Hot-tub summer nights on the deck in Howth for €1.29m

Remodelled 1960s build on north side of Dublin Bay now has contemporary feel

Islandbawn, Balkill Road, Howth, Co Dublin
Islandbawn, Balkill Road, Howth, Co Dublin
This article is over 3 years old
Address: Islandbawn, Balkill Road, Howth, Co Dublin
Price: €1,290,000
Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
View this property on MyHome.ie

The story on this road goes that three detached, two-storey near-identical houses were built in the 1960s by three American pilots on substantial adjacent elevated plots on Balkill Road in Howth.

That the houses had large plate-glass windows, the living room upstairs, a big utility, a vast balcony and the clincher – air conditioning – seemed to prove the point.

Whatever about that – and they’ve changed over the years, so it’s hard to tell – but Caroline McEldowney grew up in one of them, Islandbawn, and when her parents downsized in 2003, she and her husband Marc Patton took over the property.

Islandbawn, Balkill Road, Howth, Co Dublin
Islandbawn, Balkill Road, Howth, Co Dublin
The balcony
The balcony
The conservatory
The conservatory
The patio and garden to the rear
The patio and garden to the rear
The rear garden, which includes a patio area and timber cabin
The rear garden, which includes a patio area and timber cabin

They undertook a complete remodelling – it helps that Patton’s business is hotel and commercial fit-outs – knocking internal walls to make bedrooms and bathrooms bigger but without adding to the house’s footprint.

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And they took out the air conditioning.

The latest improvement was a lockdown project, with Patton replacing the timber decking on the balcony with easy-to-maintain composite, and removing the brick balustrades and replacing them with glass panels – so instantly improving the sea view over the treetops and making the outdoor space feel more contemporary.

The main bedroom
The main bedroom
The living room
The living room
The entrance
The entrance
The kitchen
The kitchen

Also on this deck, which has room for several pieces of furniture, is a hot tub, which Caroline says they bought suspecting it might become a rarely used novelty but that in fact they use it all the time.

There are four bedrooms – two upstairs, two down, two with en suites – and a bathroom with steam room in the 239.5sq m (2, 578sq ft) house.

The living accommodation runs across the sea-view side of the house, and opens on to that deep balcony.

There is a small conservatory off the kitchen to the side.

The family have three young children and with the treehouse, trampoline, extensive lawn and a timber cabin, there’s plenty of space to play. The garden to the front is significantly larger than the southwest-facing back garden, where there is a sun-trap patio. There is parking to the front for several cars.

Improvements also included new windows and glazed doors and improved insulation, and the house has a C3 energy rating. The family are trading up in the area. Islandbawn is for sale though Sherry FitzGerald, seeking €1.29 million.

Bernice Harrison

Bernice Harrison

Bernice Harrison is an Irish Times journalist and cohost of In the News podcast