Abbeyside scene-stealer: Don't be fooled by the understated exterior of a bungalow in Dungarvan's D4 

The housework may slide, but you'll never tire of the sunroom

Abbeyside Dungarvan

Dungarvan, Co Waterford
€845,000
Size	279 sq m (3003 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	3
BER	B1

THERE’S a roadside modesty about this bungalow with just a hint of the sparkle inside. An apex window over the electric blue front door suggests something more than your average home.

That sparkle takes the form of a giant apex window to the rear, the crowning glory of a fabulous sunroom, a gorgeous double-height space that basks in natural light and acts as a perfect in-between zone, linking the 3,000 sq ft house to a south-facing sunlit patio and gorgeously landscaped rear garden.

The layout of the house and garden is not the result of happenstance. It was meticulously thought out and planned by the first owners, an English couple who worked in collaboration with E Project Chartered Architects Ltd, a Dungarvan-based architectural firm that prides itself on the design and delivery of high quality projects, with a focus on sustainable architectural design.

Denise Radley, of Denise Radley Auctioneers, says the English couple, particularly the woman, were very passionate about eco friendly homes.

“They installed geothermal heating 18 years ago which wasn’t really done at the time. They worked with E Project to design their dream home bit by bit,” Ms Radley says.

The architectural notes for the house indicate that it was the first of a close development of seven individually designed homes.

The notes say the house “set the standard and template for other houses in the scheme” in terms of architectural features. Google street view shows Apex windows are indeed a feature of nearby homes.

The description also outlines how the bedrooms are grouped in a separate wing, “which defines a private courtyard”. This wing is a bungalow in itself, joined to the main house at not quite a right angle, to create that courtyard effect in what is a very private rear garden.

At the far end of this bedroom wing is the master bedroom, ensuite, with a walk-in wardrobe and patio doors leading to the garden.

A large fourth bedroom, also ensuite, at the other end of the main bungalow, has a separate entrance and Ms Radley says it holds a number of possibilities.

“It could be an ideal granny flat, or au pair accommodation or it could be converted into a house office or GP surgery,” she says.

There’s tonnes of living space in this detached bungalow, in fact the current owner is downsizing because it’s simply too big for his current needs.

“It needs a volume of family to fill it,” Ms Radley says. Since it was built almost two decades ago, it has had three owners - the UK couple, and local business people in Dungarvan.

It was first sold four years ago to a business woman in Dungarvan and the Property Price Register records a price of €550,000.

Two years later, it sold again to the current owners for €765,000. They invested heavily in it, with heating upgrades, insulation, new flooring and an alarm system. Ms Radley says the total investment was in the order of €40,000, reflected in the current asking price of €845,000.

Modifications were also made to that show-stealing sunroom, which had been designed as more of an internal garden, but which is now tiled with double doors leading to the patio.

Despite all the glazing - the apex window theme continues into the kitchen, framing both ends of it, with one end leading directly onto the sunroom - the house has achieved an excellent B1 energy efficiency rating. Ms Radley says it uses a Air-to-Water system for heating and hot water, with underfloor heating throughout the home and a system divided into three zones.

“It is snug and cosy,” she says, even with double height ceilings in both the entrance hall and in the kitchen/dining/sunroom area, which Ms Radley describes as “main wow factor in the house” and “the heart of the home” and just the ticket for large family occasions and entertaining, backed up by a larder off the kitchen.

There are other spaces to lounge around in, in between entertaining - such as a lounge room off the kitchen or a more formal sitting room with plenty of windows overlooking the back garden - in fact both wings of the house are designed to overlook the garden.

Other features include an internal garage with floored attic overhead, reached by Stira and additional attic space over the accommodation area in the east side of the house.

Positives abound in this house, before ever mentioning the location. It’s ideal, of course. Abbeyside is “the D4 of Dungarvan”, Ms Radley says. The house is just around the corner from Abbeyside Beach and Boardwalk and by the Waterford ‘Déise’ Greenway, 46km of quality cycle paths. Schools, a church and retail are also close by.

Ms Radley says the house will make a wonderful family home.

“It’s made for children really. It’s ideal. It needs a large family to run through it,” she says.

VERDICT: An understated exterior conceals the surprise behind.