Sandymount gem in need of TLC

St Albans Park is one of those quiet, 1930s developments that have grown comfortably elegant with age. Proximity to Sandymount Strand gives an additional cachet, as do good-sized gardens and a gentle curve to its layout. Number 8, for sale through agent DNG, has been home to the same family for 50 years, a backdrop to lives that were "happy and fun", the vendor says. Now, with "everyone living abroad" the family is selling, albeit "with heavy hearts".

Martin and Maura Lysaght bought 8 St Albans Park in 1966. Their son Simon says they paid “something in the region of IR£2,000-£2,500” at the time. Fifty years later, for sale by private treaty through agent DNG, number 8 has an asking price of €995,000.

The floor area covers 160.72sq m (1,730sq ft) and there are five bedrooms, two reception rooms, kitchen /breakfastroom, family bathroom and ground-floor shower room. There is off-street parking for two cars to the front and a walled garden to the rear.

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This is a house in need of both TLC and refurbishment. The fundamentals, a solid structure with charm and original design features intact, are securely in place.

The internal doors still have their shoulder-height door knobs, ceilings are high, covings undamaged, fireplaces, picture rails, banisters, wooden floors, dado rails, the stained glass in the front door and a large attic space all await their design place in a make-over.

The dated, in need of modernising, kitchen/ breakfastroom overlooks the garden and has a side exit. The quarry-tiled breakfast-room has a gas fire. Interconnecting sitting and dining-rooms have a sliding door between, finely ornate mahogany surround fireplaces with inset tiling, picture rails and coving.

In the front-facing sitting-room there is a wide bay window and in the diningroom French windows to the garden. The one-time garage on this floor has been converted into a bedroom.

A dado rails runs alongside the stairs to a landing made interesting by no less than six doors opening off. The main, front-facing bedroom has another wide, bay window, an unusual, pink-tiled fireplace and built-in wardrobes. A rear bedroom and a second front bedroom also have attractively tiled original fireplaces.

The rear garden has what Simon Lysaght assures is a flourishing apple tree as well as a lilac bush and, giving privacy all around, high trees.