Water has drawn and fascinated people since time began, and when it comes to property, buyers are often willing to pay an enormous premium for what estate agents term pieds dans l'eau, quite literally feet in the water.
There are approximately 30 such properties in Dublin with this distinction, and while some houses back onto the Dublin bay, their height above sea level precludes direct access to the water for a swim; but at Bayswater Terrace in Sandycove, it’s possible to walk to the end of the garden and be in the water in seconds.
The terrace of four houses was constructed in the early 1800s by four merchant brothers eager to decamp from the city for summer months. Each property has private access to the water via a terrace – with enough room to accommodate a kayak or dinghy.
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From the garden, which meanders to the shore, steps lead down to an old tunnel – now closed up – which the four brothers shared to access their communal boat house.
Number 2, a five-bed property, was purchased and renovated by the owners in 2005 and has been used for high-end corporate lets generating rental incomes of between €10,000 and €15,000 a month.
Every inch of the 385sq m (4,145sq ft) has been given a luxurious overhaul, from the expensive Dalkey Design kitchen which has all the bells and whistles one would expect from a property of this calibre – including the largest Britannia range cooker on the market.
There are four reception rooms; a formal drawing and dining room at hall level, with access to one of the four patios from the drawing room.
On the first floor lies a more intimate sitting room, previous lodgers have used this room as a home office but to be honest it would be difficult to concentrate as the views are simply jaw-dropping.
If there is a fault, it might be that the fireplaces are all gas – this property warrants roaring open fires as a balance to the elements outside.
It’s not often that plumbing is a selling point, but the owner is the daughter of a builders’ supply merchant and nothing has been overlooked in this department. The house has dual boilers “just in case one would fail”, the bath in the master suite not only has Jacuzzi jets but also an aerated floor-fed system to give a complete hydrotherapy experience, and the pièce de resistance is the steam room on the second floor, where recesses in the walls were specifically designed to accommodate champagne glasses – for a tipple after sunset swims.
What makes this property really special besides its elegance, space and expensive interiors is its location at the water’s edge.
Just down the road are four yacht clubs – for those who wish to keep a sail boat. However for smaller motor boats it’s possible to apply for a mooring permit from the Dublin Port Authority for Bullock Harbour – which lies beside the terrace.
A little gem on the Dublin coastline, the harbour is laden with history and curiosities such as the Brandy Hole used in the past by smugglers. Granite quarried here in the 1800s now lines part of the Thames embankment in London as well as the Great South Wall in Dublin. New owners no doubt will delight that there are daily hauls of lobster by local fishermen.
For those who love the sea but need to live in the capital, it doesn't get much better than this. For sale through Sherry FitzGerald with an asking price of €3.5million.
