Tritonville Road in Sandymount features a mixture of house types, some dating from the Georgian era right up to this century with contemporary builds.
Number 131 and its next-door neighbour number 129 were both purchased by the current owners back in 2006. “The two houses were owned by a nearby hotel and used as staff accommodation,” say the owners. “It was a bit of a mess, to be honest, as there were holes knocked into the ceilings for drainage. There are also two A-type roofs that meet at a valley – so the weight was pushing the walls out – which was another thing that had to be addressed”. The owner who also works in the construction industry, says it took four years to restore both properties, as both are protected structures.
Both houses, in Regency style, date from 1856. They were completely refurbished in what the owners describe as “a real labour of love”. Everything from coving and cornices to floors and fireplaces had to be either restored (by a team of specialist tradespeople) or indeed replaced as was the case with most of the fireplaces which had been removed and have since been replaced with period models.
There’s quite a bit of space over the three floors. The end-of-terrace number 131 extends to 304sq m (3,269sq ft) to be precise while number 129 is only slightly smaller.
One in five people expect to pay mortgage in retirement, survey finds
Irish architectural great Ronnie Tallon built a home far superior to Mies van der Rohe’s original. Time to protect it
Sherry FitzGerald CEO Steven McKenna to leave firm to ‘explore new opportunities’
Avoiding double taxation on sale of a property abroad
At hall level lie the usual interconnecting reception rooms – both used as drawing rooms – which have white marble fireplaces.
Beyond these, there’s an open-plan family room and the kitchen.
With Snaidero wall and floor units, a fired Aga coupled with two Aga fridges, the cooking area is centred on a white Silestone island. Here a wine cooler sits near a lift (serving the basement) while a dumb waiter allows access to all three floors.
To the rear of the kitchen/living space is a conservatory with access to the back courtyard garden.
You’d never know from the front facade – which has been given smart stone cladding – that a full 111sq m (1,200sq ft) basement lies beneath the two levels.
Here it is all about entertaining. Not only is there a central space for watching television, complete with a recessed television and flush gas fire, there’s also a fully soundproofed cinema (to the rear, in what is used as a bedroom in some houses). Here a screen descends from the ceiling – which also has a number of speakers – in order to create that “at the cinema” feeling.
You get the feeling that entertainment was all part of the plan when these houses were being refurbished. Besides a wine fridge in the kitchen, there’s a whole thermostatically controlled wine cave with a capacity for 750 bottles in the basement, where there is also a bar – should you prefer a tipple other than wine.
Upstairs are two bedrooms and what can only described as the main suite. Not only does the dumb waiter have an opening here (for lazy weekend brunches in bed), it has its own lobby, dressing room and en suite.
Outside, there are three entrances to number 131: from the side, rear and front, and while number 129 has off-street parking, number 131 has planning permission for same.
Really what you have here are two adjacent spacious three-bedroom homes, which have been sensitively restored, coupled with contemporary conveniences such as Cat 5 cabling, along with sound and light systems. As they are protected structures – they don’t require Ber certification. The owners did engage an assessor, however, who determined that they meet C1 ratings; which is very respectable given their age.
Internally both houses have the same layout – the difference being that number 131 is end-of-terrace so has a side garden and is furnished while number 129 is mid-terrace and unfurnished. Both are for sale through Knight Frank, who are quoting €1.85 million for number 131 and €1.75 million for number 129 respectively.
