For house hunters in search of a true city townhouse, Harcourt Terrace is as good as it gets. A quiet cul-de-sac just a few minutes' walk to St Stephen's Green, it is one of the few residential streets in the central business district with elegant houses resembling those of Ballsbridge and Donnybrook. The National Concert Hall is within three minutes' walk, as is the Harcourt Luas stop.
Carshalton, at number 19, appears to have last been purchased in 1999 for £570,000 – a very strong price at the time given that it was in need of complete refurbishment.
The mid-terrace Victorian – now in turnkey condition – has been extended to a generous 166sq m (1,787sq ft) and is on the market through Hunters with a €1.175 million price tag.
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The real selling point of the house – which is staged for sale – are the two upstairs bedrooms (a third is located at hall level).
Large bedroom
Set off a bright upper landing – thanks to an atrium style glass roof – the room to the front is so large that it takes up the entire front of the property. Given the fact that it has an open fireplace and is larger than the living room downstairs, a buyer may well indeed opt to use this room as the principal reception room, turning the room currently in use as the living room downstairs into a bedroom.
The bedroom to the rear is in total contrast to the period vibe of the other rooms, and has the feel of a modern hotel suite. It overlooks the garden and period houses along Adelaide Road through a very large window, and has a spacious en suite.
At hall level is the living room and third bedroom, and at the end of a corridor – curiously with a glass ceiling – lies the extension.
The kitchen and breakfast room are set in a modern glass box, the design choice for a generation of extensions to period houses. This is not a cook’s kitchen, as the workspace and appliances are set in a small area off the main breakfast room, rather than a centrally focused kitchen. You get the feeling that this was designed for people who prefer to eat out rather than entertain at home, and with the proximity to so many local eateries this may well be the case.
To the rear of the extension is a city garden with potential to become a cool urban outdoor space.
