Windmill, Porterstown, Clonsilla

Round Tuit
Thank you for your response, I'm not very familiar with letting agencies etc.. we have paid up front for the maintaince so does this mean until the terrece is completed the builder will be maintaing the ground, gardens.... Why have we paid almost €1000? I agree the satellite dishes look dreadful, (i'm not sure if there is anything in the contract ) and if there is no management company for what could be another 6 months, who would enforce this if it is in our contract?

Yes - the builder/developer has probably set up a company for this purpose and perhaps have hired Managing Agents. Until they hand over the site (ie it's all completed) they are who you've paid and will deal with. The main thing any new dev needs to do is build up a sinking fund and pay the block insurance. The recently started St Mochta's Estate forum here on AAM shows they also have issues with whether satellite dishes are allowed and they are housing estate rather than a private apartment/duplex dev. I've been told, though not definitively, that they need planning permission if they go on the front of houses etc.

Greetings all.
Have just stumbled across this site, makes for interesting reading!
I've purchased a 3 bed duplex in Windmill Square.
I've had all of the same problems regarding late contracts, delays and more!
Regarding Sat dishes, I'm pretty sure they are not permitted as per the contract - but without a managament company structure formalised who is going to bother inforcing it?
The Builder? - He can't even be bothered sorting snags out and is too busy trying to alter the next stage of the developement for more profit.
In any case the poor (and expensive) service offered by electroplus, coupled with the fact that kimpton vale would not work with major cable suppliers such as NTL (who insist the builder share the infrastructure costs) has left little choice in terms of TV channels...

Oh and before anyone tells me to take down my dish - I'm still stuck with poverty 1 & 2 only!

Hi all,

Just moved into Windmill Square last week and really happy with the apartment. The grounds are another story altogther. Bins are left out for collection and cats tore them to pieces as a result there is litter everywhere. I've cleaned it up to an extent but having paid my mangement fees feel very hard done by doing so. There is also no lighting and I have seen more than one dodgy character hanging around - if your going to be storing anything expensive in your apartment before you move in make sure it's alarmed! On the issue of satelite dishes I spoke to the solictor when we signed and he pointed out in the lease hold agreement (deeds) that we sign we agree that we will not erect any thing to the outside of our premises so it could be enforced even without a mangement company. Also NTL has been wired to the estate - should be available within a month according to NTL and Electroplus. I see the terrace has a few moving in now. Good luck to anyone who's moving in soon. The apartments are gorgeous and it's lovely and peaceful - for the moment anyway!

Hey Neighbour!

NTL have just told me on the telephone for the 3rd time that they are not connected to the estate and have no intention of establishing a connection either?? I've been a customer of theirs for some time and wanted to continue using their TV/ Broadband service.
You don't happen to have the name of whoever you spoke to there by any chance??

Thanks,

Banana.

Hi Banana,

My partner was speaking to someone in NTL about it who said they had our address on their system so should be able to connect us but it will be at least a month before they can. I'll try find out exactly who he was speaking to and let you know, to be honest I would take it with a pinch of salt having heard you've been on a few times and was told you couldn't get it. I would much rather go through NTL also - Electroplus don't provide any broadband (at the moment anyway) so if you want internet in the house you have to get it through Eircom - and thus need a land line into the house - which is just another bill I don't need! NTL just send it in through the television cable and provide a great service.

wow people are in already. bought a 2 bed ground floor under the 3 bed duplexes. worried myself and fella will go mad cos they seem very small. maybe its just without furniture. any thoughts on this?

Hi,

We've been living in a 2-bed apartment in Windmill Square now for well over 3 weeks. The first 2 weeks we had problems connecting our dishwasher and washing machine because the plumbing was done badly but now that has been sorted and everything is going well for us.
I think we have enough living space in our apartment but we do have a big lack of storage space! Further it does annoy me that there is so much rubbish lying everywhere outside. I don't understand this because the place where the bins are is inside and as far as I see the doors are closed.
We don't know anything yet about TV connection and suppliers because we haven't tried to figure that out yet.
In general we are happy enough living there so far.

Hi Banana,

This what they told him in NTL - he didnt get the girls name

"She said they are into the estate and just the final connection to each unit needs to be made.

Electroplus currently have this section of the link wired to their system.

First she said it could be a matter of days and then she checked in more detail and found a note saying that it would be June."


I agree that storge space is in short supply but I think thats apartment living for you! We are much happier with the place than we thought we'd be. Interesting to hear there was problems with the plumming - we've a few leaks and it doesnt look like the washing machine was plumbed properly at all. They're having a look today I think. Where did you manage to fit a dishwasher?

By the way the TV is being pumped into the building for free at the moment ;-)

We've bought a free standing fridge and we fit the dishwasher in the space were originally the fridge should have been. The washing machine wasn't plumbed properly at all indeed. As I said, it took two weeks before they'd sorted out the plumbing. I can give you one advice: ask for an older guy called Jim to have a look at it. If he would have been with us any earlier our problems would have been sorted in a day instead of 2 weeks!

Hi all,

I've just got off the telephone with NTL. They've just told me that they are taking over the electoplus system from sometime in June - and that they will deliver a welcome pack to everyone over the next few days! Thanks again square 1!

Regarding the plumbing/ wiring etc - it's not all been done to a great standard (in my apartment anyway). This makes it harder to fit a wash machine/ dishwasher or other appliance afterwards. I've had to fabricate a length of copper pipe and join it onto the cold supply myself for my wash machine, as the fitted supply pipe faced the wrong way and would have required 3.8m of connecting hose!

I've also had to re-wire kitchen light switches (wired backwards), re-fit kitchen sink (not properly sealed in place), refit the sink overflow (rubber washer marked FRONT/BACK/ TOP/BOTTOM fitted wrong way around and upside down, then packed with silicone sealent!), and refit the ensuite shower tray. All on my snag list - none taken care of.

I'm still at a loss as to what to do with my main and downstaris bathroom sinks. Neither have been fitted to the wall correctly, both are a smidge too low, with the result that when the pedestal was forced underneath they pivoted upwards slightly and were sealed in place like that. Now whenever water splashes around the tap area, instead of running nicely back into the sink, it runs towards the wall, then down both sides of the sink. Would be easy enough to correct except that I'd have to tear off the tiling around them......

Altogether not the quality job I expected for the price I paid, and a builder who now dosen't return calls.

Beware - if you are buying here DO NOT CLOSE until every last thing is finished perfect for you. Otherwise you will be promised the sun moon & stars and get nothing....

FYI NTL were in Windmill today working on the line so hopefully it won't be long now

Has anyone received a contract yet for the terrace? Just, I was just talking to the builders office today and they're telling me that the terrace will be ready for snagging at the end of the month! As far as I'm aware the fire cert still hasn't been issued so I presumed no contracts had been sent out. Anyone heard any different?

I'm in the square so don't know details. There are loads of things that can hold up your contracts - ours took ages but don't panic too much they will turn up. Just keep ringing Kempton Vale. They were quite good in the office and got on the case to have the contracts sent out.

Hi,
I spoke with Fingal county council and the firecert has not been provided for Block A,B or C for the Windmill Terrace so therefore the contracts cannot be sent out yet. FCC are to make a decision this Friday on whether the fire cert can be issued or whether the builders need to ask for an extension again.
I think the builders can hold off on the whole snagging until they get the fire cert sorted first!

And if anyone saw Prime Time the other night on Fire you'd think the Fire Certs don't appear to be worth the paper they're written on . . . worrying programme indeed.

The girl whose father was a fire expert and who'd just purchased a new apartment somewhere reminded me of the contributor "Marsha" to Location, Location Location in the "Slade Castle, Saggart" forum.

Wonder if they are one and the same?

When do the builders anticipate completing the Windmill development. From driving by regularly it looks as though progress has been very slow. How many more years of construction traffic do residents expect to have to contend with?

Yes i live very near Windmill and the building seems to be gone on forever. The entrance into Windmill as you turn from Clonsilla Road is a disgrace, the grass is so long. I know there's been problems with the builders in St. Mochta's not handing over the estate with all the problems sorted but it's looks dreadful.

I wasn't aware that the land on the way to windmill was to be handed over to Kimpton vale, I thought they just paid for access through. As it is also the entrance to Station Court and St. Mochta's that would seem to make sense. Does anyone know who is actually responsible for this stretch of road? It has actually been there for at least 10 years so someone has been looking after it up until now. If we can find out at least something can be done about the mess it's in!

The building work appears to have calmed down in Windmill at the moment. I'm living there and don't see much in the way of trucks/ machinery. Having said that I do work during the day. Haven't heard a completion date. In fact does anyone know if they have completed the launch of phase 2 (all the apartments)?

I hear Phase 2 is to go on sale in September.

Kimpton Vale told me this morning that the Terrace will be ready for snagging next month some time.