Right on the edge of Sandyford as you head into Dundrum is the Wedgewood estate, a quiet, well-established housing development enjoying proximity to the M50, Luas, Beacon South Quarter and Dundrum Town Centre, and with all the amenities a family needs, including schools, shops and a park and playground within the estate.
Number 296 Hawthorns Road is typical of the footprint in Wedgewood: it’s a small semi-detached house measuring 79sq m (850sq ft) but it has been a great first home for the owners. “The light was a big selling point for us,” they say. The couple extensively renovated the house in 2018, creating a sense of space and light, and bringing all the interiors to a high standard.
“It had been rented out before we bought it, and we pretty much gutted the inside,” say the owners. “The ceilings used to be stippled.”
They put in a new kitchen and family bathroom, and laid solid wood flooring downstairs and lappato tiles in the kitchen. To make full use of the sun-drenched private south-facing back garden, the couple put large bi-fold doors in the open-plan kitchen and diningroom; when they’re opened fully, it brings the outside in and is the perfect set-up for a summer barbecue or a birthday party.
Beauty & the Beast review: On the way home, younger audience members re-enact scenes. There’s no higher recommendation
Matt Cooper: I’m an only child. I’ve always been conscious of not having brothers or sisters
A Dublin scam: After more than 10 years in New York, nothing like this had ever happened to me
Patrick Freyne: I am becoming a demotivational speaker – let’s all have an averagely productive December
The entrance hall has understairs storage, and the living room has a fireplace, built-in bookshelves and a TV unit. A desk is neatly tucked into a corner for working from home or homework. An open arch leads to the kitchen/dining area, with a peninsula neatly positioned to make it work efficiently for mealtimes. The kitchen has an integrated Electrolux oven, a Belling gas hob, an integrated Smeg dishwasher, an integrated Electrolux fridge/freezer and a Belfast sink.
Upstairs are two double bedrooms and one single, which the couple are using as a home office. The main bedroom has built-in wardrobes. The couple insulated the house and put in a new boiler, and in 2021 they installed new windows; the house now has a Ber energy rating of C2.
Both the front and back gardens have been fully landscaped; there’s parking in the driveway and side gate access to the back garden, which has a neat lawn and a patio area. Hydrangea and lavender provide a splash of colour in the summer, and a shed at the end of the back garden houses bikes, scooters and other equipment.
The house is in turnkey condition throughout, and is ready to move into. There is scope to build an extension and create a bigger kitchen, dining and family area opening out to the sunny back garden, and there’s also room to build a utility room out to the side, subject to planning permission. And if you needed a fourth bedroom, a den or a home office, the attic could possibly be converted. “Some of the other houses in the street have converted attics, and they look good,” say the owners.
Number 296 Hawthorns Road, Sandyford, Dublin 16 has a C2 Ber and is on the market through Sherry FitzGerald seeking, €595,000.