La Touche Park, a development of mainly detached homes, lies off New Road, about 400m from the end of Church Road and the main street of Greystones, Co Wicklow. Within walking distance of the Dart station and bus services, both primary and secondary schools are also within the vicinity, as are shops and restaurants. “It’s a lovely place to live and was a great place to raise our family. There’s also a great community feel and an active residents’ association,” say the owners, who are moving on to a new renovation project.
The seaside town offers its residents yoga on the beach, homegrown bakeries and its own playhouse, the Whale Theatre, along with a host of sea-based activities.
The current owners of number 9 La Touche Park have transformed it from a pokey 1950s bungalow – bought for €250,000 in 2012 – into a spacious, contemporary home. Many might have thought they were mad at the time, but it shows what can be achieved when you discern a diamond in the rough.
Renovated to plans by Plan 8 architecture, the formerly unloved bungalow now incorporates double its original floor area, extending to 238sq m (2,562sq ft) over two floors, and has a B2 Ber rating.
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The owners carried out the renovation in two stages: first, by making the existing property habitable in 2018, and later adding a second storey.
Inside its striking monochrome exterior, the entrance hall runs parallel to the front of the property, accessed from a side entrance. Overlooking the front garden is a fine formal livingroom bathed in light thanks to its southerly aspect and dual windows. Adjacent to that is a den, while a fifth bedroom, utility room, loo and a small study also occupies this floor.
Overlooking the back garden is a spacious open-plan kitchen alongside living and dining spaces that run the entire width of the property. With a contemporary aesthetic, the deep charcoal kitchen, centred around a large silestone island, has handless units, a Quooker tap and integrated appliances – one of which is an exterior vented downdraft hob, negating the need for an overhead hood.
Adjacent to the dining area is a cool lounge space, which has access to a large deck outside. Here flooring is bang on trend with solid herringbone oak parquet, sourced from Matt Britton Flooring in Dundrum.
Upstairs are four double bedrooms, bringing the total to five. The main overlooks the rear garden, has its own dressing area and en suite, and also has access to a solid concrete roof that could work as a sun terrace if guard rails were fitted.
To the front, a sliding gate allows access for three cars on the cobblelock driveway.
To the rear, the large deck takes centre stage, surrounded by evergreen shrubs. At the end of the garden is a pergola-covered entertaining space adjacent to a cabin used as a home office and for additional storage.
It may once have been possible to pick up a bargain at this destination at the end of the Dart line, but prices have been rising steadily here, due to its positioning by the sea and its public transport connection to the capital. This year, industry research found that Greystones is the most expensive area outside of Dublin in which to purchase a standard three-bedroom semidetached house, at an estimated €600,000.
Number 9 La Touche Park, now more than double its original size, and indeed more than double the size of a regular three-bedroom house, is now on the market through DNG, seeking €1.15 million.
