There is a picture-perfect terrace of nine properties in Rathfarnham that is hidden down a laneway. Built in 1928, the houses at Beaufort Villas feel a million miles from the chaos of city living with long, lush driveways that face on to the grounds of Rathfarnham church.
The owners of number 2 have always felt it was as close as you could get to living in the countryside without having to leave the city. They were instantly smitten when they viewed the house in 2017, despite its condition.
“It was totally empty, had a G energy rating, steel-framed windows, some rooms had no plug sockets, there was no kitchen and no hot water, but we still fell in love with it,” they recall.
Although a lot has changed since then, the character remains firmly intact. Every stage of restoration was given careful consideration. It took four (“freezing”) years for the owners to replace the windows because they wanted to ensure they got the design just right for the bow window at the front.
Rate of home mortgages over 90 days in arrears falls to lowest in 15 years
Greystar buys Dublin student housing scheme for around €150m
Typical price paid for home by first-time buyer up €88,000 on five years ago
Housing in Ireland is among the most expensive and most affordable in the EU. How does that happen?
In their time there, the house has been rewired and replumbed, a new kitchen was fitted, with the original floor tiles remaining. The upstairs bathroom was renovated, and a new guest bathroom was installed downstairs. The Ber rating was brought from a G to a C2 by changing the windows to triple-glazed models and insulating the floors and the attic.
[ Modernised Raheny home backing on to Dublin Bay for €625,000Opens in new window ]
It is larger than it looks from the outside, with 107sq m (1,151sq ft) of mint condition accommodation behind the original front door. In the hallway is a new parquet floor and the original coving and dado rails. The parquet continues into the bright livingroom, which has a bow window acting as a frame for the view of the church at the end of the path. The fire in this room was replaced with a stove with a new marble insert.
[ Victorian pile a stroll from the sea in Sandycove for €1.95mOpens in new window ]
At the back of the house is a family room, which is being used as a home office. It has the original fireplace and looks out to the back garden.
The priority when designing the kitchen was to preserve the chequerboard floor tiles, with the units and plumbing fitted around the original layout. The old hearth has been kept, and there is also a separate space at the back of the kitchen that is used as a utility area.
There are three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs.
Outside, the rear garden has redbrick paving and double gates out to the laneway, allowing for a car to be brought up to the back door of the house. To the front is a neat lawn with a path up to the front door.
Number 2 Beaufort Villas is now on the market through Mullery O’Gara, seeking €650,000.
The location, just off Willbrook Road, is sure to be one of the attractions for prospective buyers. Rathfarnham village and Castle Park, as well as Nutgrove Shopping Centre and Bushy Park, are all a short walk away. The Yellow House pub is on the main road, and the number 15B and 16 bus routes stop right outside Beaufort Villas.
The owners have brought the property back to life, through upgrades, restorations and interior design. They have remained true to the character of the house and chosen colours and fittings that reflect the light and mood of the period home. They are hoping to stay in the area but will greatly miss the house that they dedicated so much time and love to.
“We were naive when we bought it and had no appreciation of how much really needed to be done, but it was a real labour of love. In winter time, when the lights come on in the church, you can see the stained-glass windows lit up and it’s so beautiful. It’s one in a million,” says the owner.
