Clontarf semi-d with the light stuff for €950,000

When it comes to the property market – and much else – hindsight isn’t just useless, it’s deeply frustrating. There have to many househunters traipsing around open houses in Dublin who now bitterly and expensively regret not getting off the fence two or three years ago when prices were – but who knew? – still bouncing along the bottom.

The owners of 94 Kincora Grove, one of Clontarf’s more popular and established estates, bought in the summer of 2011.

They paid €515,000 for the fixer-upper – a semi with an integrated garage, and, as their photo album of the time shows, they embarked on a major renovation. (One picture is captioned “one of the many skips”.)

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As well as modernising what was there, they converted the garage into a home office, a utility area and a downstairs toilet and added a smart and striking contemporary kitchen extension on the back.

The work also included replacing all the house’s woodwork, so there is new oak flooring throughout, both upstairs and down, and new contemporary-style oak doors with matching architraves.

The young family intended the house to be their long-term home but a job move now forces them to relocate within Ireland and the five-bedroom house with 173sq m (1,862sq ft) is on the market through Lisney for €950,000.

None of the bedrooms is particularly large – there are three doubles and two singles. The main bedroom has a small ensuite and there is a small, smartly fitted out family bathroom.

Downstairs the original interconnecting reception rooms have been updated with oak doors and floors as well as glazed double doors out to the back garden.

The most significant addition is the handsome, double-height eat-in kitchen at the rear.

It is made as bright as possible with roof-lights in its mono-pitched roof, floor- to-ceiling windows and glazed double doors out to the garden. It is fitted with cream high-gloss units and a large granite-topped island and there is space for a large dining table. A sofa would make this room even more useful – and there is certainly the space for it.

The 17m garden backs onto Clontarf cricket and rugby club at the rear.

There is off-street parking for a couple of cars in the front garden.