Here’s a house in the heart of Killiney that would make a great home for someone in the area trading down or those looking to gain a foothold in the sought-after spot. On Military Road, it’s part of a small gated enclave of six houses, a mix of detached and semidetached homes, that was built by the owner of Ballybrack House in 2008.
The owner of Ballybrack sold up and moved on, retaining number one as a rental property. Ballybrack is now called Military House and this detached three-bed, number 1 the Orchards, is being brought to the market by Sherry Fitzgerald, seeking €775,000.
The house is on an east-west orientation and has a large garden. Built on the original orchards of the house, parts of the old stone wall line the back garden, adding character and charm. There is parking for two cars to the front of the property, and side access to the garden. The Ber of the house is C3 and it extends to 115sq m (1,238sq ft).
The house extends slightly to the front with an attractive exterior of mixed brick, render and timber cladding. The front door is on the side of a large glazed window and opens into an entrance hall with semi-solid oak flooring, an oak staircase and a guest WC.
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On the right is a large and bright open-plan living area, extending the entire depth of the house. Although this might be ideal for downsizers or a couple, larger families might already be mentally blocking this off with a partition wall to allow for a delineation of space during the day. The living area has scope for lots of storage with deep alcoves either side of the square-cut stone fireplace with a gas inset fire.
The front of the house faces west, the back east, so the kitchen and dining area with double doors to the garden benefits from great morning light. The kitchen has a long breakfast bar, plenty of fitted units, integrated appliances and black granite worktops. There’s a utility room too, plumbed for washing machine and tumble dryer.
Double doors lead out on a small patio that in turn, has steps up into the garden. Large, mature trees line the back wall and there’s potential here to create a beautiful garden.
Upstairs, there are three bedrooms, the main bedroom lies to the front; it’s large with an impressive bank of built-in wardrobes and an en suite with a cream gloss cabinet under the sink. Two more bedrooms lie to the back of the house, both are decent-sized with fitted wardrobes, there’s a family bathroom with rainwater shower.
There’s access to the attic on the landing via a Stira staircase – the attic is fully floored with two Velux windows so should be possible to convert, adding a study or another bedroom, subject to planning permission.
Military Road was constructed in the early 19th century to allow for quick access to Killiney beach, which the British suspected Napoleon had in his sights for a landing, and the area around the road was full of barracks, soldiers’ quarters and smarter villas for the officers, of which Ballybrack House was one. Military Road still cuts a quick swathe to the beach and now the Dart is only a 10-minute walk away.
Holy Child Killiney is the nearest second level school, and there is a brace of primaries nearby, including Gaelscoil Phadraig and St John’s national school. The villages of Dalkey, Killiney and Shankill are within easy reach, as is the M50 and the Luas at Cherrywood.
