Monkstown €4m:This Regency house is just right, with features that include discreet car-parking, great reception rooms and a spa-inspired bathroom, writes Property Editor Orna Mulcahy

Sellers who spend lots of time and money getting their house ready for the market often wonder exactly why they are moving. Looking around their decluttered, lily-scented rooms, they say: "Why didn't we do this years ago!"

In the case of 5 Richmond Hill, a Regency five-bedroom semi-detached house in Monkstown, the owner feels that after a 10-month renovation she has finally got the house exactly right - so much so that she is planning to replicate every room when she moves to the country.

The 372sq m (4,000sq ft) house is in pristine condition while the quarter-acre of garden has been transformed with immaculate lawn, gravel and hedging. The couple, who have five children, are planning to put their two eldest college-going children into an apartment and move to Wicklow where they hope to find a period property with space for a pony.Number 5 is on the market through Sherry FitzGerald, asking €4 million.

The house is one of a run of handsome stucco fronted homes dating from around 1824. Leafy Richmond Hill is a quiet road off Carrickbrennan Road, a short walk down to the village and the Dart. The house is set back from the road, with granite steps leading to a front door flanked by pretty leaded lights. Inside, an elegant hallway has a fine reception room on either side. The 22ft drawingroom runs from front-to-back of the house with great light, a big open fire, polished boards, and an elaborate original ceiling rose. The diningroom has space to seat 10 in front of the Adam-style fireplace, beneath a stunning chandelier.

Beyond these formal rooms is a panelled study that overlooks the back garden. The rear hallway has French doors leading out to a balcony with steps down to the garden.

Downstairs, the fifth bedroom has an en suite bathroom, while next door is a family room dominated by a 52-inch flat TV screen. Also at this level is a big kitchen warmed by a double Aga surrounded by handmade kitchen units that include a big marble topped island. The four other bedrooms - all with en suites - are arranged on two upper levels. The main bedroom is a spacious double room with walnut flooring. The en suite has the bath positioned in front of a tall sash window that looks out over a myrtle tree. Pull down the blind, light the candles, and cue the music in the in-built system, and it's got a definite spa-like feel.