Viewers of the 2011 season of RTÉ's house renovation programme Room to Improve will recognise 5 Avoca Place in Blackrock. The renovation of the terraced cottage, which dates back to 1890, made for good viewing, from the moment architect Dermot Bannon saw it in its sorry "before" state and told its proud new owners, John Rochford and Lee Benn, "You've bought yourself a mud hut", to the final scene when the impressive makeover was complete and the house was transformed.
Pretty much all that remains of the original house is the front wall – everything else is new. It had to be – no one had lived in the house for about 10 years and Bannon gave a blunt assessment: “There’s a lot of damp, there’s leaks everywhere. The walls are filled with random rubble and packed with plaster. The floorboards are in bad condition and rotting. There are mushrooms growing everywhere.”
The makeover is stunning – and simple. What was once a small house with four small rooms, two the front, two to the back, is now a two-bedroomed house with a 21m long light-filled, contemporary- style living space. It is for sale through Sherry FitzGerald for €895,000.
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Internal courtyard
From the front door there’s a view through the large picture window in the oak floored hall right out to the back. Two double bedrooms are on the left-hand side. The largest of the two is at the rear, it has a sleek ensuite showerroom, and floor-to-ceiling glazed doors that slide open to give access to the internal courtyard – a feature which has, as viewers of the TV programme will know, become something of a signature design of Bannon’s. On this side, too, is a bathroom.
Room divider
On the right is that open-plan living space. Raising the ceiling height to roof level has created an airy feel and the space is divided into four defined areas. To the front is a small seating area with a fireplace fitted with a contemporary gas fire.
In the kitchen area there is a wall of white high-gloss units which house the washing machine, fridge, general storage and pantry. On the opposite wall is a line of smart grey kitchen units with integrated appliances and a Fisher and Paykel stove. Beyond that is a light-filled dining area with a glazed wall and access out to the courtyard and still further on is a comfortable livingroom space.
This features a large wall unit which pivots – with a little difficulty, it’s very heavy – to become a room divider partially closing off the livingroom area from the dining area. Throughout the house the details, from light fittings to the flooring, are chosen with care and an eye to modern design.
The courtyard and the mostly glazed livingroom, which partially wraps around it, take up much of the back garden but that courtyard has been fitted out as an outdoor room with lighting, space for seating and a water feature.
When they bought, the owners thought that maybe they might spend €100,000 on the makeover but when it became much more than that – a total rebuild resulting in a 119sq m (1,281sq ft) house – the bill came in at about €240,000.
New owners won’t have to do a thing which means it just might appeal to someone trading down from one of the very large nearby houses and looking for a completely new, pared-down way of living.
Meanwhile, an opportunity to renovate another old house – this time closer to town – has come up, hence the sale.
