Pristine Blackrock semi in family-friendly cul de sac for €795,000

Cloister Close is a cul-de-sac of 19 houses, part of a Neville development built in the early 1990s off Carysfort Avenue and equidistant from Stillorgan and Blackrock villages. The owners of No 3, a semi-detached four-bed of 133sq m (1,431sq ft) have made it work hard for them over the years since moving into the new-build with two young children in 1994.

At the front is a cobble-locked driveway with space for two cars, and there is a side entrance. Inside, the hall is floored in pale creamy tiles that continue through most of the downstairs. There is a guest toilet to the right, with a handy cupboard for coats.

To the left off the hall is a wide, bright living room with wide-plank maple flooring, built-in storage and a gas fire with tiled inset. Double doors lead into a dining room, also floored in wood, that could also work as a home office, a den or a playroom.

This in turn opens through glass doors out to a kitchen/living/dining room that is lit by four large roof lights and spans the width of the house, with access to the garden through glass doors. This space was added about 20 years ago but could be further reconfigured as the owners have secured planning permission to make alterations and single-storey extensions to the side and rear.

The pale beech-effect kitchen has black worktops and a wide hob occupying a breakfast bar between the cooking and dining areas. There is a utility room off this with access to understairs storage and to the garden.

Outside, two patios take advantage of the sun at different times of the day at either end of the lawn, which is bounded by brick-lined, zig-zag flower beds and a path to the block-built shed, which is plumbed for a washing machine.

Upstairs are four bedrooms, three of them doubles, all with laminate floors and built-in wardrobes. Three have desks, and the largest, at the front, has a generous en suite. This and the main bathroom have recently had a smart upgrade.

The neighbourhood is very family-friendly, with a green close by; the children who grew up in this house are still friends with their neighbours, according to the owner. All the schools and colleges they attended are within 40 minutes’ walk of the house, and close enough to bring a clatter of friends home for lunch. There are safe walking and cycle routes to Stillorgan and Blackrock, while Carysfort Park and Avoca Park are nearby.

Seven of the houses have sold in the past 10 years, with No 15, a four-bed with a slightly larger footprint, making €817,000 in 2018, according to the Property Price Register. No 3 is on the market for €795,000 through Sherry FitzGerald.