Making the most of living by the sea

Dalkey: €2.7m: Just about every room in a Victorian four-bed on the sea near Bullock Harbour in Dalkey, Co Dublin, has sea views. Anne Dempsey reports

Portofino, a large Victorian house by the sea at Dalkey, Co Dublin, which comes with planning permission for a much larger house on the site, will be auctioned on July 6th through Gunne residential, which is guiding €2.7 million.

Portofino, 2 Castle Place, Breffni Road, Dalkey, Co Dublin, is on the sea side of the main road from Sandycove to Dalkey, just before the junction with Harbour Road, which leads down to Bullock Harbour. Six years ago, the property made €1.375 million when it was sold at auction.

The semi-detached house - number 1 Castle Place fronts onto Breffni road - is set on half an acre of tiered lawns that sweep down to the sea. The property has 96 feet of ocean frontage with access to the shore and views across to Howth. Following refurbishment, virtually every room now commands sea views.

In addition, planning permission has been granted to extend and modify the house to provide an overall floor area of 809sq m (8,707sq ft) with underground car-parking.

Currently the 250sq m (2,700sq ft) of accommodation is spread over three levels. There are four reception rooms - drawingroom, diningroom, morningroom and study, four bedrooms and three bathrooms.

The aptly named morningroom has extensive east-facing windows and a patio door on to lawns and sea, while the drawingroom, with American oak floor and carved oak chimney fireplace also overlooks the sea.

A study with home office potential has a desk, book case, corner windows with sea views, and opens into a lobby section with fitted shelving on either side.

A good-sized kitchen with Brittania gas oven and cooker is extensively outfitted in hand-made antique-style units in Canadian yellow pine. It includes an integrated fridge/freezer and dishwasher, framed in superior wall tiling. The adjoining utility and toilet opens to a walled and cobblelocked yard.

There is an en suite bedroom, and family bathroom - with more attractive tiling - on the first floor return, two bedrooms, one of them en suite on the first floor, and a fourth bedroom on the second return.

Outside electronic gates open to an ample front car-parking area. A patio surrounds the front and side of the house, with steps leading on to sloping lawns which descend on three levels.

The lawn is defined by flowerbeds and bounded by an old garden wall.