Rathfarnham: €1mClose to the city, yet peaceful enough to be in the wilds of Connemara, Berkeley Cottage, right, on Whitechurch Road, Rathfarnham, has enough wildlife passing through the garden to start a nature reserve.
Lisney is expecting €1 million at auction on April 22nd for this three-bedroom split-level house, which extends to 173 sq m (1,870 sq ft) and stands on nearly a quarter of an acre of sylvan gardens. Ducks and brown trout glide past in a shallow stream which runs through the garden, birds nest in the hedgerows and trees surrounding the cottage. Occasionally, a deer crosses the road.
The front part of the house is the original period granite cottage, well-restored and with new timber windows. A serious extension was completed about 20 years ago by previous owners, opening out the river side of the house into an airy sittingroom, family room and big kitchen/diningroom.
The front door opens to a wide hallway, off which is a terracotta-floored guest toilet. Off to the left are the main living areas. The sittingroom has a Le Droff stone fireplace, ash floorboards, wood-panelled ceiling and windows opening to the back and side gardens. A door opens to a cosy family sittingroom with a contemporary steel fireplace.
The kitchen/breakfastroom is family-sized, with granite worktops, new maple units and a full range of integrated appliances. A breakfast bar separates the working end from the dining area, which has enough room for a long dining table and chairs. The utility room is through a door in one corner.
Windows on two sides at the dining end are screened by biscuit-thin timber slatted blinds. The owner is in the window-blind business, so these are fitted throughout the house and are very good quality. Upstairs, all of the bedrooms are doubles, two with en suite showers.
The gardens, which face south, are very well planted. A wooden bridge straddles the shallow stream. A dining deck has been built on the other side, overhanging the river where a small waterfall has been created. Paved areas edge the lawn near the house.
