Dublin 6: Slowly but surely, Ranelagh's period houses are returning to family homes, exchanging an air of dilapidated tenancy for neat hedges and a well-kept look. Many have been single family homes for some time.
HOK Residential is expecting €750,000 at auction on February 19th for 31 Tudor Road, a three-bedroom semi-detached house on a popular avenue off Park Drive.
The 136 sq m (1,470 sq ft) pre-war semi has been lived in by generations of owner-occupiers and has been impeccably maintained over the years.
Stripped pine floorboards and colour used unsparingly throughout the house create a warm vibrant feel.
Off the attractive timber-floored hallway are two elegant antique yellow sittingrooms, one of which could be returned to a diningroom.
There is a white marble fireplace in the front room and another period fireplace in black marble in the connecting back sittingroom.
Both rooms have polished pine floorboards and deep ceiling coving. At the end of the hall is a long kitchen/breakfastroom, adventurously painted dark green, with pine floors, glass cabinets and beech worktops.
The breakfast area is bright, with an original cast-iron fireplace and double doors to the garden. The space under the stairs has been pressed into service as a utility room.
One double bedroom and the main bathroom are on the first floor return.
Fashionable wood-panelled walls, wood flooring and an antique bath create a traditional look which contrasts with the efficient Grohe power shower and recessed lighting.
A second double bedroom with cast-iron fireplace overlooks the back garden, while the main bedroom suite spans the width of the house to the front.
This room is softly decorated in mushroom and cream, with an entire wall of custom-built wardrobes.
The back garden is manageable and beautifully landscaped, with exposed old brickwork, raised flowerbeds supported by railway sleepers and Indian sandstone flags.
There is also a garage with vehicular access to a rear laneway.
