New Houses at Beresford

General discussion on all issues relating to Donabate and Portrane
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aido123
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Anyone buying here, when do they expect to be finished and will the council ever widen the road on Turvey & add a better path? Thanks, A
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Austy
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From chatting with the builder, they will be there for 4-5 years, there's 168 houses and a chreche going in. After that, I believe the land behind the new estate, Beverton and the Bevertsown golf course is to be developed.
As for footpath etc, I'd imagine that the 50kph zone will be extended (not that it does a lot of good as some drivers are lunatics on that road) but after that, I couldn't tell you. It's been talked about long enough!
diggerbarnes
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What's the deal with the golf course being developed? Is it closing down?
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Ken
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diggerbarnes wrote:What's the deal with the golf course being developed? Is it closing down?
Sounds like lands adjacent to Beaverstown. AFAIK, it's still going strong. Turvey is classed as farming land so won't be developed as things stand.
Regards,

Ken.
TheBlowIn
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I've bought here and will be new to the area (hence the username!). According to the builder, the first 14 houses are due to be completed between now and August/September. As Austy mentioned, there is planning permission for about 160 houses, will probably take a few years to complete assuming all are built.

See http://planning.fingalcoco.ie/swiftlg/a ... =F12A/0086 for the planning file. The site is bounded to the east by Beverton, the west by Waterlefe/old Turvey Golf course and the northern edge is roughly in line with the north edge of Beverton. There's a parcel of land north of this (just south of Beaverstown Golf Club) that's zoned for development, but without planning permission yet.
Mr. Stupid
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Welcome to the 'Bate blowin.
Derek
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@TheBlowIn, welcome to the 'hood! ;)

A quick question for you: those houses are fitted to a heat to air pump instead of a traditional gas fired central heating system. How do you find the central heating system, and is gas an option - even for cooking?
Mr. Stupid
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Any chance the builder (Hora) could finish off the green and road at Beverton if he has any free time? My dog is complaining that he can't wee on some of the trees there. Obviously if he does poo's I clean them up.
TheBlowIn
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Thanks for all the welcomes, though I won't be moving in until later in the summer.

@Derek, I've no direct experience with heat pumps, though the same technology was used in the last Beverton phase and anecdotally it seems fine. As I understand it there's no gas option, all electric (pumping and backup immersion). Will just have to wait and see how it performs in practice.
Archdale
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@theblowin which phase have you bought in ? Missed the first phase myself but looking at buying in the second phase which should be complete by December/January. They look lovely from the outside but also interested to see how the heating system works. I'll be another blowin to the village
TheBlowIn
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@Archdale First phase.
Islander
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I'm interested in buying in Beresford too and would be really interested in finding out how the heat pump system works. The SEAI say here http://www.seai.ie/Your_Building/BER/Yo ... Rating.pdf that an A3 energy-rated 3-bad semi-d should only cost €470 a year to heat so that would be a massive attraction.
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Bill_Lumbergh
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Islander wrote:I'm interested in buying in Beresford too and would be really interested in finding out how the heat pump system works. The SEAI say here http://www.seai.ie/Your_Building/BER/Yo ... Rating.pdf that an A3 energy-rated 3-bad semi-d should only cost €470 a year to heat so that would be a massive attraction.
I looked into them recently and they're a pretty cool technology but I read a lot of horror stories of them not being fitted correctly and electricity bills running into the 1000's. The problem with a new technology like this is that there's a lack of expertise when it comes to servicing / troubleshooting.

That said, if they're being installed by builders for an entire estate, I'm sure whomever they've contracted should know what they're doing. If I were buying there, I'd be sure to know who the installer is, and even have a chat to them before moving in to make sure you know how to check out if they're not working right (before getting slammed with a large electricity bill that you can't get out of).
TheBlowIn
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Bill_Lumbergh wrote:
Islander wrote:I'm interested in buying in Beresford too and would be really interested in finding out how the heat pump system works. The SEAI say here http://www.seai.ie/Your_Building/BER/Yo ... Rating.pdf that an A3 energy-rated 3-bad semi-d should only cost €470 a year to heat so that would be a massive attraction.
I looked into them recently and they're a pretty cool technology but I read a lot of horror stories of them not being fitted correctly and electricity bills running into the 1000's. The problem with a new technology like this is that there's a lack of expertise when it comes to servicing / troubleshooting.

That said, if they're being installed by builders for an entire estate, I'm sure whomever they've contracted should know what they're doing. If I were buying there, I'd be sure to know who the installer is, and even have a chat to them before moving in to make sure you know how to check out if they're not working right (before getting slammed with a large electricity bill that you can't get out of).
Exactly, how effective they are in practice comes down to the suitability of the equipment, how well they're installed and whether they are used correctly. The technology is actually pretty old and well tried, but is fairly new for domestic heating in Ireland, hence there's a risk relative to conventional heating. I've a friend who works in renewable energy, and his take was that a correctly installed and commissioned system should be fine. If it doesn't work, the supplier will be hearing all about it!
123
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Serious demand for these house, we applied for one of the four beds and didnt make the cut:-( lovely houses. Very big estate though.
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Austy
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I moved into the last phase of Beverton last July and have been using the heat pump. First off, the heat pump works best when the house is super insulated, which both mine and Beresford are. The system provides hot water 24/7, when I say hot water, it is about 65 - 70 degrees, so more than adequate for showers/baths etc. The pump kicks in automatically to keep the water hot. If you're planning to be away for 2-3 weeks or so, you can shut it off to save electricity, though the system will need to work quite hard to heat the cold water up again.
Regarding the heating, it is split for upstairs/downstairs and we just flick a switch and the pump comes on. The radiators don't heat up to the same level as oil/gas powered systems, putting your hand on the radiator won't burn you in the slightest, but with all the insulation, the house heats up very nicely indeed. The builder and pump supplier also supplied us with guidance notes on how to operate it.

Are there any downsides you ask, nothing really serious. When the pump is working, it blows very cold air out of it (it takes the heat out of the air) so you won't be standing in front of it for too long. The pump does look ugly, it's about 5 foot high, 4 foot long and about a foot and a half deep and looks like a commercial air-conditioning unit. The reason it is so big is that it needs to be able to handle the heating requirements of a possible attic conversion in the future. Other than that, no too bad considering the benefits.

The electric solar panels offset the electric cost of the pump and work in the background, there's a meter counting up all the sunshine savings! The cost of my last 2 month bill for all electricity, heating and hot water was €220. Not too shabby!

Regarding the question of gas, we were offered gas and our house was plumbed for it, however we didn't see the point of having to pay another standing charge for just using it for cooking. I bought an induction hob instead.
Half way through our phase, they stopped offering gas as nobody was going for it as an option, the houses are all electric.

If any of you have other queries relating to either the heat pump or house etc, let me know or PM me.
Best of luck to the new buyers.

Austy.
jekel
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That's great to hear Austy. I've bought in the second phase at Beresford
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Austy
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jekel wrote:That's great to hear Austy. I've bought in the second phase at Beresford
Congratulations Jekel, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I'm currently converting the attic in mine, it's getting dusty but I should have it done in a few weeks.
Archdale
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Thanks Austy for the info re the heating system.

I might pm you over the next couple of months if something springs to mind before we move into the new house in Beresford if that's ok ?

One comforting factor is the good reputation Hora have, i know of people who bought from them in Meath and they speak highly about Hora and the quality of the houses they build and the after sales service.
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Austy
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Archdale wrote:Thanks Austy for the info re the heating system.

I might pm you over the next couple of months if something springs to mind before we move into the new house in Beresford if that's ok ?

One comforting factor is the good reputation Hora have, i know of people who bought from them in Meath and they speak highly about Hora and the quality of the houses they build and the after sales service.
No problem Archdale. There are a couple of things that we specified for the builder to do for us (nothing major, they won't go off plan at all) such as double lights in the dining room, relocation of the bedroom wall over the stairs to facilitate the attic stairs etc etc.
Also, I got a good deal on wooded floors up North plus a guy to fit them at very reasonable money if you're going down that route.
PM me when you want. Best of luck!
donnelbg
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We're also moving into phase one, hopefully in the next few weeks all going to plan! I had been a bit nervous about the heat pump but that news from Austy is reassuring!

The original plan was to put in solar panels and a heat pump the same as the last phase of Beverton, however, now the solar panels have been dropped. Apparently the stove and heat pump have been uprated instead to achieve the same A3 cert. I don't suppose you have the model number off the side of your heat pump so I can verify that is actually is different? It would settle my paranoid mind!

We would also like to convert the attic in the future, anybody have a rough idea what it would cost for just the stairs up? Thanks!

Overall, we're very impressed and happy with the spec and finish and can't wait to move to the area! Two beaches, train station and newbridge house all nearby, what more could you need!!!
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Austy
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donnelbg wrote:We're also moving into phase one, hopefully in the next few weeks all going to plan! I had been a bit nervous about the heat pump but that news from Austy is reassuring!

The original plan was to put in solar panels and a heat pump the same as the last phase of Beverton, however, now the solar panels have been dropped. Apparently the stove and heat pump have been uprated instead to achieve the same A3 cert. I don't suppose you have the model number off the side of your heat pump so I can verify that is actually is different? It would settle my paranoid mind!

We would also like to convert the attic in the future, anybody have a rough idea what it would cost for just the stairs up? Thanks!

Overall, we're very impressed and happy with the spec and finish and can't wait to move to the area! Two beaches, train station and newbridge house all nearby, what more could you need!!!
Hi donnelbg

First of, we could do with another pub and restaurant! :idea:

The solar panels are electric solar panels as opposed to ones for hot water. To be honest, I don't think you'd ever be able to tell the difference month on month between the panel being there and not, they don't produce that much electricity. In addition to that, solar panels by their nature work best when it is sunny, not really the time you're going to have your heating on! Also, the A3 cert isn't dependant on the solar panels being there. The heat pump we have is a Panasonic WH-MXF09D3ES, if yours is the same, I wouldn't go complaining to the builder about it as the solar panels aren't that much good anyway. I don't think you're be losing anything, but your call. The stove is small (maybe you're getting a larger one) but very warm.

I've also started on the attic conversion. Last year I got a quote from About Space who do conversions in Donabate and are recommended by the builder. If memory serves, they quoted about €14k for a full conversion with a single room, though they can put en-suites into the space too.
I reckon that being half handy, my dad and I could install if for about €8-9K though if you're going down this route, make sure that you do everything to building regulations or you could have trouble selling your house in the future.
I installed a large Velux (about 950mm wide and 1600mm long - needs to act as a fire escape) first as it allows ventilation for doing works later on. The window was about €900 which might sound expensive, but the two smallest ones that are permissible as fire escapes don't fit between the width of the trusses, so you'd have to cut the truss to allow them in. One large window is about the same price as two small ones and wouldn't take the same time to install.
This weekend I cut a hole in the ceiling over the stairs for installation of the new stairs (the stairs was manufactured in Sligo, couriered and fully fitted for about €1,300). The electrics, slabbing and insulating we are doing ourselves (PM me for a spec on the insulation if you need it - it will need to be in line with the house) with just a plumber for radiator and plasterer doing the other bits and pieces. Door, skirting, architrave etc. are all from the same supplier as the builder.

If you need anything else, just PM me.
Austy
donnelbg
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Hi Austy,

Thanks a million for the quick reply! Yeah I have heard a bit about the lack of restaurants and pubs but I'm sure this will change with time. I also heard that some sort of pub/restaurant will be going in near the entrance of the Gallery? Anyway, the nearest pub and restaurant to me now is about 5k away so it's defo an improvement!

The model number on the new heat exchanger is WH-MHF09D3E5 so it is slightly different (output water at 65 degrees max compared to 55). I mainly wanted to make sure that the builder was not trying to pull a fast one. He isn't. It's exactly what he said it was but I had to check. As I said before, myself and my wife are very happy with the build and the builders, their attention to detail and the general high standard of the build.

On the conversion, 14k seems huge! No chance of affording that for another (good) few years! However, the price for the stairs seems very reasonable fitted and all! I would be willing to try do some of the other work myself over time I think. The big Velux sounds like a good plan, I would love to put them out the front of the house but I understand you need planning permission for that.

I'm sure I will be in touch at some point for tips on the conversion......in a few years! Thanks for the info, I've good peace of mind now! On a side note, I don't suppose you know any farmers in the area who wouldn't mind me putting a few bee hives in their fields??

Cheers!
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Austy
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You're all on your own with the bees! Try the Turvey allotments, Fingal CoCo run the scheme.
aido123
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Hi donnelbg,

Did I read you right in saying that the builders are no longer going to put solar panels in this new development at beresford? We're also in for the first phase.

Cheers.
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