Buyers with £3 million to spend who want a house by the sea, with plenty of space and privacy, will be interested in the sale of Seagrange at Sandycove in south Co Dublin. More of a compound than a house, this large Victorian villa fronts directly on to the water and comes with plenty of ancillary accommodation on the three-quarter acre grounds. The package includes Seagrange Lodge - a two storey, two-bedroom house attached to the main house but with its own front door - and a pair of one-bedroom mews houses with direct access to a laneway.

The three extra units would provide a healthy rental income. They could also house staff or friends, or be converted to a home office. Michael Grehan of Sherry FitzGerald is handling the sale of the property, which goes to auction on September 27th.

Seagrange is extremely private with access via a long tree-lined driveway off Sandycove Avenue East. You can't see the house from the road and, confusingly, the gateposts are named Golleen.

The main house has sweeping views across Dublin bay, potential for direct access to the shore and a private slipway. Despite its exposed position it has a lush, colourful garden, nurtured by the current owners for over a decade against the odds of wind and seaspray.

The garden is moderately protected by trees which reduce the sea view but enhance the shelter and sense of privacy. Roses, hydrangeas and agapanthus flourish in the borders alongside well-kept lawns and gravel paths that take you down to the sea.

The 3,500 sq ft house has its best rooms on the upper floor where there is a superb conservatory to the front, a drawingroom, diningroom, study, sunroom and large kitchen, as well as the main bedroom with its en suite bathroom and walk-in dressingroom. The four remaining bedrooms are at lower ground floor level. The owners have spent a good deal of money refurbishing this floor. It has a long central hall, utility room and store room and two bathrooms, one attached to a bedroom.

A yard behind the house has buildings on all sides. There are the two mews units, each with around 400 sq ft, carved from a single coach-house. A tiny, cottage-like building is used for storage.

A side gate leads out on to Sandycove East Lane, which runs right down to the sea.

Seagrange Lodge is a pretty little house ideal for one or two people. It has two bedrooms, a neat kitchen and a livingroom where you can see the sea - in all, about 650 sq ft.

Across the bay in Howth, Strand Lodge, off Claremont Road, perches on the edge of the sea with its own stretch of beach as a garden. The two-storey, 3,000 sq ft house needs refurbishment, but Sherry FitzGerald expects it to fetch over £680,000 when it is auctioned on September 21st.

A five-bedroom house, it has a drawingroom and diningroom on the upper floor, and they are linked by a long conservatory running across the back of the house.

There are also three bedrooms and a second sunroom at this level. Downstairs there are two further bedrooms as well as the kitchen with its quarry-tiled floor and Aga cooker.

There is a small garden and a large patio that has direct access to the beach.