Valombrosa, a modern five-bedroom house off Orwell Road, Rathgar, Dublin 6, is expected to fetch about £450,000 at a Sherry FitzGerald auction on March 16th.
The detached three-storey house, built just four years ago, is in an enclave called Mill Close. Designed by architect Don Heneghan, Valombrosa stands out because it is on an elevated site and was built in a tall and striking Gothic style.
The house is double-fronted and has a large reception room on either side of the hall. The room on the left is particularly attractive; it has a wood-panelled square-shaped bay window deep enough to house at the very least a large sofa.
There are two more rooms at this level - a family room with a very useful Swedish gas stove leading into the kitchen. This is large enough to eat in and features high quality cherrywood units with solid doors below counter level and glazed doors at eye level. It also has a red Stanley range. A spacious utility area is tucked away in the corner and a major plus is the large walkin pantry.
Upstairs, there are four bedrooms, three of which are nice doubles with plenty of light but the most impressive is the main bedroom which at 22 ft long is twice the size of most bedrooms. It opens out through double doors on to its own wooden deck area. It also has its own fireplace and a good-sized en suite. There is a family bathroom on this level.
The basement level was originally intended as a self-contained apartment and is wired and plumbed for that use. However the family, who own the house, have incorporated it into the main house by installing an internal staircase in the family room. Down at this garden level, there two good-sized rooms currently used as a home office and a playroom - it is one of these rooms that makes up the five bedrooms mentioned in the brochure. This level has also a bathroom.
The garden has been professionally landscaped and is on several levels. The garden to the front is on a slope and there is a patio outside the kitchen door. The rear garden slopes upwards, allowing for the raised wooden deck area that is accessed from the main bedroom. Higher still is a level stretch of lawn. Alongside the house is a separate garage and there is also a paved parking area.
