High above Howth village, Kitestown Road still has the feel of a country lane in an area of the northside suburb popular with summit-bound walkers. The owners of Kalivez were familiar with the tall semi-detached Victorian long before they bought it having admired the house from their walks, and once they saw the For Sale sign 26 years ago “we nearly bought it before we saw [inside] it”.
Now moving – not far, they have built a smaller, modern home in the garden – the 2,240sq ft (208sq m) property is for sale through Gallagher Quigley for €1.2 million.
Moving in they found little to change, eventually glazing the kitchen roof for more light, and enlarging the family bathroom.
There are three reception rooms – two to the front, the smallest at the rear now being used as a home office. Upstairs are five bedrooms, the largest with a big bay window and an en suite, while the attic room at the top of the house with its sloping ceilings will probably be the most coveted for its charm if the new owners have a young teen looking for a room apart.
What prospective buyers to this house will concentrate on – when Covid restrictions lift and they can get in for a look around – are the views. In a tall house with deep bay windows on an elevated site in a scenic coastal area, panoramic views are expected and this delivers with the rooftop-dotted hillside falling away below, the sea beyond and Ireland’s Eye and Lambay Island in sight. An early buy for new owners will probably be a telescope.
The new build prompted the landscaping of the sloping front garden – “something I wish we’d done years ago,” says the owner.
The curious house name – Kalivez – isn’t a century-old throw back to the house’s seafaring history, which is common in Howth, rather it was inspired by a happy holiday the owners had in a village in Greece. While the owner can’t remember the property’s original name, it will be on the deeds.
A rambling double-fronted house this size allows for changes, and new owners as well as updating the décor to their own taste might consider rearranging the rooms, in particular moving the kitchen, where every family spends most time, from the rear of the house to a room with the spectacular views.
