Country house style for €4.5m in Carrickmines

A handsome home on a large sweep of lawn has been beautifully cared for, writes Property Editor Orna Mulcahy

A fine family home on just over 0.8 of an acre at Brennanstown Road in Carrickmines, Dublin 18 has an advised minimum value (AMV) of €4.5 million prior to auction through Lisney on March 15th.

Set back from the road in a sheltered site surrounded by trees, the five-bedroom house has the sort of charming, relaxed interior that's generally achieved by a marriage of good taste and old money.

A house where armchairs sag comfortably and oriental rugs are scattered on polished floors, it has 375sq m (4,030sq ft) of rambling living space that includes a superb drawingroom with French doors to the garden and access to a fine timber-frame conservatory that is an exact replica of an original model that had deteriorated when the owners bought Ardnamona 17 years ago.

There's a formal diningroom, country-style kitchen and cosy library, all part of the ground floor layout, which also includes a study, pantry and boot room with appropriate hooks and holders for wellies.

The generous layout also includes a separate fuel room, with divisions for coal, logs and kindling, all of which are used in the three downstairs fireplaces.

The drawingroom and diningroom are both large well-proportioned rooms painted in mellow shades, and with lots of light coming in through box bay windows and the French doors, which lead to an old-fashioned verandah that connects the two rooms.

The conservatory was designed to be a room for plants, as well as for people, and the jasmine planted directly into the earth in an unpaved corner has scrambled up the walls and over the door and is just coming into bloom.

This is the place for drinks on a summer evening, while winter nights could be passed in the library, an elegantly furnished room at the front of the house.

The kitchen and its breakfastroom also have access to the garden and there's a lot of room to this side of the house for new owners to either extend, or to consider building a separate house.

A handsome carved staircase leads to a big upstairs landing leading to the bedrooms, all but one of which are doubles.

Three of these span the back of the house and are connected by a verandah. There is scope to convert the smallest bedroom and the next door bathroom into a large dressing area for the main bedroom, though it does have its own pretty en suite bathroom.

The garden, like the house has been beautifully cared for, with a smooth sweep of lawn running down to a section of woodland, and, hidden away at the end, a small vegetable and fruit garden.

To the front of the house is enough off-street parking to accommodate a big family and friends.

Outside the gates, a short drive in either direction will take you to Foxrock or Cabinteely villages.

For a virtual tour of this property, click on nicemove.ie