Silver Vale is a new development of 84 A-rated houses on the Cookstown Road just outside the picturesque village of Enniskerry in Co Wicklow. The developers – Westin Homes and Dowdstown Developments – have paid a lot of attention to detail in building these spacious three-, four- and five-bedroom detached and semidetached homes, but one particular detail really stands out: the Great Sugar Loaf mountain, which rises on the skyline to the south. It can be seen from many of the bedrooms in the development – a nice view to wake up to in the morning.
The houses at Silver Vale are generously proportioned, ranging from 119sq m (1,281sq ft) for the three-bed semidetached houses to 190sq m (2,042sq ft) for the five-bed detached houses. The four-bed semidetached houses measure 142sq m (1,528sq ft) and the four-bed detached houses are 173sq m (1,862sq ft).
All are built on a large site on the Cookstown Road, with five acres of green spaces to allow the development to breathe. Each house has its own driveway for parking, and there is no shortage of parking spaces on the development.
The houses are built in masonry block and concrete, with yellow bricks on the exteriors, and have high levels of insulation, thermal performance and airtightness. Windows, from Munster Joinery, are triple-glazed, low-emission Alu-clad, reflecting heat back into the rooms during the winter months and keeping the rooms cool during the summer. The houses have air-to-water heat pumps with multizone controls and thermostatically controlled radiators.
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The three-bed semidetached houses are priced from €775,000, the four-bed semidetached houses from €950,000, the four-bed detached houses from €1.275 million and the five-bed detached houses from €1.375 million. All boast either an A2 or A3 energy rating and are for sale through Hooke & MacDonald. The first phase of Silver Vale is launching today.
Justin Dunne, founder of Dowdstown Developments, and his son, Austin, have created stylish, comfortable homes in this scenic location. The internal doors are attractively detailed, and the wide skirting boards and hand-finished architraves give a sense of solidity.
All the kitchens have been hand-painted by Cawleys Furniture and fitted with quartz worktops, while the bathrooms and en suites have sanitary ware by Villeroy & Boch. Rather than going for a trendy, ultra-modern look, the Dunnes have kept the decor simple and classic, fitting elegant brass and chrome fittings on the doors, cupboards and wardrobes, laying 18mm herringbone engineered wood floors in the four- and five-beds, with straight-plank in the three-beds. Interior walls are painted in Dulux’s warm and neutral Cotton Bloom shade.
Inside, the houses are designed to work well for busy, growing families, with well-proportioned living spaces, ample ceiling heights, decent-sized double bedrooms and plenty of storage, cupboard and wardrobe spaces.
There’s also a large attic space that is ready for conversion, with steel support beams built in and the skeletal structure already in place. Should new owners decide to convert, they would need to add another set of stairs from the landing, put in the walls, ceiling and floor, and add in a Velux roof lights. The resulting space would be big enough for a large playroom, teenagers’ den, gym or yoga room, with ample headroom.
The back gardens of Silver Vale have been landscaped by Jane McCorkell, and have large patio areas, plus a bespoke shed made by Willow Garden Buildings.
Enniskerry is a lovely village nestling by the river Dargle, with charming cafes and restaurants, and it’s easy to walk in an out of the village via the scenic Beech Walk.
The beautiful Powerscourt Estate, House and Gardens are just around the corner from Silver Vale, and the development is on the doorstep of the Wicklow Mountains, a haven for hillwalkers, with waymarked walks in Glendalough and Lugnaquilla.
Recreational facilities for children are abundant, from Kilruddery House to Clara Lara Funpark. Schools in the area include Powerscourt, St Mary’s and St Gerard‘s national schools, and St Gerard‘s, Presentation College Bray and Loreto secondary schools.
For commuting, the M11 is just down at the bottom of Cookstown Avenue, and the 44 bus route brings you to the city centre in just over an hour. The 185 brings you to Bray, where you can take the Dart to Dublin city centre.
