Marine Terrace is one of many Victorian terraces in Dún Laoghaire built in the 1860s and 1870s, and is directly behind the Dún Laoghaire baths and a hop from the pier and the People’s Park, so there will be no excuses to avoid gong for long walks beside the sea.
Number 2 is a three-storey-over-basement terraced house, and said basement has a self-contained flat that could interest owner/investors or a family in search of extra accommodation for young adult offspring or an elderly relative. Given its location in the heart of the south Dublin town, it could also serve as an office, keeping home and work separate.
The current owners bought the 246sq m (2,648sq ft) Ber-exempt property in 2001 and used it as commercial offices, deciding to return it to its original residential use two years ago, so the renovations are just complete. Architect David Shannon oversaw the change in use for planning and the redesign, coming up with the current layout, primed to soak in the sea views and make the most of the stunning vistas. It is on the market through Sherry FitzGerald, seeking €2.25 million.
Gated railings open on to a small, gravelled garden, and granite steps lead to the entrance hall, which is long and has a guest WC at its end. What would normally be the drawingroom and diningroom in this type of house have been flipped, and on this level there’s a breakfast room to the front with a kitchen behind. An imposing marble fireplace dominates the breakfast room, which has good views over the baths and the pier.
The kitchen was sourced in Belfast, from Kitchen Design Centre; it is sleek and streamlined with a centre island with seating. Grey cabinets with handleless doors are offset by pale quartz countertops, a stainless-steel splashback and a touch of warmth is injected with top cabinets in a rustic oak. A door opens out into the garden, which has been redone as a courtyard with block concrete benches, glass panels and wooden fencing. An electric gate slides open to allow for parking at the end of the garden.
The first-floor reception rooms are designed to make the most of the incredible vistas over Scotsman’s bay, extending past the length of Dún Laoghaire pier to Howth head on the left, and taking in the sweep of Sandycove and the jut of the Forty Foot into the sea on the right. The sash windows are tall, allowing light to pour into this fine pair of rooms, which flow into each other and would be ideal for entertaining.
The second floor has three bedrooms, with sash windows and original shutters adding immense character to the rooms. The main bedroom has an en suite with a pocket sliding door and a bath. All bathroom fixtures, fittings and tiling are brand new. There’s also a main bathroom on this floor, and, again, everything is new.
A self-contained apartment occupies the basement level, which has a small garden space to the front and a tiny yard to the back. There’s a livingroom, with a breakfast bar separating it from the galley kitchen, and a utility area under the front steps, with plumbing for laundry appliances already in place. A generous double bedroom with French doors and a new bathroom complete the accommodation at this level.
The current layout of rooms only hints at the possibilities living in this house could bring, with plenty of formal reception rooms for entertaining and the potential to reintegrate the basement level into the house as a bright, open living area.
