Finding the right family home is often about much more than the number of bedrooms. It is about having space to grow, somewhere for everyone to retreat to, a garden to enjoy, good schools and amenities close at hand and, perhaps most importantly, a neighbourhood where you can imagine putting down roots for many years to come.
No 74 Clybaun Heights, Knocknacarra, newly offered for sale by Colleran Auctioneers, brings all of these ingredients together in a substantial detached family home extending to approximately 188sq m or 2,025sq ft. With four double bedrooms, two generous reception rooms, a large kitchen and dining area and a very attractive private rear garden, this is a house that has clearly been designed around family life.
The setting is an important part of its appeal. Clybaun Heights is a mature and highly regarded residential development in Knocknacarra. Number 74 enjoys an especially appealing position at the top of a quiet cul-de-sac of just 25 detached homes, arranged around a central green and characterised by mature trees, landscaping and attractive open-plan front gardens.
For families, that quiet cul-de-sac setting and green space immediately outside the door will undoubtedly be high on the wish list. It gives the development a spacious, established feel that can be difficult to replicate in newer, higher-density developments.
Step inside Number 74 and the generous proportions quickly become apparent. A welcoming entrance hall leads into a large sitting room with a feature fireplace and bright bay window. This is a comfortable, traditional family living room, but what makes the ground floor particularly successful is the way the accommodation flows from one room to another. Stained-glass French doors connect the sitting room with the kitchen and dining area, allowing the spaces to be opened up when entertaining while retaining the option of separate rooms for everyday family life.
The kitchen/dining room is very much at the heart of this home. Bright and exceptionally spacious, it has a fitted kitchen with island and granite worktop, while a large picture window draws the garden into the room. French doors open directly onto a paved patio, creating a natural connection between indoors and outdoors and providing an ideal spot for summer dining, barbecues or simply sitting outside with a coffee while children enjoy the garden.
One of the great advantages of Number 74 is that family life does not have to revolve around one reception room. A second family room to the front of the house, complete with a cast-iron feature fireplace, provides valuable additional living space. Depending on the needs of its next owners, this could become a television room, children’s den, playroom, home office or a quieter sitting room away from the main living area. The ground floor has also been thoughtfully adapted for accessible living. A large fully tiled wet room has underfloor heating, an accessible wash hand basin and shower with seating. A separate utility area completes the practical accommodation on this level.
Originally built as a five-bedroom home, the first-floor layout has been cleverly reconfigured to create a particularly impressive principal bedroom. The former fifth bedroom now serves as a walk-in dressing room with extensive mirrored wardrobes, while the main bedroom also enjoys its own fully tiled en suite. Importantly for a growing family, the remaining three bedrooms are all doubles rather than box rooms, with built-in storage in several of them. A fully tiled main family bathroom with Jacuzzi bath completes the first-floor accommodation.
Outside, the rear garden adds another dimension to the house. Walled and private, it has mature planting, raised flowerbeds and a paved patio immediately outside the kitchen and dining area. An elevated deck has been positioned to take advantage of the evening sun, offering a lovely place to unwind at the end of the day. Both sides of the house are gated and there is also useful external storage.
Then there is the location. Knocknacarra has developed into one of Galway city’s most popular family locations precisely because so much of everyday life can be found locally. Clybaun Road is particularly well positioned, with schools, shops, sporting facilities and recreational amenities all within easy reach. The area is convenient to shopping at Gateway Shopping Park and other major retail facilities, while local neighbourhood shops provide everyday convenience.
For families who enjoy the outdoors, Cappagh Park and Barna Woods are among the great amenities of this side of Galway. Cappagh Park offers extensive recreational facilities, including playing areas, playground facilities, tennis courts and access to Barna Woods. The wider location also puts homeowners within easy reach of Salthill, Galway Golf Club, Silverstrand and Barna, making weekend walks, trips to the beach or an evening on Salthill Promenade all part of the lifestyle.
For commuters, there is good connectivity towards Galway city centre, University of Galway and University Hospital Galway, while public transport serves the wider Clybaun and Knocknacarra area. But perhaps the greatest attraction of Number 74 is something less easily measured. This feels like a house in which a family can genuinely settle. There is room for children to grow from toddlers to teenagers, space to work from home without sacrificing a bedroom, two reception rooms when family members want different things, and a garden that can become an extension of the living space when the Galway weather cooperates. The fact that it is detached, positioned at the top of a small, mature cul-de-sac and extends to more than 2,000 sq ft makes it an especially interesting proposition for anyone who has outgrown their present home but does not want to leave the convenience and community of Knocknacarra.
According to Don Colleran, this is the type of property where buyers need to look beyond the photographs and appreciate the amount of space and flexibility on offer. “There is a lot to like about Number 74, but for me it is the combination of space and location that really sets it apart. You have over 2,000sq ft, four double bedrooms, two separate family living rooms, a great kitchen and dining space, a private garden and you are at the top of a quiet cul-de-sac in a mature neighbourhood. For a family looking for a long-term home in Knocknacarra, it ticks an awful lot of boxes.”
