The popularity of smaller homes in the seaside suburb of Glasthule has been rising steadily over the past decade. They are sought after by downsizers and first-time buyers, who appear to appreciate the coastal location in a charming village that is home to some wonderful wine bars and restaurants. Added to this is the Dart station in the village centre, which offers a direct service to the city centre as well as four sailing clubs a few stops away, and sea swimming at the Forty Foot – you can understand why the location is in demand.
Take 53 Eden Villas, an end-of-terrace house just a short stroll to local amenities. It was sold in 2011 for €187,000 and later in 2020 for €633,000 following a major overhaul. It has now been launched to the market again, through Lisney Sotheby’s International Realty, with a €750,000 asking price.
In terms of changes since it last sold, the couple who live here, who are moving for work reasons, added new windows, internal doors and patio doors in addition to new flooring throughout.
It extends to 120sq m (1,291sq ft) with a B3 Ber and has four bedrooms, three of which are doubles, and the single is currently used as an office. Its main shower room has been recently upgraded with contemporary fixtures and underfloor heating.
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Downstairs off the hall, which has attractive tiling, lies a sittingroom that stretches to a good length (as the house was extended by previous owners). It’s a very bright room warmed by a stove and has a Crittall-style door that opens to the rear of the house where there is a large kitchen and a loo. The open-plan kitchen/diningroom, like the house itself, is in turnkey condition and has sage-green contemporary units. A downstairs loo with fully tiled walls lies adjacent to a storage area with ventilated shelving and a heating tank.
Part of the house that has seen the biggest change since it was last purchased is the back garden. Its size and southwest-facing aspect were two of the boxes ticked by the current owners off their wish list and as regular hosts they say it’s their friends’ favourite spot for a barbecue. It extends to more than 16m (54ft) in length, occupying 160sq m in total, which the owners say is the largest on the street despite the extension added by previous owners. It has now changed from what was “a hard-to-maintain space” to a manageable one with patios, gravelled area and plantings now confined to easy-to-maintain beds. They say they had planned to put a hot tub out there as the area is so private.
The couple had intended to stay here long term as they love the location and applied for planning permission to extend to the side – as the house is end of terrace. This permission was granted in May 2022 and allows for a larger kitchen and dining area through a glazed corridor, while also making a smaller guest loo to make space for a separate utility.
The couple have both become sea swimmers at the Forty Foot, seven minutes away, and they love that their home is on a quiet street and is very private – and yet very close to a number of good restaurants and cafes.
