When the owners of No 31 All Saints Road in Raheny, Dublin, bought the property in 2017, it needed complete modernisation.
But its location, across the road from St Anne’s Park, where there are 240 acres of playing fields, tennis courts, dog parks, rose gardens, tree-lined avenues and even a coffee shop and restaurant – Olive’s at the Red Stables – was the clincher.
It has now been completely overhauled and extended, and it’s in such a good position, not overlooked to the front – which faces due south – that you’d wonder why the owners are moving at all.
But with a growing family, they really need a fourth bedroom and feel they have optimised every centimetre of space at this address.
This turn-key residence has three bedrooms – two doubles and a single – all immaculate. Although there is scope to go out to the side and up into the attic, the sellers, like many in the current market, have come to realise that the real value is in buying a bigger home that they can live in as it is and refurbish over time, rather than wrestle with rising construction costs.
The property is presented perfectly by the current owners, who paid €440,000 for it in 2017, according to the Property Price Register, and extended both front and back. The addition of a porch makes a vast difference to a house of this size. It gives you room for schoolbags, sports kits and outdoor shoes.
At the front is a formal living room with an inset fire and views of the trees in the park, many still wearing their autumn finery.
They also added a sizeable, pitched-roof extension to the rear. This open-plan space is bedecked in a coastal blend of crisp white and marine blue. It has a full wall of kitchen units and storage in soft white and an island, painted the colour of Dublin Bay on a good day, where small kids can perch and play on quartz countertops. There’s a decent dining area big enough for a large table, and a TV area, where there is further built-in cabinetry, with smoked glass panels and a sizeable sofa.
The back wall is glazed and opens out to a north-facing but very private and granite-paved back. This isn’t overlooked and extends to more than 41 sq m, excluding the side entrance and off-street parking to the front. It’s the perfect spot for kids or pets.
The owners had renovated a house in Oxford before they tackled No 31, and it taught them that nothing goes to plan and that you need to be adaptable. They also learned the value of having a separate living and kitchen area but that the real secret to a habitable home is a decent-sized utility.
Theirs occupies about half of the original size of the back room. The internal space has built-in cabinetry where everything has its place, from cleaning equipment to drying space. It also houses the washing machine and dryer, stacked, as well as a full-size freezer, essential for a family that is soon to be six. They also added a small guest toilet under the stairs, a boon for small kids, as well as having a separate shower and full bath in the family bathroom upstairs.
The house now measures 107sq m (1,152sq ft) and offers a lot to anyone with small kids. There are several primary schools within walking distance and local shops nearby on All Saints Park. Raheny village is about a 10-minute walk.
The property, which has a BER rating of C2, is seeking €595,000 through SherryFitzGerald.
