Light-filled house in a leafy location

Rathfarnham: €1.2mA large family has been remodelled to let light in from almost every angle. Joyce Hickey reports

The Castle Park area of Rathfarnham, off Dodder Park Road in Dublin 14, is a leafy location that seems too quiet for its convenience, within easy reach of shops and the city.

There are three houses on the market in Riverside Drive: number 52 was built in 1950 and from the front it doesn't stand out from most of its neighbours, but inside it's a very different story.

The current owners have remodelled the house to make it a six-bed with huge, light-filled interconnecting living space. Sherry FitzGerald is guiding €1.2 million prior to auction, which is scheduled for November 4th.

The large square hall has an attractive limestone floor and light pours in from the front door, the landing windows and, when the kitchen door is open, from the tall windows in the breakfastroom.

To the left of the hall, a playroom and a guest toilet occupy the garage conversion. To the right is a spacious livingroom with a pale fireplace and a warm French oak floor. Double glass doors lead through to a sunny dining area and this continues through to the kitchen / breakfastroom.

This is a really bright, inviting space, mostly occupied by a well-appointed cherrywood kitchen with lots of units, including an island, all with granite worktops. A utility room off this has useful storage and a door to the side passage.

This extension has not compromised the back garden, which is mainly in lawn with raised beds and mature planting, and at the end are a shed and a games room, both solidly built and fully wired.

New oak stairs lead up to the first landing, off which are the fully tiled bathroom and four bedrooms, of which the smallest, at the back, is currently used as a study. The other back bedroom is an en suite double.

The two front bedrooms are bigger and the main bedroom is extremely spacious, with a luxurious en suite and a cleverly shelved and well-laid-out dressingroom.

Up another flight of stairs, the attic accommodates two dormer bedrooms and a third dormer window lights the landing, which is big enough for a desk or an armchair.

With 232 sq m (2,500 sq ft), there is plenty of space for a family who want to just move in and not have to do a thing to the house. The attention to detail is apparent in the quality of finish: the bathrooms are fitted with top quality sanitary ware, taps and showers; the heating downstairs is underfloor and the water is pressurised. There is parking for three cars in the front.