Constructed in 2004, Beech House at 2 Hainault Road in Foxrock has all the trappings of a luxurious contemporary home.
The property is part of a small development on the site of Grove House, an old six-bed Edwardian pile that has since been converted into apartments. Known as Grove Wood, the development comprises nine houses and some apartments built near the junction of Hainault Road and Westminster Road, and a short walk from Foxrock village. (Gortanore, a house on three acres that hit the headlines in 2006 when it sold to a developer for €31 million, stands to the rear of the development.) Beech House along with two other properties are the only houses in the scheme directly on Hainault Road – one of the leafiest roads in the older part of Foxrock – as the remainder of the development lies within a gated community to the rear.
When these properties first came to the market almost two decades ago at the peak of the boom, they had prices to match. They were then purchased for between €4 million and €4.5 million, though those price heights have not been achieved since. Willow House achieved €2.05 million in 2013 and Oak House sold for €1.825 million in 2017.
Electric gates
Beech House is a substantial detached property extending to a generous 437sq m (4,704sq ft). Set behind electric gates with parking for a number of cars on the cobblelock driveway, the property offers much privacy behind mature hedging to the front.
Great expense went into this property which lies over three floors. On ground level Crema Marfil flooring – which is warmed underfoot by underfloor heating – is used to good effect as is the polished walnut flooring throughout the remainder of the house. Polished sandstone fireplaces, Villeroy and Boch sanitary ware and the Design House kitchen are just some of the features that would have made these houses attractive when they were first constructed. Here everything is just as it was, as there has been such little wear and tear in the property despite it being almost two decades old.
Natural light
Three reception rooms lie on the ground floor off a spacious open-plan kitchen, dining and living area.
It has four en-suite bedrooms with a fifth currently used as a study. All are generous in size and bathed in natural light thanks to the large amount of glazing in the property, which is influenced by Edwardian mock-Tudor design. The en-suite of the principal bedroom – which also has a good-sized dressing room – has a walk-in shower that runs the width of the room complete with a rainwater head and jet effects.
A real selling point of the house, besides its size, sought-after location, high-end interiors and maintenance-free garden is the fact that the energy rating is B3.
Located 300m from Foxrock Village which has an abundance of eateries, shops and Leopardstown Racecourse, Beech House is also close to the village of Cabinteely which has a 110-acre park and amenity grounds. It is now on the market through Sherry FitzGerald seeking €2.7 million.
