£750,000 expected for four-bed renovated semi in Blackrock

A four-bedroom semi-detached house with a 150-ft-long rear garden at Sydney Avenue in Blackrock, Co Dublin, carries a guide price of £750,000-plus prior to auction by Hamilton Osborne King on May 24th.

The double-fronted house enjoys a good position on one of Blackrock's most attractive, if busy, roads. It has a sunny back garden bounded by old granite walls, rear access to a lane-way and side access to Green Road.

Both sides of Sydney Avenue are lined with parked cars, making it difficult to drive from one end to the other without pulling over to let oncoming traffic pass. However, once inside the smart black door of number 16 - an end-of-terrace, north-east-facing house - peace reigns. The owners bought the four-bedroom family home, previously a school, eight years ago and tastefully renovated it.

Most of the original features are intact, including the simple ceiling cornices, pine floorboards and elegant, timber-framed windows. The hall and stairs have been painted a vibrant egg-yolk yellow, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The two principal reception rooms on either side of the hall door are fine, nicely-proportioned spaces.

The big, wine-painted drawing-room has windows at front and rear and a colourful marble chimney-piece. Across the hall, the deep blue-green dining-room has a beautiful, pale grey marble chimney-piece. A glazed door leads to a yard at the side where there is a boiler house, a bicycle shed and access onto Green Road. Double glazed doors open into a cosy family room with a carved wooden and cast-iron fireplace, of a later date than the rest of the house. French doors lead into the garden via a concrete patio. Beyond the family room is a kitchen extension. Also on this level are a utility room and guest lavatory.

Upstairs, the hall and landing are generously lit by windows at the front and the back of the house. A family bathroom with half-panelled walls and a double bedroom are on the landing level. Further up are three more bedrooms.

The main bedroom, above the drawing-room, is large at more than 22 ft by 16 ft and has a window at front and rear. The latter has a glimpse of the Dublin mountains across the roofs and gardens of Blackrock. An en suite shower room has been discreetly tucked into a corner of the room.

The sunny back garden is very large and is mainly laid out in grass and flower beds, with a patio bordering the house. Access to the lane offers the possibility of building a mews-type house, subject to the necessary planning permission.