Dromard Terrace is an on-street terrace in Sandymount village that dates from the 1890s. Number 22 belonged to James and Gretta Cousins, friends of James Joyce, where he stayed on the night of June 16th, 2004, a date immortalised as Bloomsday.
The owners of number 5, situated across the street from the Joycean house, bought the then three-bed property for €350,000 in 2014.
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Living in Australia at the time, the couple only saw the house after they had bought it. Communicating via Skype sessions with their architect, Graham Petrie of Pac Studio, they decided to demolish all but the façade construct a new house within its 1890 shell.
It was a challenging build, made even more so given the nine-hour time difference between Dublin and Melbourne.
“There were many two-hour calls at the end of a long day’s work. These had to be structured so that we could walk through the plans virtually, then we would map out the scale of rooms in our two-bed property in Melbourne to get an idea of scale,” the owner says.
Parents were enlisted to help select finishes, kitchens and wardrobes. Features include underfloor heating set below a mother of pearl-flecked terrazzo floor; triple-glazed sash windows by Knottstown Joinery to the front and large glazed sliding doors and windows to the rear, by Raynaers, that wash the south-west-facing aspect in light.
The paved patio has an overhang to keep rain off the barbecue when cooking outdoors and clever storage space big enough to take the couple’s sports gear. It also stores bins that you will need to take through the house on bin days.
The property now measures 98 sq m (1,054 sq ft) and Sandymount Strand is about a three-minute walk away. A white American oak staircase sets the architectural tone throughout. It has glass balustrading and a rooflight overhead.
There’s a guest toilet under the stairs on the way to the large, open-plan kitchen-living-dining room with a sitting area to the front set around an L-shaped sofa.
Wall of glass
The Kube Kitchen features fold-back doors to hide pantry units and to keep the counters clutter-free. In pride of place is a Bora downdraught induction hob that dispels smells below counter to the outside. The countertops are Silestone.
A Photovoltaic solar panel system on the roof supplies hot water and a heat recovery system warms the interior.
Upstairs the original three bedrooms have become two vaulted rooms that share a very smart bathroom. It features a double shower, demisting mirrors and devi mats underfoot to welcome feet on a cold winter’s morning.There is a nursery or study between the rooms.
The main bedroom has a wall of glass that looks over the back gardens of Sandymount but with privacy fins to keep it discrete.
The B1-rated property is estimated to have cost €420,000 to rebuild and fit. It is now seeking €795,000 through agent Lisney.
Two doors up number 7came to market late last year seeking €575,000. This price was reduced to €525,000 and the 69sq m/750sq ft, three-bed recently went sale agreed just below the new asking price. It needs complete modernisation and has only a tiny back garden.
Parking is on street.
