Superb spot for seaside living in Sandycove for €1.495m

One of the reasons current owners purchased their home at 29 Sandycove Avenue West in the Dublin seaside suburb was the lifestyle it allowed, given the property is just 70 yards from the sea. In about seven minutes they can be in the water on their kayak, and enjoy a good paddle before heading off to work.

One of the owners of the elegant house built in 1874 is Scottish, and he has spent many a morning on Scotsman’s Bay; the stretch of water from Sandycove to Dún Laoghaire, named after Scottish national John Rennie, one of the leading civil engineers who designed Dún Laoghaire Harbour some 200 years ago.

When he and his wife purchased the property in 2013, for €645,000 according to the Property Price Register, “it was rather dark and dingy, but we could see the canvas was right”, he says. As the family had young teenagers, they began by refreshing the house with a paint job, until a substantial makeover began in 2015. Here their vision was realised in plans by architect Darren McGill while conservation architect Eoin Carroll oversaw specialist projects within the protected structure.

A large kitchen-living-diningroom was added to the rear, making the most of the site’s westerly orientation. At centre stage is a bespoke Newcastle Design kitchen, where light shines through a large roof light. With quartz countertops, it has Italian travertine tiles and is painted in Slaked Lime by Little Greene. This room continues into a large open-plan living space with wall-to-wall glass, in the form of tilt-and-turn windows and a pair of tall sliding glass doors.

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The courtyard at the back of the house, bordered to the rear by a garage, originally had a pond, but owners had a different idea for this space: “Our goal is to move somewhere warm, and the design here was inspired by the south of France. We do lots of entertaining out there and it has a lovely vibe to it.” It is a really quiet spot, sheltered due to its courtyard layout, so acts as a suntrap during clement weather.

Beyond is a garage that backs on to Rock’s Yard Lane, which, incidentally, takes its name from carpenter Bertie Rock who had his joinery practice here at the turn of the 20th century. This has proved a handy spot as all marine equipment can be stored here, and the fact that it is accessed from the lane means there’s no dragging sandy gear through the 153sq m (1,647sq ft) house.

During renovations specialist work was also undertaken: a lime coating was used on the render, front railings received professional repairs as did an adjacent wall as it had a dry stone base.

“Looking back, it was lots of work and commitment, and it was difficult at times. When we started calling builders for estimates, half of them didn’t even bother to return our calls,” says the owner.

Its villa-style layout has three bedrooms on the ground floor with the large open-plan room to the rear. A further bedroom lies on the first floor with its own bathroom. New owners may want to keep the house as a three-bedroom unit, as with four it leaves the room to the rear as the only reception room – which may not work for families with small children, who need a bit of space.

As it is a protected structure, this home at 29 Sandycove Avenue West is Ber-exempt and is now on the market through Sherry FitzGerald, seeking €1.495 million.