David Agar’s Foxrock trophy homes back on market reduced to €2.5m and €1.75m

Two neighbouring homes on Foxrock's exclusive Brighton Road that made headlines in 2005 when they sold for about €7.3 million each are back on the market with extensive refurbs and substantial price drops.

Craughwell and St Benedict's were two of a trio of neighbouring homes on a plot of about 3.75 acres that the then owners packaged together for sale in 2005. The purchaser, former developer David Agar's Sammark Properties, paid €22 million for the lot. Agar then reduced each house plot to about half an acre before substantially renovating and extending all three properties. The third house, Fairholme, was sold subsequently for about €4.2 million. Meanwhile Agar moved into St Benedict's renaming it Damson Lodge.

Agar has since moved on within Foxrock, and the remaining two properties were taken over by Nama in Feburary 2012 along with a development plot of 2.35 acres to the rear comprising the rest of the original gardens of the houses.

Now the two homes are for sale by the receiver through Lisney for €2.5 million and €1.75 million apiece.

Craughwell, the larger of the two, started life as a quite modest sized mid-century house, but was latterly extended to a very substantial 492 sq m (5,300 sq ft) with no expense spared on its modernisation. It now has five en-suite bedrooms, a formal diningroom to the front, two interconnecting reception rooms and a large open-plan living/ dining/kitchen with floor to ceiling glazed walls on to a terrace. Because it has been vacant for some time it’s in need of a refresh to bring it back up to spec.

St Benedict’s is in better condition having been lived in until relatively recently. It stands apart from the Arts and Crafts style typical of this area, with a timber-clad exterior reminiscent of Australian architecture styles.The dormer bungalow has five bedrooms and measures 280sq m / 3,013sq ft and has been expensively upgraded inside so all that remains of the original house are its four walls and roof.

The 2.35 acre site to the rear of these houses is being sold through the receiver by Lisney Commercial for €6 million. In 2015 planning permission was sought to construct six detached homes on this site, which was refused on grounds of density. It’s understood a second application has been prepared but not submitted. Based on new homes construction currently under way next door by developer Joe O’Reilly, it is likely this site could accommodate at least 20 similar sized dwellings.