For parents of school-going children, Belmont Avenue – a busy road that connects Sandford Road to Donnybrook village – couldn’t be better located. The school run could be measured in footsteps rather than mileage.
St Mary’s National School, a feeder school for Muckross Park College, a non-fee paying secondary school for girls on nearby Marlborough Road, is at the Donnybrook end of Belmont. Co-educational Sandford Park School and Gonzaga College for boys are both similar distances from the street.
Number 46 is a fine bay-fronted Victorian redbrick, which the current owners bought in 2001 when the property was in eight bedsits.
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They refurbished it in 2005 and 2006, returning it to its former glory, replacing the enormous windows with period-style sash frames. They painted the walls in chalky neutrals allowing its original features to shine; high ceilings – 3.5 m (11.5 feet) at hall and first-floor levels – and timber floors.
The property’s two reception rooms interconnect via sliding doors. The sitting room is where you could lose an afternoon to reading the papers at the weekend and the diningroom, while classically decorated, doesn’t feel overly formal. Though not original to the house, the fireplaces are sympathetic to the period.
By replacing the diningroom window with French doors you can, via steps, directly access the light-filled eat-in kitchen. The breakfast part is double height with light pooling in from the roof and the fully glazed gable wall making this a place to linger. The internal kitchen has a lower ceiling height, polished black granite countertops and feels darker than the rest of the house.
While officially open plan, this part of the property cleverly comprises three separate zones, a smart set up for families. The den overlooks the garden and is open to the kitchen and breakfast area on one side, enough for parents to feel connected without being on top of their kids.
On the first floor, the three bedrooms all have 3.5 m-high ceilings. The master enjoys the bay window and has low-set built-in wardrobes that don’t overwhelm the space. The room has a lovely sense of calm. The family bathroom and hotpress are situated on the hall return and on the first floor return is the property’s fourth bedroom and a shower room.
The property has zoned heating, underfloor heating in the extension area, measures 219sq m (2366sq feet), has a D1 Ber rating and is asking €1.35 million through agents DNG.
The house has a southerly aspect to the rear with an enormous garage, big enough to accommodate off-street parking for two cars.
St Mary’s Lawn Tennis Club is situated to the rear of the house.
