Hidden off Grand Canal Street is a small lane bearing the delightful name Emerald Cottages. It has some single-storey and two-storey terraced houses and at the far end, where there were sheds and a warehouse, stands an infill scheme of five terraced houses.
Set over three storeys these are anything but cottage in look or feel. The brick render and zinc exterior homes, numbers 12 to 16 Emerald Cottages, are 5.5m wide and feel roomy and bright inside.
The boutique build is by developer Michael Blaney, a chartered quantity surveyor who worked on Fitzwilliam Point and The Moorings, apartment over retail schemes in Ringsend, which were designed by OMP Architects in the early to mid-noughties.
Since then he’s been working on mainly high-end one-off houses with a variety of top-class architects. On this project he worked with David Smith, previously a director at OMP, who designed these in a way that maximises light and space.
Within minutes of Google and other tech firms in Dublin 4, the houses are about a two-minute walk from Barrow Street Dart station and the trains rumble past the back of these three-storey, A2-rated houses. But you hear very little inside for the three-bedroom homes have Rationel triple-glazing to dial down the noise.
The gardens are bounded by the high limestone wall of the train track and face north-east with large patio areas, artificial grass lawns and planters. There’s also an outdoor tap and socket.
The layout gives you a carport and accommodation at ground level, an open-plan living kitchen on the first floor and two bedrooms on the second floor. The carport is to the front and has room to store bins out of sight.
The houses open into a hall where a beech staircase, designed by Durkan Joinery, has timber battens that extend the height of the void and give a Scandinavian sensibility to the stairwell. The first of the three double bedrooms is to the rear of this level and adjoins a wet room.
Extensive storage has been factored in under the stairs. There’s about nine cubic metres, including a vented utility room which is plumbed for appliances.
The first floor is completely open plan. Incorporating the kitchen and sitting room it is a very fine dual-aspect space that is flooded in light and includes loads of built-in storage. Ceiling heights here are 2.7m, making it feel loftier still; they’re 2.4m on the other floors.
The slick kitchen by Kube has marble-look siltstone counters and is set to the rear overlooking the train line. You could chop your veg on the kitchen island in tempo to the passing trains.
There are two good doubles on the second floor. The main bedroom is to the front while the back bedroom has an oriel window with a privacy opaque panel on one side.
The houses extend to 140 sq m and the show unit, number 12, has the biggest garden and has been fitted out by Muriel Simpson of House & Garden. It also has side access and is asking €1.1million though agent Owen Reilly.
The other end-terrace house is asking €1.05million. The mid-terraces are number 13 (€1.025million); number 14 (€1million) and number 15 asking (€980,000), with the garden in each decreasing in size as the numbers go up.
The location is first rate. Lotts & Co is your local food market, and as well as a pharmacy there are several good pubs and eateries on the doorstep. Avoca in Ballsbridge is up the street.
The cafes of Grand Canal Dock are only a five-minute stroll away and you can be on Sandymount strand in about 20 minutes, about the same time it will take you to walk into town.
These homes are being brought to market with no management fee.
