Pool, gym and a home cinema – living large in Clontarf for €3.25m

The Savills agent selling 72a Seafield Road East in Clontarf says that it is the largest family house in the north Dublin suburb. It’s a big statement. Clontarf is not short of big houses, though in this case he could be right.

The two-storey over-basement detached property has 836sq m (9,000sq ft) of floor space – with an extra (93sq m) 1,000sq ft in the attic which is also used as living space – so it is roughly the size of a country mansion. The curious thing is, because of its inconspicuous location, many locals won’t know it exists. The five-bedroom house comes on the market today for €3.25 million.

The owners, who operate a lighting distribution business, bought the site – or rather created a large site by buying two existing houses – and, after a two-and-half-year build, moved in in 2006. Two storeys are above ground – the fun is in the basement which is fitted out like a fully-equipped upmarket spa.

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There’s a heated swimming pool, augmented by mood lighting, a hot tub and jacuzzi, as well as separate his and her’s shower and changing rooms.

Relaxation zone

To complete the relaxation zone idea there’s a gym and a large home cinema. Intended for an au pair, the first of the five double-bedrooms is also down here and this has an en suite and its own small patio area. Also down at this level is – and not surprisingly as, aside from the engineering demands of running a pool, this house is loaded with lighting, sound and security technology – a large plant room.

Unusually, the hall door is to the side and it opens first into an outer hall and then into a grand inner hall with a dramatic sweeping staircase and marble flooring. Thinking that a flat colour would be too bare in such a large space, the owner decided on wood-panelled, grey painted walls for the hall and stairwell and it’s an elegant touch. There’s a library, a home office, and four reception rooms. These are made up of a family room, a formal dining- and livingroom and a very large year-round sunroom to the side.

The kitchen is to the front of the house – a lovely bright room with custom-built, cream-painted timber units topped with black granite. There’s an Aga and an island with integrated units. There’s also space for a family-size dining table. The adjacent utility room is fitted with the same style of units and a laundry chute connects it and the upstairs family bathroom.

Upstairs, the main bedroom is a suite with a fully fitted-out dressingroom, and a bathroom. The spacious double-bedroom is bright with dual aspect windows and doors opening on to a small patio, and it has a white marble fireplace.

Attic spaces

Also on this floor are three other double-bedrooms, two are en suite, and there’s the large family bathroom. As in the rest of the house the rooms and bathrooms are fitted-out to luxury-hotel standard.

There are several rooms in the attic – two are used as bedrooms, one is en suite – although planning rules mean they must be regarded as storage rooms. The house measures 846sq m (9,106sq ft) excluding the attic which measures 135sq m (1,453sq ft).

The owners are downsizing – only two of their children are still at home and this really is a house for a large family with small children who can use every inch of the space.

The long 45m garden is all to the front with parking for several cars, and the house is set back, far back, from the road. At the same time as this house was constructed, a replacement house for 72 Seafield Road East was built and both houses share an entrance.