Three kilometres from Lucan village, beyond the Strawberry Beds and within a few minutes’ drive of Clonsilla train station, is a house with a garden that is as gorgeously laid out as its interior.
“A garden creates a view,” says its owner, garden designer Alan Rudden, who shares the four-bedroom, two-bathroom, B3 Ber-rated property with his wife, Cathy, and their three-year-old.
“Not everyone can look out at rolling hills or the coast. We have a certain climate here so you need open space to take in the light, and covered space for the days when it rains,” he says.
The couple bought it in 2014, paying €253,000 for the semidetached house, according to the Property Price Register. Back then it was a modest a two-up, two-down with the stairs running up through the livingroom. They lived in it for several years before hiring recently retired architect Peter Rafter, of Peter W Rafter Architects, to extensively reimagine it in 2019.
It is one of a pair of railway cottages. The original front door is still in situ under its porch but the main entrance is now to the side of this home, which now extends to 166sq m (1787sq ft).
But the family mainly enter their home through the garden, which will turn most green with envy at the luxury of it all.
As you turn into it, a water feature tinkles to welcome you home. This outside space is has been arranged to catch the sun at every stage in the day. Even though it is north-facing there are sun spots for morning coffee, all-day light and evening rays.
The space is populated by specimen trees in large pots, a new development in his garden design business. He describes the space as “a courtyard” but with Egyptian limestone underfoot and an area of 112sq m (14m long by 8m wide), that’s a bit of an understatement.
Then there’s the olfactory element. A heady honey scent of evergreen osmanthus burkwoodii fills the air. Later in the summer you will smell star jasmine that climbs the boundary wall.
He describes his design as being a “click and play” concept, meaning that when you’re to enjoy it, it is ready for you, whatever the weather. Their middle area, for example, is set under a retractable aluminium roof, that at the push of a button opens to reveal the sky overhead. To bring in warmth there’s a large wall-hung wood-burning Forno stove on a perimeter wall and a wall-hung electric heater on the opposite side.
To its left is the outdoor kitchen, an area that is permanently covered so it can be used all year round. Here there is a large Signature barbecue and a charcoal-burning Kamado Joe ceramic egg, smartly set into the porcelain tiled counter. In addition to the potted planting there are several tree ferns in the ground and between each section there is drainage to ensure the water runs off and is repurposed within the garden. Each of these paved areas is also broken by low lying planting including a variety of liriope. It is a joy to spend time in. It is a key component of the property.
Inside, there is a large and light-filled open-plan kitchen, living and dining area that opens out to the garden. It has glazing on three sides as well as a large clerestory window to bring in light from the south. The grey-painted units by Woodcraft Kitchens have deep drawers and there is a large pale blue La Canche range cooker that the family will be taking with them.
Off this space is a utility room where you can dry clothes, with a large covered outdoor area. They also stand a clothes horse under the retractable roof to air-dry laundry.
The house has four bedrooms, all doubles. Two are on the ground floor along with one full bathroom. Upstairs are two more and a shower room. The main bedroom is to the front and overlooks a working farm.
On about a quarter of an acre and set behind electronic gates, the property includes a sizeable gravelled area to the back of the rear, that is used as a yard for Rudden’s plants and plant machinery. His home office is in a shipping container here too.
The property is seeking €775,000 through agents Flynn & Associates.
The family’s roots are in Castleknock where there are cousins for their child to go to school with. Hence the move.
Six homes on the market with great gardens
1 Wild Atlantic shrubbery and freshwater pond swimming
Majos House, Enaughter, Goleen, Co Cork
Charles McCarthy, €995,000
Majos House is a detached three-bedroom, two-bathroom B2 Ber-rated house that extends to 186 sq m (2,002 sq ft) and is on two acres of gorgeous grounds, including rambling roses, meandering paths, a 45m-long swimming pond with wooden deck, and a sauna.
2 Vegetable patch and chicken coop
120 Quarry Road, Cabra, Dublin 7
HJ Byrne, €695,000
This three-bedroom, midterraced house has been rewired, replumbed and extends to 129sqm (1,388sqft). The C2-rated abode has a 39m-long back garden that includes a picket-fenced vegetable patch and a chicken coop.
3 Private planting and a sun-soaked deck
Fáilte, Rectory Road, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford
Paula Treacy, €595,000
Fáilte is a four-bedroom, four-bathroom, split-level, detached villa-style property with a contemporary designed side garden. On half an acre, the B3-rated home extends to 381sq m and includes a raised deck and barbecue area.
4 Sunny deck and fire pit
Dangan, Thomastown, Dangan, Co Kilkenny
Fitzgerald Auctioneering, €595,000
On an acre of land outside Thomastown, this detached C3 Ber-rated five-bedroom, three-bathroom bungalow has 204sq m (2,195 sq ft) of space. A stream runs through its extensive gardens, which also have a large sunny deck and a sunken patio with a fire pit.
5 Classic lawn and mature trees with potential
Drimatemple, Ballymoe, Ballintubber, Co Roscommon
Callaghan Auctioneering, €280,000
This C2 Ber-rated five-bedroom, three-bathroom bungalow extends to 202sq m (2,174sq ft). It is set well back from the road, between Roscommon town and Castlerea, and on an acre of mature grounds with mature trees, lawn and sun traps.
6 Gardens overlooking a waterfall
Falling Water Lodge, Tooreen, Glengarriff, Co Cork
Sherry FitzGerald O’Neill, €975,000
This A3-rated six-bedroom, four-bathroom, there-storey timber construction detached house of 490sq m (5,237 sq ft) was built on the mountainside over a natural waterfall on the Tooreen river. It is a mix of east coast American architecture and west Cork gulf-stream-warmed gardens that includes natural woodlands, a rock garden and a kitchen garden.
