Just a stone’s throw from Blackrock village in south Dublin, number 54 Carysfort Avenue is a double-fronted 1890s villa-style house that has been fully and sympathetically refurbished and modernised, retaining many of its original period features but also equipped with everything a modern family needs.
The current owners have been there only a couple of years, but are making a career move to London, so there’s an opportunity to snap up this superb home which needs no further work – unless you were inclined to convert the ample attic space to create a large additional living space, subject to planning permission.
As it stands, number 54 extends to a generous 178sq m (1,915sq ft), with more than enough space for a family. There are four bedrooms – although one is currently used as a cosy den/TV room, and has a wood-burning stove for added comfort. The house is Ber-exempt but has underfloor heating throughout, along with its original fireplaces, so warmth is not an issue.
Granite steps bring you to the main entrance, and into an impressive hallway, with stunning original ceiling coving, and period tiles underfoot. The high ceilings immediately give a sense of space, and this is continued in the spacious drawingroom to the right and diningroom to the left, both of which have hardwood floors, ornate ceiling coving and ceiling roses, original marble fireplaces with decorative tiling and large windows with original shutters.
Restaurateur Gráinne O’Keefe: I cut out sugar from my diet and here’s how it went
Ireland’s new dating scene: Finding love the old-fashioned way
‘We’re getting closer to it being realised’: Ambitious plans for Dublin lido gather momentum
From enchanted forests to winter wonderlands: 12 Christmas experiences to try around Ireland
Up a small flight of steps are two large double bedrooms looking out on to the private back garden; both have wooden floors and large wardrobes, and one has an original fireplace. In between them is a fully tiled bathroom with a roll-top bath with a shower head above.
Halfway down the steps to the garden level, there’s a tiled shower room with tanked flooring set behind a lovely stained-glass door. To the right is the third bedroom, also a double, with ceiling coving, cast-iron fireplace and built-in wardrobes. Downstairs, there’s a long corridor with lots of storage space leading out to a second front entrance. To the front is the spacious fourth bedroom currently used as a TV room.
The open-plan kitchen faces out to the front, and has been fully modernised, with cream floor and wall units, part wood, part polished granite countertops, Esse electric cooker, integrated appliances and a large centre island.
To the rear, up a couple of steps, is a dining-family area with French doors leading out to the back garden with stone patio and steps leading up to an artificial grass lawn. The garden is bordered by an original old stone wall which affords a sense of privacy (Blackrock Business Park is on the other side), and to the back, up another set of steps is a large deck area designed to catch the late afternoon and evening sun, complete with a hot tub. There’s also a large storage shed and a handy side entrance for bringing the bikes in and out. There is also on-street permit parking to the front.
The house is a short walk away from Blackrock village, with its boutiques, coffee shops and antique stores, and from the Frascati and Blackrock shopping centres. Blackrock Dart station is nearby, and buses go along the Rock Road into town like clockwork. There’s also a bus route to UCD, and the UCD Smurfit School is just a little further up Carysfort Avenue. Number 54 Carysfort Avenue is for sale through Sherry FitzGerald, asking €1.25 million.