You can’t blame builders for going back to the past. Like the devil, the Georgians had all the best tunes when it comes to graceful style and proportions. With newer-build Georgian-style houses, the devil is in the detail, as you also get those modern twists we love so much today, such as en suite bathrooms, efficient insulation, responsive heating systems and fancy kitchens.

Glenside, one of a pair of houses, built in 2002 in Kilquade by Brian Rhatigan, has all these in spades. The 358sq m (3,853sq ft) house is for sale through Savills at a guide of €1,275,000. The current owners bought it in 2005, and even though the sprawling single-storey, five-bed pad already had a lot going for it, they set about adding more.

“We completely changed the windows, changed the kitchen, painted the outside of the house, retiled the bathrooms, and added the beautiful patio to the side of the house,” says the owner. They’re moving to pursue a dream of building their own home, and they add that the initial attractions were the flow of the rooms and the location.

0 of 5

Accessibility to Dublin

“We fell in love with it because we had two young children. We felt we had the best of both worlds. There’s incredible accessibility to Dublin, Dundrum shopping centre is 20 minutes away, Greystones is two minutes. You’ve got the sea literally a mile from our front door, and the Wicklow mountains behind.” There’s also an acre and a half of gardens. “You’ve got the grounds and the woodlands, which our kids used to adore. They could go roaming. Plus there’s the Druid’s Glen golf course and the hotel, which became our local.”

Inside, the house is opulently fitted out. Go in to find a striking hallway that reaches front to back. Off this is a drawingroom, diningroom, study, family room and large kitchen/breakfast room, with French windows on to a patio. The five bedrooms (all en-suite) are to the rear, with the master also having its own dressing room. Most impressive.