In the late 1960s, when 9 Greygates last changed hands, it was called Tudor House – for obvious reasons, given the striking black-painted timber trim in the front facade and the small-paned diamond windows. The young couple moving in at the time had no time for such notions and reverted to a house number for their fine detached family home. It was built in the mid-1930s by prolific Dublin builder Kenny, whose Greygates development just off St Thomas Road in Mount Merrion was considered a fine example of suburban living in the then newly developed southside area.

This detached home – set on one-quarter of an acre, it is one of the larger Greygates properties – faces on to what was in the 1960s the much narrower Stillorgan Road and has become the N11 dual carriageway. Vehicular access to it is via Mount Merrion and so while it faces the road it is effectively at the end of a cul-de-sac, though pedestrians can walk to the bus stop just out on the main road.

Spread over 230sq m (2,476sq ft) there are four bedrooms upstairs, two of them en suite. Downstairs, the owners extended to the rear, and on one side of the hall is a cosy atmospheric sittingroom, its ceiling beams – that Tudor theme again – painted white; on the other there’s a formal diningroom leading into another larger room to the rear and out through glazed doors to the garden. Off the kitchen is a utility and what was originally an integrated garage to the front but was converted into a playroom many years ago.

The mature southwest-facing back garden is wide and about 48m long, while to the front the long garden sets the house back well from the road with parking for a couple of cars and space for more if the hard landscaping is enlarged.

Buyers will renovate and modernise throughout and possibly extend to the rear for a contemporary-style eat-in family kitchen – there’s certainly enough space. The Ber is F, giving an indication of the work required. The owner is now downsizing and selling 9 Greygates through DNG, asking €1.65 million.