Dalkey redbrick for £500,000-plus

Juverna, on Rockfort Avenue, Dalkey, is a four-bedroom redbrick semi-detached house that comes on the market in tip-top condition and ready for immediate occupation. The four-bedroom Victorian house goes to auction on October 13th with the agents, Lisney, quoting a guide price of £500,000-plus.

Given its perfect state, and its quiet and sought-after location - between Coliemore Road and Sorrento Road - it should attract a good deal of interest, which is likely to push the sale price well beyond the guide. If there is one drawback, it is the rather minuscule garden: probably inadequate for an active family, but ideal for a buyer seeking a maintenance-free outdoor space. Inside, the house is mainly decorated in neutral colours and has a relaxing atmosphere. Floors are covered in plain carpets, new oak floorboards or the original timber, restored and polished.

On the ground floor, a pair of interconnecting reception rooms are to the left of the hall door.

Both have good marble and cast-iron fireplaces, decorative cornicing and elegant, high ceilings - all features characteristic of this period.

A south-west facing bay window in the drawingroom at the front is spacious enough to accommodate a small grand piano.

A large return houses a sizeable eat-in kitchen, with pinkish Italian-type tiles, opening into a spacious livingroom. The latter has French windows opening to a small patio garden at the rear, enclosed by high granite walls.

The kitchen is warmed by a white two-door Aga which is augmented by a separate electric oven and gas hob.

In an interesting fusion of rustic and modern, a brick chimney-breast, lines of pine cupboards and a simple Belfast sink are combined with slick black granite work surfaces.

A good-sized pantry and a utility room have been added on to the side of the return. There is also a lavatory in this part of the house.

Upstairs in the return there is a magnificent bathroom with a claw-footed, roll-top bath, an immense shower cabinet and a fireplace. There are two double bedrooms here as well, both with en suite shower rooms, while the main bedroom also has a walk-in dressingroom.

Up a few stairs, at the front of the house, there are two further bedrooms, a single and a double. Both have large, slightly-arched windows that run almost all the way to the floor, ensuring that the rooms are beautifully bright.

The front garden is mainly laid out in gravel and provides for off-street car-parking. A long side passage between the house and a lovely Dalkey granite wall leads to the back courtyard. At present, it is rather bare, but could easily be made into a linear garden filled with shade-loving ferns and hostas.