When the owners of this Edwardian semidetached house in Rathfarnham bought it nine years ago, they were ready to take on an extensive renovation project and quickly got down to it, spending months lifting tiles, sanding and painting floors and stripping decades’ worth of wallpaper.
Having done lots of work to bring this house up to date, they are keen to take on another renovation and are placing the property on the market with Mullery O’Gara, seeking €950,000. Built in 1914, the 147sq m (1,582sq ft) Edwardian has some lovely features, not least the huge magnolia tree in the front garden that passersby stop to admire. Although it’s Ber-exempt, the owners had its energy efficiency assessed for sale, and it achieved a D1 Ber rating.
Once inside the front door, through a small tiled porch, it’s immediately clear this is the home of someone with an eye for design; a vivid cerise runner brings a pop of colour to the hall. Most of the interiors are painted varying shades of grey and it works as the rooms have a good flow but are delineated by the differing tones. An understairs guest loo is painted a deep navy.
While renovating the house and stripping it back to its bones, they kept and restored all the Edwardian features, so the doors, floors and cornices are original. The brickwork was repointed four years ago and the driveway is new, with space for three cars.
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There are two interconnecting reception rooms to the left of the hall; a sittingroom with a beautiful deep bay window, and a diningroom behind it – both have working fireplaces with original tiling. The diningroom is used as an office, but there would be scope to use the playroom in the side extension as an office space, as it has access to both the front and back gardens. Also in the side extension, to the front behind glazed windows, is a utility room which provides a handy route to bring bikes through to the back garden.
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In contrast to the more traditional feel of the rest of the house, the kitchen with steps down to it feels completely modern, with gleaming ceramic tiles, pale grey units, quartz countertops, plenty of windows, a Quooker tap and Neff appliances; it also benefits from underfloor heating. Long and narrow, with a dining area at its end, there is scope to extend the kitchen and square it off as the couple secured planning permission a few months ago to extend the kitchen into the yard to the left, and also to convert the attic.
The garden has been cleverly divided into three outdoor rooms, with some lovely planting and seating areas designed to capture the sun as it moves from east to west during the day. Apple trees are in blossom and at the end of the garden is a sumac tree which provides dramatic colour in the autumn.
All the bedrooms have pale painted floors. The main bathroom is on the return, with subway tiles and Hansgrohe sanitary ware, as well as a bedroom with a built-in mirrored wardrobe. The principal bedroom to the front of the house has a bay window, adding depth and drama to an already lovely room. There is a third bedroom behind the principal, overlooking the back garden.
The location of the house is superb. It’s a two-minute walk to Rathfarnham village; Rathgar and Terenure villages are within walking distance too, and there’s a bus stop outside the door to University College Dublin’s Belfield campus and Dundrum.
Traffic outside is barely audible thanks to the new double-glazed sash windows. With planning permission for a dormer attic and kitchen extension in place, it’s a home that is ready to move into that also provides scope for additional living space.
