If there is any feature that will attract top prices in Dublin it is a large garden with a south or westerly orientation. While north Dublin areas such as Clontarf, Howth and Sutton also enjoy large gardens, south Dublin’s suburbs are the go-to hunting grounds for buyers seeking a sunny aspect.
14 Brewery Road, Stillorgan
Agent: Lisney; Price: €795,000 ; 1,927sq ft (179sq m)
Number 14 is a double-fronted house dating from the 1960s. At the front of the property there is ample parking for a number of cars but with the Luas only 10 minutes away and the quality bus corridor five minutes away, there is no shortage of reliable public transport available.
Upon entering the house, on the left hand side there is a garage which has been converted in recent years and features an en suite shower room.
The two original interconnecting livingrooms are both good-sized rooms that have probably been barely touched since the house was originally built. Upstairs there is one family bathroom and five bedrooms, one of which has an en-suite bathroom.
At the rear of the house on the ground floor there is a good-sized kitchen, albeit an outdated one, but new owners are likely to make changes back here to create a brighter, more modern space that flows into the magnificent garden that lies beyond. Measuring an impressive 156ft in length, and most probably the widest garden on the street, it benefits from a westerly orientation.
The possibilities are almost endless. One neighbouring house a few doors away has a heated outdoor swimming pool, though most houses on the street have opted for rear extensions and patios, while still retaining enviably long grassy lawns. In 2012, 8 Brewery Road, a double-fronted neighbouring house of similar size which had been modernised, changed hands for €780,000.
Orston, Dundrum Road, Dundrum, Dublin 14
Agent: Vincent Finnegan; Price: €725,000 ; 1,660sq ft (154sq m)
Passersby could easily mistake Orston, which is on the busy Dundrum Road, for a pokey suburban bungalow. It is, however, a sizeable semi-detached property that is single storey to the front and two storey to the rear. Unusually, the front door leads into the upper floor where the bedrooms are located, with a stairs leading down to the kitchen and reception rooms.
The bedrooms are all in good order and the layout is rather standard with the master bedroom having an en-suite bathroom and the others sharing a single family bathroom, although there is another shower room downstairs.
The light-filled converted attic room is 211sq ft – and this is in addition to the 1,660sq ft of space at the two lower levels.
At garden level, most of the living space is at the rear of the house, with views over the magnificent lawn. There is also a large utility-storage room and a separate TV room at the front, but neither of these have the benefit of natural light. There is no such worry about natural light on the other side of the house, with all the rooms enjoying the west-facing aspect.
Both the kitchen and sunroom have double-doors, which lead out to the elevated terracotta-tiled terrace with Italianate balustrade.
The immaculately manicured 140ft garden is undoubtedly this home’s star selling point and would certainly fit the requirements of any budding gardeners or a growing family.
The house is about seven minutes from Dundrum Luas and village, and about 15 minutes from Dundrum Town Centre, so the new owners will be spoiled for amenities. A similar neighbouring house, Sancta Anna, two doors away was for sale asking €900,000 in 2005 having been renovated and extended to 2,100sq ft.
19 St Catherine’s Park, Sandycove
Agent: Savills; Price: €845,000; 1,588sq ft (147sq m)
St Catherine’s Park is a quiet and extremely low-density cul-de-sac at the border of Glenageary, Sandycove and Dalkey. The street comprises 30 semi-detached homes whose unassuming facades are about 70ft from the street and most of which have rear gardens that are over 100ft in length. It is little surprise given the street’s unique character and location – five minutes from Glenageary Dart station, 15 minutes from both Dalkey Village and Sandycove Point – that families tend to stay in houses here for decades.
Before 2010, one sale every five or 10 years on the street may have been the norm until a slew of sales in the past four years, with six houses selling for prices between €620,000 and €822,500. Number 19 was sold in March 2014 for €790,000 and has returned to the market now with full planning permission for a total overhaul obtained by its new owner and with a more bullish €845,000 asking price. At present, the house is far from ideal and the upstairs is especially limited, with three bedrooms and one family bathroom.
The proposed two-storey side extension would vastly improve the house, internally and externally, increasing the overall size to a very comfortable 2,300sq ft featuring four bedrooms (all with en suite bathrooms), two interconnecting living rooms and a large kitchen to the rear overlooking the garden. The 135ft long garden will be hardly affected by the proposed plans as the footprint will remain rather similar to the current one.
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