Downsizer perfection in Dalkey for €635k

A small bungalow in a development a short walk from Dalkey's main street is likely to attract a lot of attention from downsizers: 33 The Village Gate, a 70sq m (753sq ft) semi-detached two-bed for sale through Lisney for €635,000 has been completely refurbished since it was bought in mid-2017. It's a big price for a small house, but not unrealistic given it is pretty much in walk-in condition. No 33 was bought for €625,000 in June 2017 after going on the market for €475,000.

The Village Gate is an attractive small development of bungalows and townhouses with carefully tended green spaces just off Dalkey Avenue. It has two pedestrian shortcuts, one into the car park of the Church of the Assumption and Castle Street, the other to nearby Dalkey Dart station. No 33 is nearly beside the path to Castle Street.

The entrance at the side of the house opens into a hall, with the kitchen and sitting room on the right and two bedrooms on the left. The refurbishment was designed to maximise storage space, and there’s a lot of built-in shelving and cupboard space in the house, as well as space in the part-floored attic.

The kitchen and sitting room are separate, but open-plan at the end, where the dining space is. Both have timber-effect flooring. The kitchen has grey-green timber units, polished pale composite worktops, a large double pantry and a window looking in to a good-sized utility room built in the property’s side passage. There’s a door to this beside the front door and another opening into the back garden. The utility room includes high-gloss presses, a sink and a quarry-tiled floor.

The sitting room is a decent size and has built-in bookshelves and presses on both sides of a small open fireplace. A double-glazed hardwood door opens on to a 28ft-long secluded rear garden: it has a cobble-lock patio, garden shed and a nice space currently filled with lots of potted plants.

The two bedrooms are doubles, both with built-in mirror-fronted wardrobes. The larger main bedroom has a box bay window overlooking the green space at the centre of Village Gate, and a window seat with built-in storage beneath it. The smart bathroom at the end of the hall is mostly tiled and has a large step-in shower.

No 33 has electric heating and an E1 BER rating. There’s room to park two cars in the front garden, and a €500 annual service charge.

The house is being sold by the children of the late playwright Tom Murphy and his late first wife Mary, who died last year.