Dalkey/€3.5m: Single-storey at the front, three-storey at the rear, a Regency villa has been given a 21st century makeover, says Kate McMorrow

Khyber Lodge is not a house to be judged by its cover, although many will be seduced by its postcard-pretty exterior, with daisies under the windows and a neat front lawn.

Sherry FitzGerald's Dalkey branch is quoting an AMV of €3.5 million for the five-bedroom lodge, located on Nerano Road, off Sorrento Road, and a roll down the hill to the seafront.

Khyber Lodge - a veritable Pandora's box of surprises - was in need of refurbishment when the owners bought it about 10 years ago. As builders who specialise in restoring period properties, they knew how to approach the job of renovating and extending.

The house presents as a very well-kept Regency villa, with no hint of its 21st century overhaul. Nevertheless, there is now 255sq m (2,750sq ft) of living space, with five bedrooms and a family friendly layout. A new roof and sash windows were installed, in the latter case using fine narrow glazing bars to match what was there before.

Apart from rewiring and plumbing, room layouts were altered to suit a 21st century lifestyle. Good storage was created, using ingenious methods such as tucking in behind the tall shutters: there is CD storage in the sittingroom, and herbs and medicines behind the kitchen shutters.

One room was sacrificed on the ground floor to create an airy double-height entrance hall, lit by a stained glass skylight.

To the left are a front drawingroom - painted sash red - and green diningroom, linked by original folding doors. Both have vaulted ceilings with deep coving and centre rose and almost matching marble and cast-iron fireplaces. Across the hall is a family sittingroom with vaulted ceiling and old fireplace. The huge kitchen/breakfastroom, where the family gathers, forms part of the seamless extension. This big sunny room now has bespoke cream-painted units with maple and marble worktops and an island unit, wideplank floorboards from "some monastery or other" and a Stanley range with navy tile splashback.

Two bay windows and French doors open to a sun terrace shaded by a giant cotoneaster shrub. Like the tiers of a wedding cake, the lodge rises up to three storeys at the rear, with terraces on each floor. Across the lawn is a very cute summer house with dovecote and coach lamps which light up the garden. A potting shed is painted to make it almost invisible behind the surrounding trees. There is a trellised arboretum smothered with jasmine and white climbing roses on the lower terrace. A staircase off the kitchen/livingroom climbs to the main bedroom, with wardrobes and two east-facing windows for morning light. This has a full en suite bathroom with sleek fittings, marble-topped vanity unit and under-tile heating. French doors open to the top terrace.

Four remaining bedrooms, two cloakrooms, bathroom, laundry and wine cellar are down the main staircase at garden level.

Fitted wardrobes, drawers and desks are provided for the family's teenagers, who love the privacy of this below-stairs space.

The 250-bottle wine cellar is fitted with a wall-to-wall rack and shelves. Back-lit fake brushed glass windows in a Gothic-shape are an interesting focal point in the family bathroom. Here, a huge Jacuzzi bath sits free-standing on black and white tiles and there is a separate corner shower. Another great area is a boot corner with room for golf bags and the family's collection of unusual hats. Closet doors have decorative holes for ventilation. All this beyond the front door of a little pink-washed cottage with the aah-factor.