Cosy D14 cottage for €675,000

Three-bed house in Windy Arbour makes good use of space inside and out


Windy Arbour is a little slice of Dublin 14 life sandwiched between the suburbs of Clonskeagh, Dundrum, Dartry and Milltown. It is a postcode with an agricultural past, a little pork scratching of information that some estate agents have chosen to whitewash from their listings, preferring to rebrand streets in this suburb as being in Dundrum.

Windy Arbour is, however, a gem of a location because much of it still retains its rural atmosphere, even now when parts of it have the Luas running parallel to their back yards. And yet it has schools and Dundrum Town Centre on its doorstep.

Farrenboley Park feels like a country lane and is populated with low-set, single-storey cottages lining both sides of the verdant street.

Look closer though and you will see that every spare centimetre of space has been colonised with few houses retaining their entire original acreage. Many properties have sold off part of their substantial gardens to other homeowners who have built on these sites.

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Split-level bungalow

Number 11a is one such property. Built in 1993 on what was part of the garden of number 11, the split-level bungalow is detached, with the living space to the left of the black-and-white polished tile hall.

It comprises a sittingroom with a half wall dividing it from the kitchen, which you step down into. These rooms feel darker than they should but it could be the use of Roman blinds to keep out the morning sun.

The vanilla-painted units in the kitchen bounce light into a space that has granite worktops and a conservatory off it leading out to a private rear with a westerly garden about 25m (82ft) in length.

Two of the three double bedrooms are on the other side of the hall. One has a mezzanine level that is accessed via a set of steep stairs. It is used by its teenage occupant as a den for her and her friends but with a ceiling height of just 1.5m (about 5ft 11in) it won’t suit everyone.

The master bedroom, a lovely room with twin windows facing west, is at the top of the stairs. It has an en suite with a bath and separate but small shower stall. There is storage hidden behind a false wall and another four doors of storage on the landing.

The property measures about 143sq m (1540sq ft), and agent REA Dempsey is seeking €675,000.