Number 18 Abbey Park sits at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac just off the roundabout at the top of Stradbrook Road and Monkstown Avenue. When the current owners bought this semi-detached house in 2013, they stripped it back to its bare shell and completely refurbished it, adding a large extension that practically doubled the size of the house.
Where the garage was, they put in a guest bathroom/cloakroom, and added a utility room; upstairs they added a main bedroom with an en suite and its own small landing. They also put in a huge kitchen-dining-livingroom to the back, complete with rooflights and sliding doors, which open out on to the generous south-facing back garden.
The result is a deceptively large, light-filled home extending to 203sq m (2,185sq ft), with a roomy family hub that can comfortably cater to everyone’s busy lives. The house has been fully insulated and has a B3 Ber, with gas-fired heating and underfloor heating throughout the downstairs. With a feature marble fireplace in the livingroom area, cosy winter warmth is all but guaranteed.
The downstairs is floored with limestone tiles and the bespoke kitchen has integrated appliances, an Elica electric extractor fan and stone worktops, with a large island unit. The utility room has a tiled floor and recessed lighting and is plumbed for a washer and dryer. There’s also a hot press and a Vent-Axia extractor, and a door leads out to a handy side passage.
To the front is a study/office with a picture window and plenty of TV and phone points so it could double as a den/TV room. Because there’s so much space in the rear extension, new owners would have the option of extending this room into a large livingroom, pushing the back wall to where the external wall was originally. But with such a great living space already in place, why would you bother?
Upstairs, to the left, is the new main bedroom extension, which looks out over the lovely back garden, and has its own en suite. A nice touch here is the small landing looking out to the front, which adds to the sense of space. There are two more double bedrooms here, plus a small single bedroom that’s perfect as a small study or a child’s bedroom. The family bathroom has tiled flooring and partly tiled walls, recessed lighting and a separate bath and shower.
When the owners gutted and insulated the house, they also added an extra layer of wood to the roof beams to ensure they maintain their strength.
The house is situated at the end of a keyhole shaped cul-de-sac, and its position gives it more than enough outside space. There’s off-street parking room for multiple cars to the front, and the long driveway adds to the sense of privacy. The back garden is a total gem, fanning out from the back of the house, with high trees bordering and giving total privacy – and attracting many varieties of birds.
Abbey Park is a great neighbourhood, say the owners, and it’s just a short walk away from the boutiques and restaurants of the Crescent in Monkstown. A number of bus routes stop nearby, as does the Aircoach for Dublin Airport, while the Salthill Dart station is easily reachable from here. You’re also not far from schools such as CBC Monkstown, Holly Park school and Dún Laoghaire IADT, and sports amenities such as Blackrock RFC, Monkstown tennis club and Monkstown DLR pool and fitness centre.
Number 18 Abbey Park is for sale through Sherry FitzGerald, seeking €895,000.
