The five houses in the gated development known as Thulla at the top of Dunbo Hill in Howth began construction in 2007. By 2008, three partially built trophy homes went on the market on receiver instructions as building company DFL had collapsed.
Designed by Robin Mandal Architects, the houses included three detached and two semi-detached homes ranging in size from 266sq m to 327sq m. At the time, two houses in the scheme had already been sold, and Number 2, measuring 400sq m (4,306sq ft) was purchased by the current owners prior to the crash. “We got the pick of the sites and houses and chose Number 2 as it had lots of parking and a large garden,” say the owners.
By the time DFL went bust the house was constructed and the windows were installed but the interiors had yet to be completed. "We were so lucky to find local builder George Cooke who finished the house and also did a great job of landscaping the garden, and for almost five years we were the only property here that was finished."
It is a remarkable home in many senses and, to be honest, the photographs do not capture the property at its best, as the real selling point is the three-storey harbour-facing facade. Firstly – and what Thulla is all about – are the views. From the elevation the vista is quite remarkable and the owners keep a watchful eye on the yacht races each week through a large telescope where “we can pick out the individuals on boats so we know who is sailing”. The panorama stretches well beyond the harbour and over to Ireland’s Eye and Lambay Island and, due to the aspect, has sunshine throughout the day.
Set over three storeys on the old Dublin road, the property has an excellent Ber of A3, which is quite remarkable given its size and the fact that it is 14 years old. “When the Ber assessor arrived, he thought it might be a B but when he saw the 25sq m triple-glazed K-glass windows, he said it really helped to bring it up to an A rating.” K Glass are high-performance windows that retain solar energy to keep warmth within a structure.
Geothermal heating also helped the Ber rating and the owner estimates the annual running costs for heat, light, cooking and hot water to be in the region of €2,200 – and that includes an extra-large hot water tank.
The property also has two chargers for the family cars: a plug-in hybrid and an electric vehicle charger.
Gardens that extend to a quarter of an acre are worth a mention and have a Riviera feel on a summer’s day. “What we really love about this house is that while you are in the village – so you can walk to the pub or any of the restaurants – it doesn’t feel like you are in the village, so it is kind of like having the best of both worlds,” say the owners, who are rightsizing and hoping to spend “a lot more time playing golf abroad”.
The property could also have rental potential, considering that a smaller four-bedroom neighbouring property is currently listed on the rentola.com site at €12,000 per calendar month.
Number 2 Thulla is on the market through Sherry FitzGerald seeking €3.25 million.
