Small Sandymount original with grand ambition for €725k

One of Sandymount’s quieter roads, Gilford Avenue is lined with comfortable redbricks built in or around 1905 which, though smaller than many of their grandiose neighbours, have a greater sense of their period about them.

A feeling of community on Gilford Avenue is aided greatly by its green and flourishing gardens (number 6 has a lovely Japanese Maple), as well as by a gentle curve in the road that brings it to the seafront. The road is named after Gilford House, a one-time manor on what were one-time marshy lands.

The floor area in number 6 covers 86sq m (926sq ft), all of it carefully refurbished and every inch put to use for family living. But families grow and need more space and the vendors are selling for something bigger. Agent Sherry FitzGerald is seeking €725,000. Number 26 Gilford Avenue sold for €910,000 in September last year.

The care taken with original features is most obviously seen in the work of a Stuccodore in the traditional, interconnecting living and dining rooms where a pair of splendid ceiling roses have been restored and cornicing added to in the interest of continuity. A bay window in the front living room ensures light, while a solid fuel Stanley stove delivers heat. A surrounding, period-style cast-iron mantle is matched by similar in the rear dining room, where privacy can be ensured by sliding double doors. The polished floor is wide-planked and doors are original.

A glass panelled front door lights the hallway. Another traditional space, the hall has corbels, a high ceiling and more polished floorboards. A step lower down, the compact kitchen has side and rear windows overlooking the garden and high-gloss fittings in the palest grey. Floor tiles too are grey and an oven and fridge-freezer have been integrated to maximise space.

The family bathroom and a room currently used as a nursery are on the small return; the latter would equally suit a home office or study. There are a couple of sash windows in the main, front-facing bedroom through which, at an angle, there are views of Sandymount Strand. The en suite shower here is good sized, there are fitted wardrobes and, on the landing, a useful bank of storage cupboards.

The rear garden has a lawn, high brick walls, a shed with outside toilet and another plumbed for a washing machine and dryer.