Top of the hill in Mount Merrion for €950,000

When the owners bought number 77 South Avenue in 2003, the previous resident had been running a hairdressing salon from the house. Clients entered via a separate side entrance.

They kept the side entrance but turned the salon into a home office and added a large roof light to what was originally the formal diningroom, converting it to a spacious eat-in kitchen with glass doors leading out to the southeast facing garden.

The house has plenty of outside storage that had been used for hairdressing products. These rooms now house sports equipment, a wine collection and other family clutter.

Indoor football

The utility room is situated halfway down the garden, beside the washing line, minimising appliance noise levels in the kitchen but increasing workload.

Next to the kitchen is a bay- windowed TV room. The formal sittingroom is to the front. It is home to a piano but when the kids were younger it was used as an indoor football pitch. Even now the boys use it to practice their short golf game, the owner explains.

There are three bedrooms on the first floor, two nice doubles and a good-sized single with room for a desk and other storage.

The attic room has a surprise element – cracking views of Dublin Bay over the trees. From up there you can see Howth Head, the South Wall and parts of Killiney.

The house is situated just beyond the Church of St Thérèse at almost the highest point in Mount Merrion.

The three-bedroom 1950s semi-d measures 163sq m (1,754sq ft) and is asking €950,000 through agents DNG.