Where to buy outside Dublin

homer1916

I am looking to buy a house with my wife and we are hoping to get something with a decent amount of space. I work in Sandymount and she works in Castleknock. Has anyone ideas where would be the best place to live within 1 hours commute.

The best option for me seems to be Newbridge and cycle from Heuston to Sandymount, not sure about Castleknock

Can anyone help?

lukesmom

Navan is handy with the new motorway you'd be up there within the hour.

Navan to Sandymount via M3 and M50 approx 52 minutes

Navan to Castleknock via M3 approx 38 minutes

Forest Demon

What is your approx budget? I would take Maynooth over Newbridge personally but it is more expensive. If commuting by car and it is space you are looking for you would get a really nice house in Virginia cavan for 200k. I have viewed houses in this estate and it is really nice for the price. Brand new motorway but no use if you are thinking of trains and cycling etc.

http://www.daft.ie/searchsale.daft?id=538834

lukesmom

Forest Demon wrote: »

What is your approx budget? I would take Maynooth over Newbridge personally but it is more expensive. If commuting by car and it is space you are looking for you would get a really nice house in Virginia cavan for 200k. I have viewed houses in this estate and it is really nice for the price. Brand new motorway but no use if you are thinking of trains and cycling etc.

http://www.daft.ie/searchsale.daft?id=538834

Wow that's a fabulous house

homer1916

Forest Demon wrote: »

What is your approx budget? I would take Maynooth over Newbridge personally but it is more expensive. If commuting by car and it is space you are looking for you would get a really nice house in Virginia cavan for 200k. I have viewed houses in this estate and it is really nice for the price. Brand new motorway but no use if you are thinking of trains and cycling etc.

http://www.daft.ie/searchsale.daft?id=538834

That is an unbelievable house, i love it. However it would be 2 hours each way commuting to Sandymount. Once you hit the city, the traffic can be a nightmare, especially with schools back

lukesmom

If your budget is around the 100k mark heres a great semi in a much sought after area

www.daft.ie/1722974

The Mulk

I would look around Celbridge/Maynooth/Leixslip.

Driving to Castleknock approx. 30 mins.
66x/67x as far as Baggot St. and city bike(or walk) to Sandymount or
Train from Maynooth/Leixslip to Connolly and Dart to Sandymount.(Not sure of the logistics of this)
Hazlehatch station is close to Celbridge to get into Heuston if needs be

Nights out in town 66n/67n home €7

Prices won't be as cheap as further out but it gives a good balance work/life /commuting time.

We're in Celbridge 10 years now, moved in when we were 24 and 23 and really like the place, we've had two kids since and both are in school two minutes walk from the house so we're well settled.
Plenty of pubs, restaurants, shops and sports clubs near by.

I've family in Kill and Naas, they love it but the lack of public transport would be a draw back

homer1916

The Mulk wrote: »

I would look around Celbridge/Maynooth/Leixslip.

Driving to Castleknock approx. 30 mins.
66x/67x as far as Baggot St. and city bike(or walk) to Sandymount or
Train from Maynooth/Leixslip to Connolly and Dart to Sandymount.(Not sure of the logistics of this)
Hazlehatch station is close to Celbridge to get into Heuston if needs be

Nights out in town 66n/67n home €7

Prices won't be as cheap as further out but it gives a good balance work/life /commuting time.

We're in Celbridge 10 years now, moved in when we were 24 and 23 and really like the place, we've had two kids since and both are in school two minutes walk from the house so we're well settled.
Plenty of pubs, restaurants, shops and sports clubs near by.

I've family in Kill and Naas, they love it but the lack of public transport would be a draw back

They would be good options but i just feel they are a bit overpriced. I would like a bit more house for my buck. Ideally i would love a house around 2000 sq ft. Its a case of size more than anything else. Taking on a project or a site would not bother us

D3PO

am I the only one who thinks the OP is mad to even consider buying 1 hrs commute from their current jobs.

If you have to move you could end up with 2hrs commute each way daily and in the same outer Dublin hell that many many people are in right now.

Ask any of them if they would recommend moving out that far just to get something affordable to live in and they will for the most part tell you your insane.

save more and wait and buy where is appropriate for you.

As the saying goes Buy in haste repent in leisure.

Mary28

I agree to a point, time spent commuting is wasted time IMO but the quality of life it can afford to live somewhere nice is the upside. Almost everyone I know with families have moved out and would never move back into Dublin.
Maynooth and newbridge top my list. They have a life and identity of their own despite being in the commuter belt.

whippet

I have recently moved out of Dublin .. my commute is about 50min each way - my wife works from home.

I moved out as I didn't want to live in or near Dublin, I have two young kids and a dog, my priorities were finding a good sized family home, in the countryside, by the sea and with in 5-10 mins of a decent sized urban centre.

Quality of life is a million times what it was in Dublin, in the space of 12 months I have met and become friendly with more people than I did in my 6 years in the previous house.

I would say that a 50 min commute is about the limit; anything more would be painful and would eat seriously in to precious family time.

The Mulk

homer1916 wrote: »

They would be good options but i just feel they are a bit overpriced. I would like a bit more house for my buck. Ideally i would love a house around 2000 sq ft. Its a case of size more than anything else. Taking on a project or a site would not bother us

I know two couples who moved out far to get a bigger house (one to Kells, one to Newbridge) and they're back renting in Dublin, like that the commute was too much especially in winter time.
They still own to houses but have tenants in them.
I couldn't imagine another 40 mins- 1 hour onto the commute I have now,currently 40-50 minutes, but it mightn't bother you if you get the house you want.
I don't know whether school places are in your thinking, whether your past that stage or it is still to come.

D3PO

whippet wrote: »

I would say that a 50 min commute is about the limit; anything more would be painful and would eat seriously in to precious family time.

Your problem is now if you lose your job or have to change jobs. That could become 1hr 20 plus of a commute then what ??

homer1916

D3PO wrote: »

am I the only one who thinks the OP is mad to even consider buying 1 hrs commute from their current jobs.

If you have to move you could end up with 2hrs commute each way daily and in the same outer Dublin hell that many many people are in right now.

Ask any of them if they would recommend moving out that far just to get something affordable to live in and they will for the most part tell you your insane.

save more and wait and buy where is appropriate for you.

As the saying goes Buy in haste repent in leisure.

I am looking for options so that i don't end up with 2hrs each way daily, hence why i said 1 hour each way max. Newbridge to Heuston is 25mins and the bike from there is another 25mins so i reckon door to door is about 1 hour. Plus you are getting exercise

I live in Castleknock at the moment and drive over and it takes anything between 45 mins to 1:15min as is with city centre traffic

I love the way people refuse to do more than 30 mins commute and save 40 mins in their day, which they spend sitting in front of the TV

I would prefer the countryside than the madness of the city

homer1916

The Mulk wrote: »

I know two couples who moved out far to get a bigger house (one to Kells, one to Newbridge) and they're back renting in Dublin, like that the commute was too much especially in winter time.
They still own to houses but have tenants in them.
I couldn't imagine another 40 mins- 1 hour onto the commute I have now,currently 40-50 minutes, but it mightn't bother you if you get the house you want.
I don't know whether school places are in your thinking, whether your past that stage or it is still to come.

I thought Newbridge was not that far from Cellbridge?

We dont have any kids yet but hopefully in the next few years we will

Why not look at Rush, Lusk, Skerries, all lovely places with a reasonable commute to where you want to get to.

lukesmom

homer1916 wrote: »

I am looking for options so that i don't end up with 2hrs each way daily, hence why i said 1 hour each way max. Newbridge to Heuston is 25mins and the bike from there is another 25mins so i reckon door to door is about 1 hour. Plus you are getting exercise

I live in Castleknock at the moment and drive over and it takes anything between 45 mins to 1:15min as is with city centre traffic

I love the way people refuse to do more than 30 mins commute and save 40 mins in their day, which they spend sitting in front of the TV

I would prefer the countryside than the madness of the city

Yeah they probably like relaxing in front of the tv after a long day at work. Nothing wrong or unusual about that?

Ray Palmer

whippet wrote: »

I have recently moved out of Dublin .. my commute is about 50min each way - my wife works from home.

I moved out as I didn't want to live in or near Dublin, I have two young kids and a dog, my priorities were finding a good sized family home, in the countryside, by the sea and with in 5-10 mins of a decent sized urban centre.

.

How idyllic will it seem to your kids when they grow up to be teenagers? Friends of mine with kids have found this was a problem. They have all moved back to Dublin or tried due to changes in jobs too. Plus the loss of property values has greatly effected them. I know people will say Dublin prices fell but that is selectively looking at the data. The reality is only small amount of people bought at the height which is used as the measure

The Mulk

homer1916 wrote: »

I thought Newbridge was not that far from Cellbridge?

We dont have any kids yet but hopefully in the next few years we will

It would take me 30 mins to drive to Newbridge on a Saturday, it's a fair distance about 35km, Celbridge is on the N4, Newbridge the N7.

It will also take longer than 25 mins to get from Newbridge to Heuston, allowing for stops on the train at peak time.

I'm not trying to put you off but give it plenty of thought, saying that people thought we were mad moving to Celbridge, not knowing anyone, when we could have had the same house in Tallaght or a few other Dublin locations for the same money, but I'm certain we made the right decision;)

whippet

D3PO wrote: »

Your problem is now if you lose your job or have to change jobs. That could become 1hr 20 plus of a commute then what ??

it could, but that could become a 20-30 min commute just as easily.

Before the M50 upgrade like many others we had commutes with well over an hour just to get to the outskirts of the city .. yet we coped.

I would be relatively secure in employment and the reality is that increasingly I can work from home ... sitting in a home office looking out over the sea is a much better prospect.

whippet

Ray Palmer wrote: »

How idyllic will it seem to your kids when they grow up to be teenagers? Friends of mine with kids have found this was a problem. They have all moved back to Dublin or tried due to changes in jobs too. Plus the loss of property values has greatly effected them. I know people will say Dublin prices fell but that is selectively looking at the data. The reality is only small amount of people bought at the height which is used as the measure

I don't get what you are saying here:

Why is not living in Dublin a problem for Teenagers?

mari2222

I have seen a lot of people get to point of despair over commuting - also have seen people whose health is ruined because of it. Strongly recommend you live as close to work as possible.

The Spider

D3PO wrote: »

am I the only one who thinks the OP is mad to even consider buying 1 hrs commute from their current jobs.

If you have to move you could end up with 2hrs commute each way daily and in the same outer Dublin hell that many many people are in right now.

Ask any of them if they would recommend moving out that far just to get something affordable to live in and they will for the most part tell you your insane.

save more and wait and buy where is appropriate for you.

As the saying goes Buy in haste repent in leisure.

Nah, nonsense, I live in Gorey and drive up and down every day to south Dublin we lived in Dublin for years, and the quality of life we have now is fantastic, 3000 sq foot house on 1.5 acres for the price of an apartment in Dublin.

50-60 minutes each way, when I lived in Dublin it easily took that some days to go 10 kilometres.

People in the UK do that as a matter of course.

The one caveat I will give is that I'm not from Dublin, so don't have the allegiance that people from Dublin have, I see Dublin for what it is, we also don't have family there so moving was easy.

If you haven't lived outside of Dublin I'd maybe rent and see if you're happy with the lifestyle, but you do have to bd at the point where you're over clubbing and more interested in settling down.

D3PO

The Spider wrote: »

Nah, nonsense, I live in Gorey and drive up and down every day to south Dublin we lived in Dublin for years, and the quality of life we have now is fantastic, 3000 sq foot house on 1.5 acres for the price of an apartment in Dublin.

Conveniently forgetting the fuel costs of doing so. €15 a day 48 weeks a year is 470k over the lifetime of a 30 year mortgage.

50-60 minutes each way, when I lived in Dublin it easily took that some days to go 10 kilometres.

Its not 50-60 mins form Gorey to most parts of Dublin especially in rush hour traffic. Fine if you work irregular hours or work in somewhere like Sandyford on the M50 but if you had to move job to say Swords you could be easily looking at 2hrs plus. That was my whole point, people can move and its great as things stand for them but they don't look down the line.

People in this country can be very shortsighted, the same with all these young couples in apartments now starting families and wondering WTF did I buy an apartment this is no use now for bring up a family.

People in the UK do that as a matter of course.

The one caveat I will give is that I'm not from Dublin, so don't have the allegiance that people from Dublin have, I see Dublin for what it is, we also don't have family there so moving was easy.

Of course much easier to move when you have no family to add in as a consideration.

If you haven't lived outside of Dublin I'd maybe rent and see if you're happy with the lifestyle, but you do have to bd at the point where you're over clubbing and more interested in settling down.

Id agree renting would be a smart first option.

The Spider

Depends on the car you drive 15 euro a day 48 weeks of the year works out at 108'000. But you will need a decent car, anything german I'd go for.

Actually it'd be worse to work in the city centre than swords, bit it's not a valid point, in that case I'd get the bus, bus lanes on the n11 are pretty quick. If I lived in SCD, I'd have the same problem, it's not the distance, it's the traffic.

I moved from church town to Santry and worked on the south side, my drive to work was 100 times worse than it is now.

Of course the kicker to all this is that a lot of people don't actually want to live in Dublin, especially people who aren't from there, so you have to weigh things up, is it more important for you to bring your family up in a decent area which will be outside Dublin and you'll have to commute, or do you move to an area that's barely in budget but is definitely dodgy in Dublin?

Agree with the apartment comment though.

D3PO

if you don't want to live in Dublin then I agree fill your boots but and this is what I get from reading the OP's first post if your looking at buying outside Dublin just now because you cant afford in Dublin then I think its wise to question the logic of such a decision.

Maybe Im taking up the OP wrong but that's what I get from the reading of the first post.

The Spider

D3PO wrote: »

if you don't want to live in Dublin then I agree fill your boots but and this is what I get from reading the OP's first post if your looking at buying outside Dublin just now because you cant afford in Dublin then I think its wise to question the logic of such a decision.

Maybe Im taking up the OP wrong but that's what I get from the reading of the first post.

He's also looking for somewhere with a lot of space, which I'm assuming the budget wont stretch to in Dublin? Not many budgets will.

Again you have to decide what you personally want, some people are happy to live in a small terrace and be in walking distance of work, others are prepared to go the distance and have a large detached house on a bit of land.

Anyway up to himself I'm sure we've laid out both pros and cons, and different opinions, so I suppose he'll have to find an area that has the easiest commute and the biggest bang for his buck house wise.

homer1916

homer1916 wrote: »

I am looking to buy a house with my wife and we are hoping to get something with a decent amount of space. I work in Sandymount and she works in Castleknock. Has anyone ideas where would be the best place to live within 1 hours commute.

The best option for me seems to be Newbridge and cycle from Heuston to Sandymount, not sure about Castleknock

Can anyone help?

why not look aound tallaght/firhouse or even somewhere in south dublin?
lots of houses very reasonable for sale and and easy commute for both of you?
there is really no traffic jams on the m50 anymore, its driving all the way no stuck in car park-like land anymore

OMD

The Spider wrote: »

Depends on the car you drive 15 euro a day 48 weeks of the year works out at 108'000. But you will need a decent car, anything german I'd go for.
.

€15 a day motoring costs seems extremely low to travel the round trip of 200Km. Excluding the actual cost of the car, the AA would put the cost of your commute at between €10,000-€15,000 a year. Petrol alone would cost €25 a day for a band C car.
http://www.theaa.ie/AA/Motoring-advice/Cost-of-motoring/Cost-of-Motoring-2013.aspx

The Spider

OMD wrote: »

€15 a day motoring costs seems extremely low to travel the round trip of 200Km. Excluding the actual cost of the car, the AA would put the cost of your commute at between €10,000-€15,000 a year. Petrol alone would cost €25 a day for a band C car.
http://www.theaa.ie/AA/Motoring-advice/Cost-of-motoring/Cost-of-Motoring-2013.aspx

It doesn't I drive a2 litre Audi A6 petrol, comes in at 100 euros a week for the commute, and that's for both of us, excluding anything at the weekend, which generally doesn't cost that much unless we go somewhere. We don't go out that much these days, kids and all that, but when we do 100 euros doesn't go far.

(it's not 100 km it's 79 door to door)

Ray Palmer

whippet wrote: »

I don't get what you are saying here:

Why is not living in Dublin a problem for Teenagers?

As the parent have to commute to work the kids have to also commute and often end up going to school miles away from home. That is for parents convenience and better education than available locally.Then there is college.

On top of that there isn't much for them to do in the area.

whippet

Ray Palmer wrote: »

As the parent have to commute to work the kids have to also commute and often end up going to school miles away from home. That is for parents convenience and better education than available locally.Then there is college.

On top of that there isn't much for them to do in the area.

great way to generalise; but way off the mark.

- My 4 year old just started primary school - 1/2 a mile up the road, she has been walking to school with her mammy for the first week
- Secondary school is about a 20 min walk from the house
- Within walking distance there are 2 golf clubs, GAA club, Soccer Club, Tennis Club, Scouts Den, Youth clubs etc ...
- A large urban center is a 5 min drive away which has an abundance of everything you could possibly want, including stuff for the kids, the 4 year old is starting Ballet classes this weekend and is in the middle of swimming lessons.

College I am not too worried about as there are plenty of options and I consider moving out for College being a great educator in life itself.

When we made the move these were the things that were thrown at us by friends and family and I can say over 12 months later nothing has even come close to changing my mind.

homer1916

The Spider wrote: »

Nah, nonsense, I live in Gorey and drive up and down every day to south Dublin we lived in Dublin for years, and the quality of life we have now is fantastic, 3000 sq foot house on 1.5 acres for the price of an apartment in Dublin.

50-60 minutes each way, when I lived in Dublin it easily took that some days to go 10 kilometres.

People in the UK do that as a matter of course.

The one caveat I will give is that I'm not from Dublin, so don't have the allegiance that people from Dublin have, I see Dublin for what it is, we also don't have family there so moving was easy.

If you haven't lived outside of Dublin I'd maybe rent and see if you're happy with the lifestyle, but you do have to bd at the point where you're over clubbing and more interested in settling down.

How come you moved to Gorey? Are you from Wexfrod?

I would love a 3000 sqft home, my brother has one in Wexford and it is class. However i cannot see us affording a house like that within 1 hours commute to Sandymount and Castleknock

We are both from Galway and we are open on where we live, be it Dublin or outside Dublin. We are willing to move anywhere as long as the area is not dodgy and will suit kids in the next few years. But my dream is to find the largest house possible, in the nicest area possible, within 1 hours commute to Sandymount and Castleknock.

The best i have came up with is Newbridge and a house around 2000sq ft so far

Ray Palmer

whippet wrote: »

great way to generalise; but way off the mark.

Can't be way off the mark I am TELLING you what happened with 4 families I know. How many teenager do you know go to scouts and youth clubs? When your child becomes a teenager come back and tell us how it worked out.

OMD

The Spider wrote: »

It doesn't I drive a2 litre Audi A6 petrol, comes in at 100 euros a week for the commute, and that's for both of us, excluding anything at the weekend, which generally doesn't cost that much unless we go somewhere. We don't go out that much these days, kids and all that, but when we do 100 euros doesn't go far.

(it's not 100 km it's 79 door to door)

But that is just the petrol. You have to add in the cost of tyres, extra servicing, repairs, oil etc as listed on the AA website link I gave you.

Also the massive depreciation costs need to be added in. Basically after 3 years your Audi A6 will have done an additional 100,000km. Who wants a 3 year old car with over 100,000 on the clock. Even assuming it is a second hand car the depreciation is significant.

Smoggy

whippet wrote: »

I have recently moved out of Dublin .. my commute is about 50min each way - my wife works from home.

I moved out as I didn't want to live in or near Dublin, I have two young kids and a dog, my priorities were finding a good sized family home, in the countryside, by the sea and with in 5-10 mins of a decent sized urban centre.

Quality of life is a million times what it was in Dublin, in the space of 12 months I have met and become friendly with more people than I did in my 6 years in the previous house.

I would say that a 50 min commute is about the limit; anything more would be painful and would eat seriously in to precious family time.

whippet - Where did you move to ? if you don't mind me asking ?

whippet

Smoggy wrote: »

whippet - Where did you move to ? if you don't mind me asking ?

Just north of Drogheda on the coast.

The Spider

homer1916 wrote: »

How come you moved to Gorey? Are you from Wexfrod?

I would love a 3000 sqft home, my brother has one in Wexford and it is class. However i cannot see us affording a house like that within 1 hours commute to Sandymount and Castleknock

We are both from Galway and we are open on where we live, be it Dublin or outside Dublin. We are willing to move anywhere as long as the area is not dodgy and will suit kids in the next few years. But my dream is to find the largest house possible, in the nicest area possible, within 1 hours commute to Sandymount and Castleknock.

The best i have came up with is Newbridge and a house around 2000sq ft so far

Missus is from down that way, I'm further south again, we bought last year but really had to look till we found what we wanted, initially looking in Dublin, but the difference in type of house and land we could get for putting up with a bit of a commute sold it for us.

If you're not from Dublin I'd highly recommend it, the difference in lifestyle is incomparable, we're just 4km from the beach too, usually get up early Saturday morning and head to the beach before anyone is up.

I think Sandymount'dbe doable, castleknock may be a different story though.

homer1916

whippet wrote: »

Just north of Drogheda on the coast.

Would you make it to Dublin in 50 mins? Where about in Dublin?

That might be practical for Castleknock, but i cant see it working for Sandymount.

If you work on the outskirts of Dublin, you will be grand as you could commute almost anywhere, its the city traffic that is the killer

Blingy

How about bray or greystones. Handy for dart to sandymount but wouldn't be sure about the commute to castleknock.
A 2,000sq ft house in greystones would probably be way over budget though.

Skerries is lovely. Know people that recently moved out and they are so happy. Definitely one to look at.
Why don't you get in the car and drive around a few areas some weekend.

DoozerT6

Ray Palmer wrote: »

Can't be way off the mark I am TELLING you what happened with 4 families I know. How many teenager do you know go to scouts and youth clubs? When your child becomes a teenager come back and tell us how it worked out.

I'd have to agree. I grew up in a rural area just outside a small town, and while country living is FANTASTIC for small kids who can entertain themselves for hours with their imagination, it's very different when they get too old to just 'go out and play'. I found myself very, very bored as a teenager, I lived about 15 miles away from where I was going to secondary school so I couldn't just knock around to someone's house. There was nothing available for me in the local town. My parents had to ferry me everywhere, which they couldn't always do due to other commitments, so I was quite isolated and spent many weekends doing absolutely nothing, and ending up arguing with my mother about doing housework. (My argument being that doing your bit around the house is fine, but when your entire weekend consists of hoovering, and cleaning the bathroom and washing dishes just because your mother sees you're at a loose end and you're stuck in the house, it becomes a bone of contention). No internet or sky tv either, two-channel land all the way!!

My point being...kids aren't small forever. Think forward - is there potential for them to make friends locally (within walking distance), is/will there be any place for them to go, anything for them to do? Just make sure that for the sake of a nice big house you don't end up with a houseful of bored teenagers who you have to drive everywhere and who complain that 'there's nothing to doooooo!' every day

Mustard1972

homer1916 wrote: »

How come you moved to Gorey? Are you from Wexfrod?

I would love a 3000 sqft home, my brother has one in Wexford and it is class. However i cannot see us affording a house like that within 1 hours commute to Sandymount and Castleknock

We are both from Galway and we are open on where we live, be it Dublin or outside Dublin. We are willing to move anywhere as long as the area is not dodgy and will suit kids in the next few years. But my dream is to find the largest house possible, in the nicest area possible, within 1 hours commute to Sandymount and Castleknock.

The best i have came up with is Newbridge and a house around 2000sq ft so far

My wifes parents live in Gorey and I work in Sandymount too.
Whenever we stay in her parents and I have to work next morning it always takes me 55mins give or take 3 mins door to door. Nice area. We were thinking of moving down there at some stage in the next year or two. You get a lot more house for the money than in Dublin to be sure.
And given that we just bought a Nissan Leaf the commute costs would be very low indeed. And I would save the toll bridge fee I currently pay as well.
Im sure when they bring in tolling all along the M50 instead of at the bridge i might have to pay a few cents for the bit i travel on the M50 but that might never happen.

Castleknock would be another 20 mins and you would have the toll bridge though.

homer1916

DoozerT6 wrote: »

I'd have to agree. I grew up in a rural area just outside a small town, and while country living is FANTASTIC for small kids who can entertain themselves for hours with their imagination, it's very different when they get too old to just 'go out and play'. I found myself very, very bored as a teenager, I lived about 15 miles away from where I was going to secondary school so I couldn't just knock around to someone's house. There was nothing available for me in the local town. My parents had to ferry me everywhere, which they couldn't always do due to other commitments, so I was quite isolated and spent many weekends doing absolutely nothing, and ending up arguing with my mother about doing housework. (My argument being that doing your bit around the house is fine, but when your entire weekend consists of hoovering, and cleaning the bathroom and washing dishes just because your mother sees you're at a loose end and you're stuck in the house, it becomes a bone of contention). No internet or sky tv either, two-channel land all the way!!

My point being...kids aren't small forever. Think forward - is there potential for them to make friends locally (within walking distance), is/will there be any place for them to go, anything for them to do? Just make sure that for the sake of a nice big house you don't end up with a houseful of bored teenagers who you have to drive everywhere and who complain that 'there's nothing to doooooo!' every day

In fairness, millions of kids have grew up in the countryside and entertained themselfs hurling, playing football or in front of the same amount of channels you get everywhere nowadays or in the entertainment room you could provide for them with the extra space.

You could also look at it the other way, that the teenager grows up in the town and hangs round with the wrong crowd and gets up to no good. I am not getting into the cutie/townie debate, but they both have their advantages and drawbacks

DoozerT6

homer1916 wrote: »

In fairness, millions of kids have grew up in the countryside and entertained themselfs hurling, playing football or in front of the same amount of channels you get everywhere nowadays or in the entertainment room you could provide for them with the extra space.

You could also look at it the other way, that the teenager grows up in the town and hangs round with the wrong crowd and gets up to no good. I am not getting into the cutie/townie debate, but they both have their advantages and drawbacks

Yep, you're absolutely right, no arguments from me there. I was just giving an opinion as to what is was like for me, and I also did know of families who moved into/closer to towns so their children could have playmates etc. (although we are talking pre-internet/mobile phone/sky tv era here). It's just something to consider. I'm not saying to live smack bang in the middle of a big housing estate either, that brings its own problems too, but easy access for kids or teenagers to their friends, school, and/or entertainment would certainly be something I would consider in buying a family home, having grown up quite isolated myself.

Oh I remember the auld culchie/townie debates meself - funny thing was, the girls from the nearby town who (jokingly) called us culchies were just as much culchies as I was when it came to going to college

Mustard1972

You would think that growing up in the country that teenagers grow up in some kind of isolated box from reading this thread

Im sure everyone here knows people who grew up in the country and loved it and some who hated it. And the same goes for growing up in the city.

DoozerT6

Mustard1972 wrote: »

You would think that growing up in the country that teenagers grow up in some kind of isolated box from reading this thread

Im sure everyone here knows people who grew up in the country and loved it and some who hated it. And the same goes for growing up in the city.

Ah it had it's good points too and of course, I'm going back 20-25 years here when Ireland was a different place. I'm just saying what it was like for me PERSONALLY. I remember many Saturday afternoons when there was nothing on the telly except Sports Stadium, nowhere to go, nobody to see, and then the mother saying to me "well if you've nothing to do, you can go and wash the floor/clean the toilet/hoover the whole house' etc. Just what every teenage girl (who can't get away from it) wants to hear

Anyway, that's my 2c, let's not pull the thread too much OT.

I'd recommend Wicklow btw

homer1916

DoozerT6 wrote: »

Yep, you're absolutely right, no arguments from me there. I was just giving an opinion as to what is was like for me, and I also did know of families who moved into/closer to towns so their children could have playmates etc. (although we are talking pre-internet/mobile phone/sky tv era here). It's just something to consider. I'm not saying to live smack bang in the middle of a big housing estate either, that brings its own problems too, but easy access for kids or teenagers to their friends, school, and/or entertainment would certainly be something I would consider in buying a family home, having grown up quite isolated myself.

Oh I remember the auld culchie/townie debates meself - funny thing was, the girls from the nearby town who (jokingly) called us culchies were just as much culchies as I was when it came to going to college

Ha, good point. I grew up in town myself btw and had the 6 channels, we were the envy of many people who only had RTE. Thank god those days are behind us. We have no kids yet but I'm sure the dreaded teenager years are ahead of us, but I defiantly don't want to live in the middle of nowhere either

homer1916

Mustard1972 wrote: »

My wifes parents live in Gorey and I work in Sandymount too.
Whenever we stay in her parents and I have to work next morning it always takes me 55mins give or take 3 mins door to door. Nice area. We were thinking of moving down there at some stage in the next year or two. You get a lot more house for the money than in Dublin to be sure.
And given that we just bought a Nissan Leaf the commute costs would be very low indeed. And I would save the toll bridge fee I currently pay as well.
Im sure when they bring in tolling all along the M50 instead of at the bridge i might have to pay a few cents for the bit i travel on the M50 but that might never happen.

Castleknock would be another 20 mins and you would have the toll bridge though.

What time do you start work in Sandymount? I have seen a few nice houses the north side of Wicklow town and Rathnew. It's rush hour that could be the problem

ted1

whippet wrote: »

I have recently moved out of Dublin .. my commute is about 50min each way - my wife works from home.

I moved out as I didn't want to live in or near Dublin, I have two young kids and a dog, my priorities were finding a good sized family home, in the countryside, by the sea and with in 5-10 mins of a decent sized urban centre.

Quality of life is a million times what it was in Dublin, in the space of 12 months I have met and become friendly with more people than I did in my 6 years in the previous house.

I would say that a 50 min commute is about the limit; anything more would be painful and would eat seriously in to precious family time.

Where had you being living? You shouldn't rule out a whole county just because you were in the wrong part.

I'm in kliney and it it tucks all those boxes.

The Spider

ted1 wrote: »

Where had you being living? You shouldn't rule out a whole county just because you were in the wrong part.

I'm in kliney and it it tucks all those boxes.

Killiney is one of the most exclusive parts of Ireland, when people say they're moving out of Dublin, they usually mean that they want to have the same lifestyle, you get in Kilinney for a lot less money, and they do t want to li d in a giant housing estate because that's all they can afford.

Mustard1972

homer1916 wrote: »

What time do you start work in Sandymount? I have seen a few nice houses the north side of Wicklow town and Rathnew. It's rush hour that could be the problem

Mostly 9:00am

Sometimes if im feeling lazy i can start at 9:30am, but rarely.

Why dont you do a test run. It doesnt take as long as you think.