Coast road home is one to watch - Sandymount

With coastal locations continuing to attract strong prices, a house new to the market on Strand Road, Sandymount will have no shortage of viewers.

Sherry FitzGerald is guiding £650,000 (€825,330) for number 11, a six-bedroom Victorian semi-detached house due to be auctioned on April 5th. On the same road, a villa-style house with marvellous views and a separate mews - but which required a lot of work - achieved £765,000 (€971,349) at auction last week, £140,000 (€177,763) more than the agent's guide price.

Number 11, a 2,500 sq ft semi-detached house, has instant appeal, with a cottage-style exterior and a front garden to act as a buffer from noisy port-bound traffic. It is set well back from the road, with a long gravelled driveway and a spreading chestnut tree at the entrance. The house is larger than it looks at first glance, stretching quite far back and with a couple of bedrooms in the attic space.

The owners bought it in 1995 and did a lot of work, stripping floors and fireplaces, installing a new kitchen and adding on a large family room at the back.

Original features such as ceiling coving and working sash windows were left undisturbed, while wardrobes and cupboards around the house were custom-made from salvaged old pine shutters.

Decorative glass side panels on porch and main entrance doors were made by Irish Stained Glass. The sittingroom to the front is connected with the diningroom through original pine doors. The door panels were replaced with clear glass by the owners; some might not approve, but it does allow light through to the otherwise dark diningroom. Both formal rooms have fine Victorian fireplaces with gas coal-effect fire inserts.

The spacious kitchen/ breakfastroom is at the end of a long hallway which has an under stairs broom cupboard/wine cellar. There is a good range of modern pine kitchen units, though buyers will have to replace the owners' green Aga which they are taking with them. A utility room is well fitted out with cupboards.

A short glass walkway has been created to link with the large family livingroom overlooking the back garden. The family room has a new maple floor and a cast-iron gas stove in a brick fireplace.

Three double bedrooms, one single room and the family bathroom are on the first floor. The main room to the front has antique pine wardrobes and a double-sized en suite shower. A claw-foot bath, restored Victorian wash-hand basin and cupboards made from old shutters make this room worth a second look. Up a small flight of stairs are two further bedrooms, one currently used as a study and with fine views over the bay.

The 70 ft by 44 ft walled back garden has been imaginatively landscaped, with a circular lawn, Liscannor slate terrace and a garden shed hidden by climbing plants.