The two young daughters of the couple selling this house at the top of Killiney Hill Road call the tower at the back of their garden “Rapunzel’s Castle”. Number 2 Killiney Hill Cottages is one of a terrace of seven Victorian houses opposite the Druid’s Chair pub in Killiney village: its back garden nestles against the turreted arch across Victoria Road, around the corner.

Number two sold in 2014 for €525,000 and now – after extensive remodelling and modernisation – the 139sq m (1,496sq ft) four-bed is for sale again for €625,000 through Vincent Finnegan.

The couple who bought the house revamped it in accordance with guidelines on protected structures; they took down internal walls, put in a new staircase and created a smart modern home that feels reasonably spacious.

Steps lead down from busy Killiney Hill Road to the shared front gardens of the terrace: the front door of number 2, in the left-hand corner, opens into a small porch and then into a good-sized livingroom. It has a black marble fireplace with green tiles inset, recessed lighting and like the rest of the ground floor, high grade laminate timber-effect flooring.

Bay window

A short hall leads to the open plan kitchen/sittingroom/diningroom: the dining table is tucked into a bay window with built-in-seating, which has views down across the back gardens of houses on Killiney Hill Road  towards the sea. A breakfast bar separates the kitchen from the sittingroom/diningroom: units are painted a soft grey, countertops are quartz, and a sliding door opens into a utility room.

There’s a neat fully tiled shower room near the foot of the stairs. Upstairs are four bedrooms, three modest-sized doubles and a single. Two of the bedrooms are prettily decorated princess-style; another bedroom – over the dining area –  has a bay window with the best views in the house. The main bedroom has a cast-iron fireplace, built-in wardrobes and a high arch with Velux windows (with blinds fitted). A bathroom is mostly tiled.

The back garden is small, quirky and very private: steps lead up to a rockery and more steps at the side lead to a small patio area with a garden swing – facing the view down to the sea – in a sheltered corner next to the high stone wall below the turret.

There is no parking with Killiney Hill Cottages: the couple usually park in the Druid’s Chair car-park opposite the pub or in spaces just outside the pub, with the pub’s permission.