Summer Time and The Living Is Easy at SeaGreen in Greystones

We have been very excited about the launch of our latest phase of development at SeaGreen Gate, with our show homes opened last weekend to reveal the beautiful interiors of our new houses in Greystones. The show homes will also be open for viewing this Bank Holiday Weekend, Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th May, from 2pm to 4pm. But while we are delighted to show just what you can expect from the  Wilde, the  Yeats and the  Beckett four-bedroom houses in this great development, we are just as excited about the changes the warmer weather is bringing to Greystones, and the stunning scenery and enviable lifestyle that makes this thriving seaside town  the perfect location to buy a new home.

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Picture via The Greystones Guide

For those who enjoy the great outdoors and all that this seaside location has to offer, you need look no further than the famous Cliff Walk between Greystones and Bray. This picture-perfect walk, with its array of wildlife and flora, really comes into its own as the sun begins to shine, with flowers in bloom as far as the eye can see, creating a beautiful landscape like a sea of gold in which to take a leisurely stroll and enjoy  an active lifestyle, as this recent blog from  Greystones Guide reveals.

Even at the seafront, where you can now enjoy a number of  water-based activities, you can’t help but notice the sea of yellow flowers erupting into bloom, and probably won’t be able to resist embarking on the cliff walk to get a closer look and wander through this beautiful vista.

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Picture via The Greystones Guide

This 7km walk from Greystones to Bray Head (pictured below) has a well-maintained path from start to finish that offers amazing views, no matter where you look. The surrounding coast opens out to one side, with the chance to watch seabirds, porpoises, dolphins and basking sharks in the sea below, while on the other, the majestic flora dazzles anybody who takes to this route for fresh air, exercise, or just to wonder at the beauty of this part of the world.

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It’s no surprise that once arriving in Bray, even though the DART line makes the return  commute so easy, many people decide to turn around and make the journey back to Greystones by foot, just so they can take it all in again.

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While the trek along this pathway is a feast for the senses, it can be hungry work, so it is just as well that another major attraction to living in Greystones is that the town has become  a real foodie haven, and can provide a literal feast for anybody who wants to drop in and enjoy a well-deserved treat for the tastebuds too.

Probably the most famous eatery in Greystones is  The Happy Pear, which, though popular all year round, can’t be beaten once the sun begins to shine and crowds gather to sit outside and enjoy a tasty meal and  a perfect summer day, whether that’s on the path to the front of the establishment, or in the back yard behind it.

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The family-run establishment focusing on local produce and natural foods, wholefood café and evening restaurant offers a great dining experience, and really adds to the summer feel of the town. It’s no wonder it is known locally as ‘the happiest place on Earth’.

Tucking into one of the many super-healthy, super-tasty dishes the café offers, while the sun shines down, it’s easy to see why locals and visitors alike soon begin to glow with the same vibrancy you see in the surrounding landscape.

Summer is a real celebration at The Happy Pear, with founding twin brothers Dave and Steve Flynn eager to bring the fresh produce the season brings to their menus. An article in  The Irish Examiner saw them extol the virtues of summer living in Greystones and the surrounding area.

‘There is plenty of ripe fruit, the weather is warm, everyone wants to eat healthy and be outside, and everyone is more extroverted,’ Steve says.

‘Strawberries, raspberries and rhubarb are all in season and even Irish cherries, these all excite us, plus there’s the opportunity to go have more picnics and more outdoor dining, which we really adore.’

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That enthusiasm spreads quickly as the sun shines and the weather gets warmer in Greystones, and the atmosphere of easy, fun living is infectious, making it a truly magical place to call home.

Because of the amazing scenery that really comes into its own as summer rolls around, and the fantastic amenities and special places to sit, relax and enjoy a good meal or a refreshing drink, Greystones is a really special place to visit, but it’s an even better place to call home.

That is  one of the reasons why the development of new houses at  SeaGreen Gate in Greystones is proving so popular. Not only are these homes designed to meet every modern need and convenience, with the highest quality fixtures and fittings throughout, but they are perfectly located overlooking the town and the coast, and are just a stone’s throw from the sea and all the great facilities your family can enjoy close by.

As the pictures above show, Greystones really does come alive in the summertime, and if you choose to buy a new home in the beautiful SeaGreen development, you will quickly find out how easy the living can be.

If you would like to register your interest in a SeaGreen home you can do so here:

Cosy Culinary Hotspots for the Food Lover When You Buy a SeaGreen Home in Greystones

It looks like winter is refusing to leave us, with the freezing weather keeping people from getting out and about. If you own one of the beautiful  new houses for sale at SeaGreen in Greystones, however, there is lots to keep you warm until spring arrives. Not only will these superb energy-efficient and excellently insulated homes keep you and your family snug while the snow falls outside, the town itself provides an array of cosy culinary hotspots where you can bulk up to keep out the cold, and all within minutes of your front door.

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Greystones is  an ideal place to live, with a range of activities to help you enjoy  a great lifestyle, but it is also  a foodie’s dream, offering a number of excellent restaurants, cafes and pubs, where you can while away the hours and enjoy a delicious meal. Here’s just a few ways to stay cosy and well-fed during the winter months:

Coffee at The Happy Pear

It’s impossible to think about food in Greystones without thinking of  The Happy Pear, the family-run shop and wholefood café that has become a national (and international) sensation since it first opened its doors in 2004.

As well as great healthy vegetarian food, their cafes on Church Road and in the Leisure Centre on Mill Road offer delicious coffee, so you can sit, sip and unwind in welcoming and friendly surroundings, keeping cosy while the cold weather bites outside.

Their devotion to the natural artisanal approach to food is also seen in their coffee, which they roast themselves, and source from the finest suppliers around the world, offering seasonal varieties that guarantee that no matter what the time of year, you will get a great-tasting coffee. In these cold months, it really hits the spot, so drop by, settle in, and spend a bit of time with friends or family over a tasty hot drink.

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Hot porridge at The Three Qs

There’s nothing quite like good, wholesome food to keep you warm in the winter months, and to reward your bravery for venturing out into the snow, you can pay a visit to  The Three Qs on Church Road to enjoy their amazing brunch, lunch and dinner menus.

They offer traditional dishes such as wood pigeon, but also North African delicacies that add that extra spice you need at this time of year. Using the best local ingredients, all of their dishes are of a very high quality, but what makes this place a favourite spot for brunch among locals is their famed porridge.

Warm and creamy, and served with bananas and toasted almonds, it’s delicious, but perhaps the best ingredient in this dish is the Baileys, a perfect addition that will keep you warm all day long.

A Curry at Chakra

There are few things more satisfying on a cold and wintry day than a hot curry or a spicy dish, and Greystones is lucky to have one of the finest Indian restaurants in the country in  Chakra by Jaipur (main picture), based at the Meridian Point Centre.

The cuisine is hard to beat, with locally-sourced ingredients used to create modern takes on classic Indian dishes ranging from street food to succulent and satisfying mains, with something for every palate.

The stylish décor lends itself to an immensely cosy atmosphere in which you and your partner, or your whole family, can enjoy a satisfying, cosy meal.

BBQ at Tramyard Kitchen

A cosy BBQ restaurant right in the heart of Greystones means you have a great excuse to leave the house no matter what the weather.  Tramyard Kitchen provides relaxed dining in very cosy surroundings, making it the perfect place to meet up with friends over lunch or dinner.

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Serving a delicious range of chargrilled fish, chicken and juicy steaks, it’s a great place to drop into and surround yourself with the warmth of fire-cooked food.

Soup at the Beach House

There’s nothing like sitting in a cosy and welcoming pub when the weather outside is cold and unforgiving, and the family-owned and run Beach House pub at the harbour in Greystones has been providing a warm haven for locals, fishermen, tourists and hikers since 1850.

The Beach House offers an a la carte menu full of nourishing dishes, but we recommend dropping in for a bowl of their delicious soup served with homemade brown bread that will help keep out the cold.

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A hotspot for lively conversation in a cosy setting, the atmosphere here might mean that dropping in for a bowl of soup may result in you spending more than a few hours enjoying the warmth on offer, and of course, one of the best pints of Guinness in the country.

The good thing is, however, that as with the other great places mentioned above, it’s only a very short walk away from home, if you buy one of the  houses for sale at SeaGreen, so you will be able to go from one cosy setting to another, and keep the cold at bay.

With all of these culinary hotspots right in the middle of the town, Greystones really is an ideal place to find a warm and cosy spot to spend your time, without having to go too far out into the freezing weather.

If you would like to register your interest in buying a home in SeaGreen’s upcoming phase of development, and enjoy all the cosy culinary delights Greystones has to offer, you can do so here:

 

How The SeaGreen Team Are Turning Your House Into A Beautiful Home

Buying a new house is a major commitment, but what is most important is turning that house into a home you can call your own and in which you feel comfortable. Everything about it, from the fixtures and fittings to those little features that make it stand out from the rest need to be at the level you expect, to guarantee your happiness lasts a lifetime.

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At SeaGreen Greystones, the entire team has worked to make this a reality. From Keith the forklift operator who breaks the ground and transports materials to the site of this new development right to the top of the houses with Fran the roofer, and everybody in between, the team working on the SeaGreen houses are very proud to have turned this new build into the perfect home for you.

Keith has been working with SeaGreen for three years, but is still amazed by the coastal views offered by this perfect location by the sea, a sentiment shared by all of the team who have worked on this site to turn this exciting development into luxury, high-spec houses, especially Fran the roofer, who has enjoyed the fantastic views all summer.

Ray the Plumber has overseen the installation of the 3 ½ horse power water pump that looks after all of the plumbing in the SeaGreen houses at Greystones. The rain head shower in the en suite and a separate shower in the main bathroom, as well as all of the sinks throughout the house, all operate off this water pump to give outstanding water pressure at all times. There’s no noisy pipe rattling though, with this feature the quietest on the market.

 

 

Heat production from the heat pump is half the price of that from a conventional boiler, and a quarter of the cost of an immersion system, making it the most efficient way to produce hot water in your home, and meaning your energy bills stay extremely low as you enjoy all the comfort and benefits of a SeaGreen home.

You can read more about the benefits of these super-energy-efficient houses here.

Ray is also very impressed with the piping throughout the house, saying it is of a quality he has never seen before in Irish homes. A German manufactured multi-layer pipe, the fittings, he says, have a ten-year no leak guarantee. Other beautiful features in the bathroom of these homes include the wide shower doors and the soft-shut toilet seats that guarantee longevity.

Ken the carpenter, meanwhile, has been very impressed with the triple-glazed Velux balcony windows in all four-bedroom houses to date at SeaGreen. It’s top pivoted for easy opening and spacious head height, and when you open the bottom section it opens out to become a railed balcony so that you can enjoy being outside, even when you are inside. ‘Like having the benefits of a penthouse apartment, in your family home,’ he says. Perfect for summer days, and for enjoying the fresh sea air all year round.

John the electrician is particularly proud of the fuse board and electrical fittings, saying every part of his job involves using the highest-quality materials, from the chrome sockets to the LED bulbs to the solar panels and heating, ‘all top-spec’ as he says.

 

 

He too mentions how the high-spec energy efficiency that is central to all SeaGreen houses means energy bills are kept to a minimum, meaning you can be free to spend your hard-earned money on the things that matter most to you, and enjoying all that Greystones has to offer you and your family.

Fran the roofer has used high-quality tiles that he says will last not just a lifetime, but far beyond, and are both ventilated and insulated to the highest levels to give these houses a comfortable and easily maintained optimum temperature all-year round.

 

 

These high-quality specs, fixtures and fittings are the important foundations upon which each SeaGreen development is built, and with the on-site team working to give you direct access to contractors, you can be sure that you can turn your new house into the perfect home. You can also get some furnishing tips from interior designer Eily Roe, who is available on-site to meet you and give advice on how to perfect your home interiors.

Check out the video below to see just how beautiful these homes are, and what you can look forward to calling your own.

 

If you would like to secure one of the beautiful high-quality houses at SeaGreen, you can register your interest below:

Register Your Interest In Your New Home

The Benefits Of SeaGreen In Greystones For Expats Returning Home To Ireland

Irish people have a long history of emigration, setting up homes in other countries for a variety of reasons, but a considerable number of these people also plan to one day return home. Whether looking to start a family in familiar surroundings and with the support of relatives, to avail of the high quality of education for their children, or simply to give our children the chance to grow up in a safe and fulfilling environment, we more often than not retain a wish to come back to Ireland, and look for the right reason to return, and the right place to call home again.

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SeaGreen in Greystones is an ideal reason to make that journey home again. With a beautiful setting beside the Irish sea in Greystones, it’s a perfect location for those commuting to Dublin city centre. Served by Dublin Bus, the DART, Rail and Intercity Buses, not to mention the superb roads system, the journey time from home to office is less than an hour, whichever form of transport you prefer to take.

Situated beside the Dublin/Wicklow mountains and surrounded by beautiful countryside in ‘the garden of Ireland’, the great outdoors is also just a stone’s throw away, offering a number of outdoor activities and leisure pursuits that will give you the enviable life you always wanted to come home for.

The sea is a big draw – we live on an island, after all – and the many water sport clubs in Greystones give a second-to-none chance to get back to a fun and thrilling lifestyle right on your doorstep.

When it comes to the family, you want to have room to grow and live in comfort, and each of the homes at SeaGreen are spacious and beautifully designed for comfortable living, while there are several primary and secondary-level schools offering a top-level education for children.

All in all, this exciting development has so many benefits that will ensure your decision to move home is the right choice for you and your family.

Built to the highest standards for energy efficiency and security, the three-bedroom Portland, four-bedroom Wyndham and Bellevue, and five-bedroom Somerby homes include top of the range and  innovative specifications that offer both luxury and practicality so you can enjoy a spacious and comfortable living space in this beautiful setting.

As Wood Group enable homebuyers to be in direct contact with the builders and contractors working on the site, the houses at SeaGreen can be tailored to an individual’s specifications  to enhance the many features that make these homes so sought-after.

spacious_comfortable_home_design_seagreen_greystones_wood_group.jpgMore and more expats are now returning to Ireland, with recent figures showing that for the first time, more people are returning to our shores than are leaving, so what do you need to know when considering buying a home at SeaGreen?

The price of housing is on the increase in the country, but SeaGreen homes offer tremendous value, while changes in the financing provided by lenders has made it much more affordable to buy a home than it has been in recent years.

These homes also help you to save money. The energy-efficient design with state of the art heating includes thermostatically controlled radiators heated by an A-rated natural gas boiler, with continuous hot water provided by a high-efficiency heat pump. Solar panels provide electricity and the triple-insulated windows and high-tech insulation keep the houses at the perfect temperature all-year round, keeping your bills very low while also helping you to keep the Irish environment green.

If a home at SeaGreen sounds good to you as a returning expat, there are some things to note, the first of which being that the amount of time spent living abroad can impact on how you source the funds needed. Another thing to note is that many Irish banks and lenders do require mortgage applicants to hold Irish citizenship.

If living abroad for some time you may need to supply bank statements and records and a foreign credit history to be considered for a mortgage in Ireland. You might also need to be assessed in your career prospects in Ireland, as even though you may have made a good living abroad, you might also have to show how that will translate to the Irish jobs market.

The introduction of the mandatory 20% deposit applies to expat buyers too, with some banks requiring even more than this, ranging up to 30% or even 40% of the value of the home.

However, it is worth considering how currency rates and property prices in the country you have been living in will affect your financial position. The weaker euro against the British pound and US dollar have made it an opportune time for many deciding to return, and now is a great time to consider buying at SeaGreen and enjoy great value.

The development is progressing at a fast rate, as you can see from our latest flyover video, and interest in purchasing a home at SeaGreen is very high, so register your interest below and you can look forward to returning to Ireland to a perfect new home in a perfect location!