Situated just off Clonliffe Road and within shouting distance of Croke Park, St James’s Avenue is a quaint street of single storey redbrick cottages that are two-storey to the rear. When there isn’t a match or a concert at the stadium, this area is blissfully quiet.
Number 21 is a mid-terrace that was extensively renovated in 2010 when architects Kevin J Hamell & Associates almost doubled its ground floor space, adding a substantial 43 sq m (463 sq ft) of kitchen, dining, living room to the rear and creating a light-filled breakfast room. This space opens out to a garden, laid out in lawn to a circular design with a patio area to the rear that gets the evening sun.
It is a lovely space to spend time in, with the sound of birdsong interrupted occasional by the commuter train from Connolly to Maynooth whooshing past on the nearby railway bridge. There’s a stop at the top of Clonliffe Road, about a seven-minute walk away.
The property is in walk-in condition with dark wenge-coloured laminate flooring throughout the ground floor. To the front is a formal sitting room with decent ceiling heights. Its focal point is a cast-iron fireplace with open fire and it has room enough for an L-shaped sofa.
Next to it is the first of the property’s three bedrooms. Though set up as a kid’s room with a single bed, there is plenty of space here to install a double.
The family bathroom also has a cast-iron fireplace, and is big enough to fit a bath and separate shower with another double bedroom to its rear. It opens out to a small, west-facing courtyard, a lovely feature if you’re sharing the house.
The main bedroom is situated upstairs and comprises about 19 sq m (205 sq ft) including a walk-through wardrobe area and shower en suite.
There is clever storage throughout the house. In the en suite, for example, there are three pull-out drawers recessed into attic space behind the vanity mirror over the sink. This secret volume can accommodate a multitude of beauty and wash products keeping the sink area clutter free. It is just one example of the owners’ creative use of dead space as storage.
The house is in walk-in condition with every square inch of space maximised. They’re now looking for a larger space for their growing family.
The property is seeking €475,000 through agent MoveHome. Parking is on street. Last October number 15 sold for €210,000, according to the property price register. It had been upgraded in 2006 but was not nearly as well presented as number 21.
Agent Owen Reilly has just sold number 28. Also a three-bed it was an end of terrace property of 80 sq m (861 sq ft) with a west-facing rear in need of landscaping situated in the shadow of Croke Park. It was asking €350,000.
