A brand new house on Dalkey Hill, nearly opposite Torca Cottage – once George Bernard Shaw’s home – is as modern as it could be, with lots of floor-to-ceiling triple-glazed doors and windows, underfloor heating, an A rating for energy efficiency, as well as smart en suites and walk-in dressing rooms.
What is doesn't have is the sweeping views of Killiney Bay you would expect. There are glimpses of the view towards Bray Head from one side of the house and back towards Dalkey at the other, but tall trees in the garden of a house further down the hill obscure the full view.
That said, The Orchard – built on the site of a former orchard – is in a lovely location: it lies between a right of way opposite Torca Cottage leading to Knocknacree Road and the Cat’s Ladder steps down to Vico Road. It is just a few steps from here to the path onto Dalkey Hill.
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The Orchard, a 283sq m (3,046sq ft) detached house is for sale by private treaty through Hooke & MacDonald for €2.25 million. (Torca Cottage, refurbished, went on the market in February for €2.45 million.)
The house, like some neighbouring homes, is “very California”, the agent says. It is a wide, white, flat-roofed property designed by architect Frank Kenny surrounded by sloping just-landscaped lawns.
The living quarters are upstairs, where you get the best of the views available, and the bedrooms are downstairs, all facing on to a patio at the back.
The front door opens into a hall facing a double-height floor-to-ceiling window in the stairwell. On the right is the kitchen/breakfast room/sitting room stretching from the front to the back of the house, with floor-to-ceiling windows at each end.
It is decorated in shades of grey, with soft grey walls, large grey floor tiles and grey/white marble counter tops and island unit, with an induction hob inset. There are stylish details – glossy white brick-style tiles in the splashback, for example. These tiles are also used in the guest toilet in the hall between the kitchen and the livingroom. There is also a cloakroom and a small room with a sink and freezer, a kind of party room adjacent to the living room/dining room, in this middle space. The living/dining room is very large, with a smart walnut parquet-style floor and sliding doors opening on to a wide balcony.
There is also a virtual Opti V fireplace inset into the gable wall, a cunning modern take on an electric fire, with very realistic-looking coals and crackling fire sound effects.
Downstairs, the four double bedrooms are all en suite and two have good-sized walk-in dressing rooms. There is also a utility room and a plant room from where CCTV cameras are controlled. The largest main bedroom is underneath the kitchen, with an en suite with bath and shower. The dressing room, like that off the double bedroom at the other end of the downstairs hall, is well-fitted with shelves and cupboards.
There is room to park a number of cars beyond the electronic gates in the gravelled front garden. The garden is mostly in lawns – some just seeded – that wrap around The Orchard.
