House hunters shopping for high-end four-bedroom homes in Dublin 6 have many Ber-exempt options to choose from but there are slim pickings for those looking for more energy-efficient homes. Those looking to reduce utility bills and possibly avail of a lower-rate green mortgage, which requires a home to a B2 Ber rating or higher, have limited options in the current market.
Add privacy to the boxes that need to be ticked, and Glandore at 38b Temple Road in Dartry jumps to the top of the list.
The three- to four-bedroom house is one of five detached properties that were built by the Burns family of Manorglen Properties in a small development of about an acre on land originally owned by Viscount Palmerston.
Launched in late 2015, the development comprised Caherdaniel, number 38a, a Victorian-style new build redbrick of 473sq m that came to market seeking €4.5 million in October 2016 and sold for €3.94 million the following August, according to the Property Price Register.
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Also on the main road was Avanti, the most modern of the five, which had come to market in November 2015 seeking €2.5 million and is listed on the Property Price Register as having sold for €2.225 million on April 2016.
The scheme included three more detached houses to the rear, all set around a courtyard. One of these, Glandore, built as an A3-rated home, was on the market at €2 million in October 2016, sold for €1.7million in April 2018 and now, smartly decorated, is back on the market seeking €2.35 million through agents Sherry FitzGerald.
Glandore offers the Victorian period two-storey over basement layout but with all modern creature comforts including a sheltered south-facing garden shielded by a row of mature evergreens.
The house is accessed via a set of electronic wrought-iron gates and has another set of timber gates behind which there is space to park up to three cars behind each other. There are also bays in the courtyard for residents to use.
The stone exterior belies its roomy interior, which encompasses 249sq m (2,680sq ft) and has been really well laid out. It opens into a roomy entrance hall with a large round-headed window framing views of creeper-clad walls.
To the right is a pristinely appointed sitting room decorated in a monochrome palette of blacks and greys. It has a focal point gas fire and Aoife Mullane cushions, complete with karate-chop styling, scattered at staggered intervals on the large sofa.
At the far end of the inner hall is another dual-aspect drawing room with access directly to the lawned garden. In pride of place here is a black baby grand piano.
There is a third room at this level that has direct access to the outside; the owners use this as a bedroom for a 20-something, meaning he can head directly to his room from outside if returning home late at night, without disturbing the whole house. It demonstrates clever thinking and there is a full shower room across the hall.
Down a level is the kitchen where the ceilings feel higher than their standard height. Despite being below the garden, this is a really bright, dual-aspect space that comprises a kitchen with a gorgeous grey marble-topped island and a family room area that overlooks a private, sheltered, sun-trap terrace.
There are three generous en suite bedrooms on the first floor.
