In the 1950s an infill development of family homes was built at the entrance to St Luke’s Hospital in Rathgar – houses that were far more modest than the large Victorians that line the adjacent Highfield Road. Called Oaklands Drive, the houses are mostly semi-detached of varying styles and those that have changed hands in recent years have typically undergone major makeovers.
Number 31, beside the gates to St Luke’s, changed hands in 2011 and while the owners didn’t extend they set about making the four-bed semi more comfortable and a little bit more energy efficient bringing it up to a C3 energy rating.
They installed new double-glazed windows, a wood-burning stove in the living room and decorated throughout in a lovely warm style. The quirky changes to the eat-in kitchen – it no longer has a back door, just two windows including a large picture window – may not be to new buyers’ tastes but they will warm to its country style with its Aga and painted timber cupboards.
The house is double fronted – originally it probably had an integrated garage to the left but that was converted into a small room accessed off the kitchen, now in use as a study.
There are the original reception rooms on the other side of the house which would originally have been divided by sliding or folding doors but they and the wall have been removed to make one large reception room running front to back. It opens via its pretty and distinctive original glazed cast iron door – now double-glazed – out to the back garden. Upstairs there are four bedrooms, one en suite, and an attractively updated family bathroom. The accommodation is over 154sq m (1,658sq ft).
Prospective buyers will spend most viewing time in the garden – not just because it is so appealing – but they will likely be considering how to use part of it to extend the house to make a larger kitchen.
The potential is there – the house is on 0.2 of an acre so extending to the back and to the side is a clear possibility. Viewing the side garden as a potential plot for another house might be in the minds of some househunters but that would mean a shared driveway which is never ideal.
The owner is clearly a passionate gardener and even at this dreary time of year the mature, lushly planted garden looks lovely. There are several outhouses and with their metal framed windows painted a soft green they are pretty additions to this quite idyllic garden. There is a separate garage to the front. Number 31 Oaklands Drive is for sale through Sherry FitzGerald for €1.2 million.
