alternative is to take the slightly longer route around by the Ballyboggan road. Should be safer and better lit, though I havent walked it yet myself.

I've previously spoken to Cllr Roderic O'Gorman about the canal path and have also mentioned it on various social media accounts for relevant bodies who are responding to those queries. It's not in Limbo at least, just delayed.

I would suggest everyone keep an even pressure on so there are no further delays and to consider lobbying in favor of cycling infrastructure so that the area connectivity continues to improve.

The Royal Canal Greenway is expected to be a busy cycle route into the city and will provide a great link to Phibsborough.
We are in a great position to benefit enormously from a potential transition toward a cycle friendly City so maybe consider getting behind this.

manufangirl

Just something strange i noticed on google maps today - there seems to be a new street called "Hamilton View" in between Hamilton Walk and RCA, the location coordinates are 53.375688, -6.312029 on google maps

has anyone any ideas where this has come from? weirdly the Hamilton View Road seems to correspond to the Phase 5 Hamilton Walk.

On the Eircode site Hamilton View seems to correspond to the houses facing rathoath road.

Bruncvik

PhoenixParker wrote: »

It's grand in the morning. I don't usually use it in the evenings but when I have there's been four or five people walking together.

The main hazard is the seas of mud that form after heavy rain. I have a personal plan to head down with a bucket of gravel some Saturday to make those passable all the time.

I've had far more issues with the swans in summer then the darkness in winter.

Also there are no locks between the new ratoath bridge and broombridge so there are no extra deep/scary/freefall sections.

I fully agree. The mud is annoying in winter, as are the swans in summer. At this point, though, I have three safety concerns regarding the path:

1. Crossing the road from Luas. Presumably, you don't have to cross the road, and instead go under the bridge. The path there, though, is super-narrow, and meeting a runner or cyclist can easily lead to a collision. Because there's no footpath on the other side of the road, you also cannot cross the road on top of the bridge, where you can see incoming cars; you have to do it at a blind spot farther down the bridge. It's okay now in winter when you can see the light beams of incoming cars, but when it becomes light, this part may become dangerous.

2. Congestion. Currently, the path is wide enough for two people. I usually arrive at Broombridge between 18:00 and 18:30, and even though it's still dark and cold, up to a dozen cyclists pass me along my way. When it gets warmer and lighter, traffic will increase, and so will the potential for collisions among people on the path.

3. Antisocial behavior. Last October, I got assaulted there by a group of feral teens. This was during daylight, when the path had been relatively busy. I reported it to the Guards and was told that the path is difficult to police, and thus dangerous, and that I should exercise my good judgment and not walk there anymore.

Ironically, I consider winter the safest period for the path. I'll reserve my judgement of other seasons until I experience them.

Bruncvik

manufangirl wrote: »

Just something strange i noticed on google maps today - there seems to be a new street called "Hamilton View" in between Hamilton Walk and RCA, the location coordinates are 53.375688, -6.312029 on google maps

Nice to see Google finally updated their maps. That would also explain why I see so many drivers stop at the bollards at Phelan Park and look lost - Google has the street open from both ends

kj72

Hi, i'm possibly interested in buying an Ash or Heron in the next phase - has anyone here done in maths in terms of which offers better value in terms of euros per square feet etc.?

also in relation to the Ash what's the attic situation? would it be possible to convert down the line and does it come finished in such a way that you would use it for storage i.e. with pull down ladder and some flooring above?

I'm also considering the second phase of the nearby rathborne park development - anyone got any views - biased or otherwise - on which development is 'best'??
apologies for all the questions and thanks in advance for any responses.

Kj

Bruncvik

kj72 wrote: »

also in relation to the Ash what's the attic situation? would it be possible to convert down the line and does it come finished in such a way that you would use it for storage i.e. with pull down ladder and some flooring above?

SherryFitz told us that we were not allowed to convert the attic. I personally don't see any technical hurdles, though - I've seen very similar attics successfully converted.

We currently use the attic just for storage space. There is a pull-down ladder, but we had to do the flooring ourselves, which proved to be surprisingly inexpensive and fast. The only downside is that the insulation material, rock wool, is laid on the floor of the attic. It's fairly easy to compress it and place floorboards over it, but it also means that the attic gets fairly cold during winter and very hot in summer, so don't store any sensitive items. You'll also need good protection against the glass fibers that will fly all around as you compress the wool. I did roughly 7.5 square meters of flooring, which is enough for now. It cost about 120 Euros in material and half a day of work.

When it comes to conversion, you'll have to have some new plumbing done and the water tanks moved - they are smack in the middle of the attic. Other than that, I've seen conversions where the roof support beams had to be reconfigured, and I think that will be the case here, too. Nothing insurmountable, though.

sunshine135

kj72 wrote: »

I'm also considering the second phase of the nearby rathborne park development - anyone got any views - biased or otherwise - on which development is 'best'??
apologies for all the questions and thanks in advance for any responses.

Kj

If it was my choice, if the houses were roughly the same, I would prefer going with Ballymore (Camden development). They have very good reputation, our snagger actually called them "one of the best in Dublin" for good quality builds. We moved to one of the houses last year and are happy with the quality, overall space management in the house and Ballymore are responsive to correct any issues after we moved in. Not saying everything is perfect and some things could be always better... but still overall we are very happy with the house.

I don't know much about the other developer. It would be worth checking some house built by them and also comparing different houses offered by both developers.

Good luck,

tradesman

3. Antisocial behavior. Last October, I got assaulted there by a group of feral teens. This was during daylight, when the path had been relatively busy. I reported it to the Guards and was told that the path is difficult to police, and thus dangerous, and that I should exercise my good judgment and not walk there anymore.

I don't suppose the guard would exercise his / her judgement & think "oh...somebody has just been assaulted, I better go & deal with it"
I wonder do they get schooled in these answers at training college?

RandomAccess

Have put in a request with Waterways Ireland to address the potholes. Will see what comes of it.

I don't use the route very often myself, mainly weekends so if you see it gets sorted let me know.

fret_wimp2

tradesman wrote: »

3. Antisocial behavior. Last October, I got assaulted there by a group of feral teens. This was during daylight, when the path had been relatively busy. I reported it to the Guards and was told that the path is difficult to police, and thus dangerous, and that I should exercise my good judgment and not walk there anymore.

I don't suppose the guard would exercise his / her judgement & think "oh...somebody has just been assaulted, I better go & deal with it"
I wonder do they get schooled in these answers at training college?

The garda in the area are generally very good, much better than when i had to deal with D18 garda.
Any time i have called, i was not fobbed off.

Its worth noting that you will almost always get a better response if you ring 999 or 112 to report an incident. Its the emergency line, calls are all logged and they have to act and it covers the country.

Calling the station is "usually" not the best course of action, it can be limited in staff, and those staff can be dealing with many things, meaning your query can go un-dealt with for longer than necessary, or if you are on the border of station jurisdiction, they can tell you call the other station. This wont happen with 999 or 112.

Regarding Cabra garda, a few months back i emailed a general query regarding how antisocial youths are dealt with, describing a few issues that were in the area over the past few months. The community garda rang me a day or two later, and discussed at length how these things are handled, and also confirmed that they would be increasing patrols of the area to help combat the issue. He was genuinely concerned, wanted to address my queries and help.

Same case with the garda who attend the periodic community meetings, they are always very helpful.

Id say like the rest of us, there are days when they are dealing with a lot of sh1t and you just caught one at a bad moment. its not a good excuse, but mostly they really do try.

Bruncvik

I agree that the Garda are very responsive and trying their best. In their defense, I did not call 112, but instead filled their on-line form (included photos as well) when I got home. I personally was more startled than hurt - those were 13, 14-year old kids and didn't have the strength to do me actual harm. So I messaged Garda, asking for more patrols of the area, in case the kids attack more vulnerable people. I got a call later, where we clarified a few things, in particular:

1. The Guards don't have the resources to constantly patrol the canal, but they are trying their best.

2. I should use common sense: Not to go near the industrial estate on foot before Halloween, when the estate is full of feral teens collecting bonfire material.

3. Apparently, there is a common misconception (I had the same) that the Cabra Garda station is open only from 9:00 to 17:00, and that calling outside the hours would do no good. So in case of any criminal activity, one can call anytime, but 112 is preferred. I wrote, instead of phoning, for this particular reason.

Personally, though, I expect improvement over the next decade or two. With Luas, I would expect the industrial estate to be sold for new development - either more housing or an office park - with their own security, which should keep antisocial behavior under control.

RandomAccess

Bruncvik wrote: »

Nice to see Google finally updated their maps. That would also explain why I see so many drivers stop at the bollards at Phelan Park and look lost - Google has the street open from both ends

You can submit a correction on Google maps.
I've done so for some other routes in the past.
Can you try that?

Bruncvik

RandomAccess wrote: »

You can submit a correction on Google maps.
I've done so for some other routes in the past.
Can you try that?

I did so even before I replied I actually drew the Phase 1 and 2 roads (including the bollards) in Open Street Maps a long time ago, and much of it got propagated into Mapquest (the latter doesn't have a feature for the bollards, so they show a through-way). Don't understand why Google only recently updated, after nearly a year of the data being available on OSM.

OfflerCrocGod

Bruncvik wrote: »

The only downside is that the insulation material, rock wool, is laid on the floor of the attic. It's fairly easy to compress it and place floorboards over it,

Pretty sure that reduces the insulating ability of your attic.

Bruncvik

OfflerCrocGod wrote: »

Pretty sure that reduces the insulating ability of your attic.

I would assume so as well, but after all four seasons I couldn't see a noticeable drop in energy efficiency yet. And eventually I plan on having insulation put on the roof itself.

tippmon

yeah we noticed the same - we had it closed for a bit as we have yet to decorate it and when you go in it is baltic - seems to keep a little more heat if left open.

fret_wimp2

open house today with sherry fitz in the original show houses.

anyone who bought, it's worth a trip up to have a nose around , with hindsight in mind.

kitchen is quite different from what we ended up getting despite a few arguments to the contrary after moving in! dimensions also seem different in some rooms.

massive interest, constant stream of people which is a great sign, and price lists and a new brochure up for grabs!

cronos

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

open house today with sherry fitz in the original show houses.

anyone who bought, it's worth a trip up to have a nose around , with hindsight in mind.

kitchen is quite different from what we ended up getting despite a few arguments to the contrary after moving in! dimensions also seem different in some rooms.

massive interest, constant stream of people which is a great sign, and price lists and a new brochure up for grabs!

Not around this weekend but if anyone goes could they post the photos? Or send via PM. Liked some of the decore choices in the 3 bed.

RandomAccess

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

open house today with sherry fitz in the original show houses.

anyone who bought, it's worth a trip up to have a nose around , with hindsight in mind.

kitchen is quite different from what we ended up getting despite a few arguments to the contrary after moving in! dimensions also seem different in some rooms.

massive interest, constant stream of people which is a great sign, and price lists and a new brochure up for grabs!

I didn't notice major difference in the kitchen. But I do much prefer the giant mirror they used in the family bathroom.

I have a laser measure if you want to borrow it to check any measurement.

fret_wimp2

cronos wrote: »

Not around this weekend but if anyone goes could they post the photos? Or send via PM. Liked some of the decore choices in the 3 bed.

Didnt take any photos but got a brochure that has lots of pictures. The new styling of the Heron is(in my subjective opinion) not great, busy and cluttered.

Kitchen is nicer than ours, it has the large minerva top with minerva breakfast bar, not the much lower wooden shelf/breakfast bar we got in phase 3(i think). We do have an extra little press on the side of the island that is not in the showhouse.

Living room felt smaller, as did the main bedroom but i think thats just down to them being absolutely full of furniture, carpets, patterned wallpaper & sheets and lots of ornaments (clutter basically removed the bright airy feeling for me), but i think they are the same size.

Spare bedroom with no en-suite felt a bit smaller than ours.


Styling of the Ash(3 bed) is now much nicer, much less cluttered and busy. Kitchen is lovely, id happily swap it for our heron kitchen.

Big mirrors in the bathrooms are beautiful, i wish they put them in all the houses, probably the one thing i prefer from the show house(s).


Nice to go back and look at how a show house is presented though, its designed to give a plush, expensive feel with textured wallpapers, vases, jars, dishes and ornaments on every surface, quilted headboards, deep carpet etc, but IMO its not something you could live in.
I would be tripping over the furniture, there's just too much of it, e.g. living room had two couches, ornament cabinet, chest of drawers, small chair, stool, big glass coffee table and drinks trolley, not to mention vases and flowers everywhere. Where's the space to actually live in and use the room? same with bedroom, stacks of old style suitcases on the window sill & on the floor, just taking up space. I would be much more objective if viewing show houses again!

I have a laser measure if you want to borrow it to check any measurement.

Thanks for the offer, probably not worth the effort though, no changing the dimensions of our house now! Was just good to see. Seems to be more variation than i realized across different phases.

1dav

How much are the houses in the new phase?

cronos

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

Didnt take any photos but got a brochure that has lots of pictures. The new styling of the Heron is(in my subjective opinion) not great, busy and cluttered.

Kitchen is nicer than ours, it has the large minerva top with minerva breakfast bar, not the much lower wooden shelf/breakfast bar we got in phase 3(i think). We do have an extra little press on the side of the island that is not in the showhouse.

Living room felt smaller, as did the main bedroom but i think thats just down to them being absolutely full of furniture, carpets, patterned wallpaper & sheets and lots of ornaments (clutter basically removed the bright airy feeling for me), but i think they are the same size.

Spare bedroom with no en-suite felt a bit smaller than ours.


Styling of the Ash(3 bed) is now much nicer, much less cluttered and busy. Kitchen is lovely, id happily swap it for our heron kitchen.

Big mirrors in the bathrooms are beautiful, i wish they put them in all the houses, probably the one thing i prefer from the show house(s).


Nice to go back and look at how a show house is presented though, its designed to give a plush, expensive feel with textured wallpapers, vases, jars, dishes and ornaments on every surface, quilted headboards, deep carpet etc, but IMO its not something you could live in.
I would be tripping over the furniture, there's just too much of it, e.g. living room had two couches, ornament cabinet, chest of drawers, small chair, stool, big glass coffee table and drinks trolley, not to mention vases and flowers everywhere. Where's the space to actually live in and use the room? same with bedroom, stacks of old style suitcases on the window sill & on the floor, just taking up space. I would be much more objective if viewing show houses again!



Thanks for the offer, probably not worth the effort though, no changing the dimensions of our house now! Was just good to see. Seems to be more variation than i realized across different phases.

If anyone has a soft copy of the brochure let me know.

RandomAccess

cronos wrote: »

If anyone has a soft copy of the brochure let me know.

It's on the updated website, http://camden.royalcanalpark.com

Click download brochure and it gives you a PDF copy.

RandomAccess

1dav wrote: »

How much are the houses in the new phase?

Ash mid terrace from 385, Heron mid terrace from 445.

amiurve

1dav wrote: »

How much are the houses in the new phase?

Ash (3-bed) -EUR 385,000 starting
4-bed - Starting EUR 445,000.

I'm interested in the Ash and booked it. But just wondering if the price is inflated and its worth it?
If anyone can share their views would be greatly appreciated.

fret_wimp2

amiurve wrote: »

Ash (3-bed) -EUR 385,000 starting
4-bed - Starting EUR 445,000.

I'm interested in the Ash and booked it. But just wondering if the price is inflated and its worth it?
If anyone can share their views would be greatly appreciated.

Only a question you can answer really as its your money and property is very subjective. Anyone who lives here has bought the property in the past 2-3 years and did so because they were happy with the price, build quality, location and other factors.

Yes they are more expensive than previous phases. That doesnt mean they are not worth prices being asked, demand is massive and the market is increasing, you're never going to get one at the previous phase price.


-If you viewed the houses, did you like them?
-How do they compare to other houses you have viewed in the locality and in other areas you are interested in?
-If Camden/RCP is more expensive than the other areas, is it worth it, to you based on its location, build quality, transport routes etc?

Bruncvik

amiurve wrote: »

Ash (3-bed) -EUR 385,000 starting
4-bed - Starting EUR 445,000.

I'm interested in the Ash and booked it. But just wondering if the price is inflated and its worth it?
If anyone can share their views would be greatly appreciated.

It depends. We got the Ash in the second phase, booked it 2 years ago and moved in October 2016. Here are some calculations we made, updated with hindsight and the current data:

* At 385k, assuming a 20% down payment, 3% mortgage interest rate and 30 years repayment, you're looking at 1300 Euros per month. In comparison, there are currently 3 properties to rent in the area, all apartments. A 1-bed is for 1250, a 2-bed for 1900 and a 3-bed for 2000. So from this perspective, it makes perfect sense to buy instead of renting.

* You have to take into account additional costs before moving in. For example, we had the house floored and painted by professionals, and purchased a garden shed. The additional costs for these was around 12k. You'll need at least the floors, which were close to 10k. Of course, you'll save if you can do them yourself.

* Energy costs are much lower than in existing houses and apartments. We pay between 60 and 120 per month for electricity, and we're very liberal with heating and cooking/baking.

* The houses are very well built, and you'll have the benefit of having some kinks worked out already (in particular the extractor fan insulation and a better quality kitchen splashboard), so the cost for upkeep will be initially lower than if you purchased an older building or apartment.

When we purchased, we paid a rent of 1550 in the city center, and we still considered the house to be a large net financial benefit. The only downside of owning a new build is that we are always frustrated when we try to get Ballymore fix any small issues. That stress is difficult to quantify, but I think it's still worth it.

One more advice to you and everyone else who purchased today: Don't believe anything Sherry Fitz says, regarding what can or cannot be done with the house. Once you sign the contract and pay the 20k deposit, stop talking to them and instead talk to Ballymore if you want any changes or additions to your house.

amiurve

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

Only a question you can answer really as its your money and property is very subjective. Anyone who lives here has bought the property in the past 2-3 years and did so because they were happy with the price, build quality, location and other factors.

Yes they are more expensive than previous phases. That doesnt mean they are not worth prices being asked, demand is massive and the market is increasing, you're never going to get one at the previous phase price.


-If you viewed the houses, did you like them?
-How do they compare to other houses you have viewed in the locality and in other areas you are interested in?
-If Camden/RCP is more expensive than the other areas, is it worth it, to you based on its location, build quality, transport routes etc?

Thanks for the response. No doubt locality, number of options for commute is pretty attractive. Actually that's the reason of blocking the house today.

amiurve

Bruncvik wrote: »

It depends. We got the Ash in the second phase, booked it 2 years ago and moved in October 2016. Here are some calculations we made, updated with hindsight and the current data:

* At 385k, assuming a 20% down payment, 3% mortgage interest rate and 30 years repayment, you're looking at 1300 Euros per month. In comparison, there are currently 3 properties to rent in the area, all apartments. A 1-bed is for 1250, a 2-bed for 1900 and a 3-bed for 2000. So from this perspective, it makes perfect sense to buy instead of renting.

* You have to take into account additional costs before moving in. For example, we had the house floored and painted by professionals, and purchased a garden shed. The additional costs for these was around 12k. You'll need at least the floors, which were close to 10k. Of course, you'll save if you can do them yourself.

* Energy costs are much lower than in existing houses and apartments. We pay between 60 and 120 per month for electricity, and we're very liberal with heating and cooking/baking.

* The houses are very well built, and you'll have the benefit of having some kinks worked out already (in particular the extractor fan insulation and a better quality kitchen splashboard), so the cost for upkeep will be initially lower than if you purchased an older building or apartment.

When we purchased, we paid a rent of 1550 in the city center, and we still considered the house to be a large net financial benefit. The only downside of owning a new build is that we are always frustrated when we try to get Ballymore fix any small issues. That stress is difficult to quantify, but I think it's still worth it.

One more advice to you and everyone else who purchased today: Don't believe anything Sherry Fitz says, regarding what can or cannot be done with the house. Once you sign the contract and pay the 20k deposit, stop talking to them and instead talk to Ballymore if you want any changes or additions to your house.

Many Thanks for the detailed reply and the advise. It helps a lot in making a decision.

fret_wimp2

Bruncvik wrote: »

The only downside of owning a new build is that we are always frustrated when we try to get Ballymore fix any small issues. That stress is difficult to quantify, but I think it's still worth it.

I doubt this will be any different regardless of who the developer is, and from any dealings I've had with Ballymore pretty good. They are onsite so no long lead time to get professionals out, and I've found them very fair, they dont push back if something should have been done or needs fixing.

Its a little more difficult when dealing with vendors who have warranties on specific parts of the house, such as the kitchen and the heating system. Ballymore wont touch these.
We had some issues getting work done by the kitchen company in the beginning but it looks like they now have someone in managing the office, communications and scheduling. Responses to queries are now quite quick, work is now scheduled and gets done at the agreed time, which is a huge improvement and removes a lot of headaches.

Bruncvik wrote: »

One more advice to you and everyone else who purchased today: Don't believe anything Sherry Fitz says, regarding what can or cannot be done with the house. Once you sign the contract and pay the 20k deposit, stop talking to them and instead talk to Ballymore if you want any changes or additions to your house.

This x10000. There's nothing wrong with someone saying "i dont know but let me find out and get back to you tomorrow".Sherry Fitz will never say "i dont know" to a question, they just guess the answer, usually incorrectly.

Anything you ask them, double check with Ballymore & maybe post up here also.