The number of period townhouse properties coming back to market after a significant makeover is on the rise. Here are two that will provide a sense of deja-vu.
84 Eglinton Road, Donnybrook, D4, €2.25m
A completely modernised four-bed Edwardian at the Clonskeagh end of the road with an A3 Ber and a south-facing private back garden.
Agent: DNG
Number 84 last came to market in 2016. An Edwardian grande dame dating from 1928, it had been in the same family since 1949. The kitchen was a throwback to the 1960s but what it lacked in mod cons it made up for in character due to its many fine period features, including good proportions, 12-foot ceiling heights and original fireplaces and surrounds. There was the potential, too, to extend to the side.
The five-bed house, which originally measured 209sq m/2250sq ft, came to market asking €1.4million and appeared sold on the property price register by the end of November 2016 for €1.22million.
Thirteen months and an extensive refurbishment later, it is back on the market, seeking €2.25million through agent DNG.
In that time, the owner has completely reimagined the property and says he has spent between €750,000 and €800,000 on the refurbishment, employing engineers Maughan and Associates and LPN Construction to execute the works.
Much of the original period styling has been replaced with a modern version of classic design. In the interconnecting reception rooms the original fireplaces, a pair of matching brass-hooded tile-insert styles with mahogany surrounds, have been removed, along with the cast-iron fireplaces in the bedrooms.
In the formal living room there is a gas insert fire surrounded by an ornate fireplace and the property has an A3 Ber rating as a result of these changes. More significant works include a new roof, an insulation upgrade and triple-glazed alu-clad sash style windows throughout, as well as underfloor heating on the ground floor.
Original doors and architraving have been replaced by doors about 10 inches taller. Walnut flooring spans the interconnecting rooms and the new interconnecting doors have glass panels.
The open plan kitchen is marble floored in keeping with the entrance hall with hand-painted cabinetry by Noel Dempsey and dark granite worktops.
The floor size has increased some 25 per cent to 279sq m / 3003sq ft. Upstairs, the number of bedrooms has been reduced from five to four good sized chambers, two of which are suites with smartly-tiled bathrooms accessed via dark wood walk-through wardrobes. The other two bedrooms share a bathroom, Jack and Jill style. The landing’s vaulted ceiling is dramatic and light floods through as the back of the house is south-west facing. It also shows how sizeable the attic is.
The garden features a large granite patio that can be accessed via glass doors from the dining room and the lounge area of the kitchen. The rest is lawned with artificial grass and while private, the traffic on Eglinton, Clonskeagh and Milltown roads is quite audible – though it is dimmed down indoors by the triple glazing.
20A Beechwood Ave Lower, Ranelagh, Dublin 6, €1.25m
Modernised three-bed mid-terrace redbrick with a smart back garden designed by landscape architect Paul Martin.
Agent: DNG
This is the third time 20A Beechwood Avenue Lower has come to market in the last eight years.
Now seeking €1.25m through agent DNG, it last sold in November 2016 for €1.01million, having come to market asking €950,000. It previously sold in 2010 for €920,000, according to the property price register.
The three-bedroom terraced property appears very much as it did in 2016, save for a change in flooring in the entrance hall.
Its interior was designed by Jean Freeney, of Peacock Interior Design, creating a house that is in walk-in condition and that will work with contemporary or classical tastes.
The previously mink painted walls of the interconnecting rooms have been replaced with a more neutral shade of warm white but the dark walnut floors remain as do the pocket sliding doors between the rooms that allow for two separate spaces when required. These rooms have matching fire surrounds with an inset fire in the back room. An original window has been made into a door that leads directly out to the property’s gorgeous small garden.
Designed by landscape architect Paul Martin, smart privacy shields double as light boxes featuring large-format botanical images. To the rear is a raised unhoned patio area. It is well planted with specimen trees and shrubs. There is pedestrian access to the rear.
The extended kitchen has light on two sides, handleless units by Kube Kitchen and includes a bright, breakfast area.
The breakfast room has glazing on two sides and also is lit from above by a lantern roof light. There is room here too for a sofa to make a family room.
The house has three double bedrooms; the first is on the return, where the family bathroom is also situated, the other two are on the first floor. The master, which has a shower ensuite bathroom, spans the width of the property.
The house measures 138sq m / 1485sq ft.
