You wouldn't guess from the modest exterior of this refurbished house that it's a 420sq m (4,500sq ft) seven-bed, writes BERNICE HARRISON
128 Castle Avenue, Clontarf, Dublin 3
Spacious detached bungalow with large back garden
Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
THE EXTERIOR of a house usually gives a good clue as to what it is going to be like inside – but that’s not the case with 128 Castle Avenue. The double-fronted detached bungalow is one of many on this popular Clontarf road, and its modest, pebbledash exterior probably looks much as it did in the 1920s when it was built.
Then you notice the single-storey extension to the side, an indication that major improvements have been made, and they have been so significant that this is now a seven-bedroom 420sq m (4,500sq ft) bungalow which Sherry FitzGerald has priced at €2.8 million.
It’s the sort of price usually put on large period redbrick houses but the extensive work, the sheer size of the house, the good garden and the fact that it is in walk-in condition in a sought after area are some of the factors.
The house is on over half an acre, which gave the family, who had lived there since the 1980s, significant scope when they set about extending in 2002. The renovation greatly increased the living space, added some bedrooms, enlarged the upstairs area and modernised all bathrooms and en suites. It also enlarged the hall and stairway. They are now downsizing as the children are moving on.
The layout and size of the reception rooms are particularly attractive for a growing family. There is a formal livingroom to the front of the house as well as a separate diningroom, but the most-used rooms are at the back. A very large eat-in kitchen with custom-made solid wood units and a granite-topped island opens into a light filled square-shaped family room.
There’s also a fully fitted-out bar at the back in a room which has access to the back garden; it could be converted into a great playroom. There’s a good-sized utility room. All the bedrooms are doubles, three downstairs, four upstairs and the main bedroom, with its dressingroom and full-sized en suite, is particularly large. One of the downstairs rooms would make an ideal home office.
Large as the extension at the back of the house is, it didn’t really take from the enclosed mature garden. To the front there is parking for several cars.
