Dunromin - Strand Road

A rare opportunity to acquire a beach front site in Killiney, Co Dublin, will occur later this month when Dunromin, on Strand Road, goes under the hammer through joint agents Gunne and Ross McParland. One of only a handful of houses with direct access to the beach on the south Dublin coast, the rambling bungalow stands on a third of an acre of garden. Robin Palmer of Gunne is quoting a guideline price of £650,000-plus for the property.

The owners of Dunromin have lived here for the last 35 years, raising a large family and, at one time, keeping horses which they exercised on the beach. Now they are planning to move to the country, and the property will be auctioned on July 27th. Strand Road has an interesting selection of houses, including some very large Victorian homes on extensive grounds and a striking art deco-style tower house.

Dunromin is hidden away at the end of the road, off a lane-way that ends in its gates. The DART line runs along one side of the property and behind the house is a large level garden with its own gate leading to the beach. A row of stables at the entrance to the property has some potential for conversion.

Built in the 1920s, the house has been extended over the years, with a large, self-contained wing added about a decade ago. The main house has three bedrooms, a large living room with a look-out room overhead, a very big bathroom with a sunken bath and a charming kitchen at the front of the house that overlooks a courtyard-style garden.

The annex has three bedrooms and a very spacious living room with patio doors opening on to a south-facing terrace.

It now has around 3,500 sq. ft of living space, and while it could be refurbished to make an elegant low-level home, Mr Palmer expects that new owners will eventually build a more impressive two-storey house on the site.

A neighbouring house has right of way through Dunromin's drive and its owners share a parking area in front.