Sandymount Strand is one of the capital’s greatest natural resources and the past year has seen the numbers using the amenity increase exponentially. There are several “rush-hour” periods in which the denizens of this Dublin 4 village and its 5km surrounding area descend upon their collective seaside amenity. The early to mid-morning period sees workers, parents and retirees strolling along the seafront, or dropping down on to the sand to walk towards the horizon, while others looking for a longer exercise path choose to go over the hill along the nature reserve to the Shelly Banks, and on out towards the South Wall. These are incredible, free-to-use facilities to have on one’s doorstep and go some way to explaining the high asking prices for houses in the area.
Number 76 Sandymount Road is a fine family home within a couple of minutes’ stroll of all of these amenities. You can nip to the shops for weekend croissants and coffee or take a trip to the village green, and no one in the house will have noticed you have left the building.
The handsome part-redbrick semi-D was built in the 1930s and has retained many fine features from the period including a leaded-glass bow window, mahogany fireplaces with original tiled insets in the reception rooms, and ceiling heights of over 2.6m (8.5ft) at hall level.
To the front of the three-bedroom house is the living room which enjoys the bow curve and is carpeted underfoot in a simple check print. The warm flame mahogany surround of the fireplace contrasts beautifully with the cool blue tiles of its inset.
This room leads through to the dining room to the rear where the check pattern continues underfoot in its sitting area, where double doors open out to the garden. The flow of the flooring is interrupted halfway to accommodate a dining table, a practical consideration. The rich, cognac-coloured parquet floor follows through to the kitchen, which has a clean and simple white design featuring deep drawers and quartz countertops.
The garden is east facing but wide enough to get evening and afternoon sun. There is pedestrian side access to it and it is laid out mainly in lawn with stained timber fencing providing plenty of privacy. There is also scope to extend into the garden to give the property a bigger kitchen.
Upstairs there are three bedrooms, two doubles and one sizeable single. The house has alu-clad windows throughout, save for the original bow, vintage-style radiators and an E1 Ber grade. There is off-street parking for one car.
The property, which extends to 132sq m (1,421sq m), including a good-sized attic room, is seeking €1.1 million through agents Bennetts Auctioneers.
The most recent sales on the street of comparable house types took place across the road where number 75, an extended five-bedroom, three-bathroom, property of 140sq m (1,507sq ft) and in need of modernisation, with an F Ber grade, came to the market seeking €885,000 and sold for €785,000 last December. The house next door, number 75a sold for €830,000 last June, according to the Property Price Register.
