Big entrance, big beams and an American feel

In the late 2000s, the owners of Sillary Lodge, on the Falls Road in Rathmichael, Co Dublin, put their house on the market for €3.4 million.

At the time there were “several interested parties” but houses don’t sell overnight and within weeks the country was in the grip of recession.

Today, Sillary Lodge is once again on sale, through Sherry FitzGerald, at a revised price of €1.4 million.

The current owners, whose children are grown up, are looking to downsize.

Accessed via electronic gates, and a long, narrow driveway, Sillary Lodge is like something out of a movie.

The four-bedroom timber-framed house is built in heritage style, reminiscent of an American country lodge.

The facade is of reclaimed brick and the roof tiles are French clay, while inside, exposed beams give the house a rustic feel.

Each room seems more spacious than the next, an impression enhanced by front and rear windows and high ceilings.

The entrance hall leads into, at left, a large living space with open fire and, to the right, an office or study space and a guest toilet.

To the rear, the kitchen-cum-dining room boasts solid wood cabinets – including a very large, pantry-style cupboard – a small island and windows out on to the mature trees and shrubs in the back garden.

Upstairs, there are four double bedrooms and one large bathroom with a bath and electric shower.

The master bedroom has its own bathroom, too, with a free-standing, claw-footed bath, and a walk-in, his- and-hers wardrobe.

Other noteworthy features include an internal vacuum system, underfloor heating downstairs and in the two upstairs bathrooms, and the happy squirrel who was bounding around the garden on my visit.

Sillary Lodge won’t be sold on squirrels or hoovers or even warm feet; it will be sold on its strength as a spacious family home on a very private plot close to Dublin city but far enough away to hear the birds and park your car without being clamped.

Sillary Lodge, Falls Road, Rathmichael, Co Dublin

Description: Four-bedroom house accessed by electronic gates, on one acre of mature gardens

Agent: Sherry FitzGerald