Address: 21 Marley Drive, Rathfarnam, Dublin 16
Price: €1,400,000
Agent: DNG
View this property on MyHome.ie
These expansive detached homes in Rathfarnam’s Marley Drive were the height of architectural sophistication when they were built in 1974. The owners, who bought 21 Marley Drive 20 years ago, even have a copy of the original advertisement, promising viewers a “masterpiece by McInerney”.
On the market with DNG, seeking €1.4 million, the 232 sq m (2,497 sq ft) five-bedroom house has been considerably updated and refreshed over the intervening decades, yet it still has that unmistakable 1970s look, with the exterior a combination of redbrick and Canadian cedar cladding, painted white.
The entrance is to the side of the house, the front garden and drive have plenty of space for parking; the overall area of the site is a fifth of an acre. Once inside the new Munster joinery front door, the house immediately impresses: the hallway’s walls are panelled and the floors are tiled in a bright porcelain. The sittingroom lies on the left, to the front of the house. It’s a large, bright room with a limestone fireplace.
Beside the stairs in the hallway is a guest loo, recently refurbished, as all the bathrooms in the house have been. The owners knocked a separate diningroom through to the kitchen, so there is now a capacious, L-shaped kitchen and dining area at the back of the house, which benefits from a south-western aspect, getting plenty of sun when it deigns to shine.
There are sliding patio doors throughout the ground floor, filling these large rooms with light, the kitchen diner has two. The kitchen has an island, and a five-ring Rangemaster stove, and granite countertops. Following the original build and layout of the house, the utility is housed in a separate garage, easily accessed through the patio doors, it could easily be integrated into the kitchen through a covered passage.
Original 1974 advertisement 
Entrance hallway 
Sittingroom 
Dining area 
Kitchen living and dining area 
Family room
A family room completes the accommodation on the ground floor and it’s immediately evident that this, along with the kitchen, is the heart of the home. Dual aspect, with a large window to the front and sliding patio doors to the back, handsome built-in units flank the wooden open fireplace with tiled insert.
Upstairs there are five bedrooms. The principal bedroom is to the front, with a good-sized walk-in wardrobe and en suite. The owners moved things around a lot up here, changing the location of the family bathroom and converting it to a bedroom. There are now two bedrooms either side of the hall, one of which is being used as a home office, and two lovely sunny rooms at the back of the house, with fitted wardrobes.
Main bedroom 
En suite for main bedroom 
Bedroom 
Bedroom 
Back garden
The large back garden is west-facing, laid in lawn with mature shrub borders.
While the house is in great decorative order, the Ber rating is E1, which means some additional upgrading may be required to increase the energy efficiency. The heating system is gas.
It’s the size of this property which is sure to attract families. The are selling to downsize now that their own children have grown. The location is stellar, one of a number of established estates within Marley Grange, directly across the road from Marlay Park.
Local national and secondary schools include Scoil Naithí, St Mary’s Boys School, St Attracta’s National & Senior School, Wesley College, Loreto Beaufort and Ballinteer Community School. Nearby shopping includes Nutgrove and shops in Ballinteer and Dundrum Town Centre a short drive away.