The work done to extend 16 Thorncliffe Park more than 25 years ago proves that when an extension is well designed to be in keeping with the style of the house, it stands the test of time. Thorncliffe Park, off Orwell Road in Rathgar was built in the mid-1940s and number 16, a semi-detached house, came with a side garden which enabled its architect owner to extend at the side and across the rear. The attention to detail

included sourcing matching roof tiles and copying window styles so that the extension looks as if it was always there. The four-bedroom house with 213.67sq m (2,300sq ft) is for sale through DNG for €925,000.

There are three rooms downstairs – two livingrooms on one side of the hall and a home office on the other. Extending across the back of the house gave extra square footage to the rear reception room which also has access to the back garden. It also allowed for a large, bright eat-in kitchen, perfect for a family. This well-planned space was fitted with cream-painted timber units topped with granite and a worktop area and again it looks bang up to date so new owners are unlikely to change it. Double-glazed doors open out into the back garden. The next owner may want to reorganise the utility room which is in a space at the back of the kitchen near the garage – indeed the garage seems ripe for conversion into an extra room should new owners require the additional space. There’s also a guest toilet downstairs.

The original renovation involved changing the layout upstairs. There are four bedrooms, two doubles and two large singles. These houses were built with small bathrooms with a separate WC as was the style at the time. The redesign involved knocking the bathroom and a small rear bedroom together to create a much larger bathroom with two windows looking out onto the back garden. There’s also a larger separate WC. The landings in these houses are good-sized and bright thanks to the large window in the gable wall on the half landing.

Other houses on the road have converted the attic – another space creating option for new owners. They will also want to paint and decorate and generally update the interior decoration.

The 20m back garden backs on to Milltown Golf Club and there is off-street parking.