Urban cottages have old fashioned charm and modern comforts: Rose Doyle and Edel Morgan look at two on the market.

Blackrock: €415,000 The terrace of 10 brick-built cottages which make up Stradbrook Cottages, Stradbrook Road, Blackrock, Co Dublin, were built around 1870 and are something of a landmark on that stretch of road.

Number 10, at the end of the terrace and with the advantage of a side entrance, has been both completely refurbished and extended.

In walk-in condition, it has two bedrooms, a kitchen/diningroom, livingroom and bathroom.

It is for sale by private treaty through Douglas Newman Good which is quoting a guide of over €415,000.

The refurbishment has created a stylish, bright 57.5 sq m (620 sq ft) home some 22 sq m (250 sq ft) bigger than the original.

Partly open-plan, with the kitchen/diningroom extending into the livingroom, the design has placed one of the bedrooms to the front, the other to the rear.

The floors throughout are laminated timber and the walls and woodwork painted shades of cream and white. Velux windows create as much light as possible.

The kitchen/dining/livingroom is made particularly bright by a pair of Velux windows and Rationel patio doors which open onto to the rear deck and garden.

The compact kitchen is separated from the dining area by a breakfast bar and has a range of fittings which include a fully integrated fridge/freezer and dishwasher.

The fireplace in the dining area, which was designed to fit snugly into the wall, has a brushed chrome surround and slate hearth.

It has a gas connection but could, with the addition of a grate, be used as an open fire.

The smaller of the two bedrooms is off the livingroom.The main front facing bedroom has wardrobes built into two of its walls.

Partly cream painted walls combine with beige porcelain wall and floor tiles to stylish effect in the shower room, which is off the hallway. The shower unit is fully tiled, and a wash-hand basin with Philip Starck Axor tap fitting adds a touch of style.

There is attic storage.

The rear deck and pebbled garden is partly granite walled. Areas of cement wall have been covered with bamboo and ivy, rose bushes and specimen grasses are all in flourishing growth.

There is rear vehicular access via a private laneway and a gate to the side gives pedestrian access.

Ballsbridge: €525,000  From its exterior Number 8 Dodder View Cottages looks like a traditional period mid-terrace house but inside there is an unconventional twist.

The livingroom and kitchen are on the first floor to capitalise on light and the bedrooms are on the ground floor.

Located in the heart of Ballsbridge near Lansdowne Road and Herbert Park, Number 8 Dodder View Cottages is on the market through Gunne Residential for €525,000.

The house is 610 sq ft (55 sq m) and although reasonably small has unusually high curved ceilings and a neutral colour scheme which give an illusion of space.

There are two double bedrooms downstairs. The larger one to the rear has wooden flooring, recessed spotlights, a security intercom phone and access to a small outside space.

The en suite shower room has ceramic mosaic tiles.

The second bedroom to the front has timber floors and recessed lighting.

At the entrance point of the downstairs hall there is original tiling which leads on to a timber floor. The hall has the unusual feature of a period redbrick open fireplace. There are also integrated storage cupboards.

The main bathroom is bright and cheery with an oval bath with chrome fittings and a separate shower head. A small understairs cubby hole fits a washer/dryer.

Upstairs the living room is a bright space with wooden floors, a cast iron fireplaces, a high sloped ceiling, security intercom and access to the roof space above.

The kitchen area is compact with white units and a mahogany countertops. The chrome oven, hob and microwave give the kitchen a contemporary edge.

A Velux roof window maximises light and a door gives access to the flat roof, which the agents say could possibly be turned into a roof garden.

The house has gas central heating and on street disc parking.