Based on a US design, Ardilea was one of the first residential estates to be built in Clonskeagh, in the 1960s. The roads are named after internationally renowned universities and the houses are mostly A-line detached bungalows. Number 8 Sorbonne is a four-bed that backs on to adjacent Louvain.
The detached house makes the most of its corner site. A big lounge with an open fire has a large picture window to the front. An opening leads to the best room in the house: one of its two conservatories, which overlooks the garden, and has French doors leading out west and a huge refectory dining table at its centre.
A second door leads on to a sandstone patio and mature gardens. A path leads to a discreet garden room with wood floors and recessed lighting that would make a great home office or studio.
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Off the conservatory is a kitchen with granite worktops and great curves. Most of the units are below the counter, making the room feel fresh and airy. Its uPVC windows, which fill only half the over-counter wall space, do not take full advantage of the garden views – a shortcoming considering the €1.25 million asking price through Sherry FitzGerald.
The property is sizeable at 218sq m (2,349sq ft). Nearby, number 2 Heidelberg, a four-bed 287sq m (3,000sq ft) house, is asking €1.095 million.
Adjacent to the kitchen is a family room with a smaller conservatory leading off it and out to a slightly sunken and secluded barbecue area.
To the front, a huge bedroom can be accessed directly from the hall. With UCD a two-minute cycle away, this room could work well for a student. It has plenty of space for a large sofa and adequate kitchenette. It also has a small en suite shower room.
Upstairs are three bedrooms. The master bedroom is to the rear, with plenty of built-in wardrobe space. These rooms have old uPVC windows, which jar slightly with the polished decor throughout most of the house.
Double electric gates provide off-street parking access from Louvain.
The house has a C3 BER.
