With the Dart, Aviva Stadium and Sandymount village close by, prices and demand for houses on Londonbridge Road have increased steadily over the past few years. The owners of number 12, who purchased the property in 2017 for €780,000, had quite the list of renovations, so much so they did the work in two phases. With the assistance of architect Anthony Brabazon and interior designer Aidan Cavey of Cavey Interior Design, the property is now a three-bedroom 165sq m (1,786sq ft) house in turnkey condition.
Brabazon was well aware of what needed to be done and how best to improve the house – which had just two bedrooms and no upstairs bathroom – as his practice, ABA Architects, is based just a few doors down from number 12. In 2019, he designed a 40sq m (431sq ft) extension to the rear that now houses the kitchen and dining area, allowing the two reception rooms to the front of the property for more formal use. Here, underfloor heating was installed along with a Nest smart thermostat system.
Phase one of renovations saw the basics attended to, with a new central heating system – as the house had none – and the entire property was rewired. The couple who live here with their three young children engaged the Victorian Kitchen Company to install a utility room in an effort "to keep a sense of authenticity" while Cavey suggested internal glazing along a corridor that links the front of the house to the extension, and that adds much light to the space.
What will really interest house hunters in the current climate is a home office to the rear of the property. “It was really fantastic during the lockdowns as we have three small kids and being out there gave us space and peace to work – and you could come back into the kitchen for lunch,” says the owner, who hopes to move farther out along the coast.
This 21sq m (226sq ft) space also has a galley kitchen, a bathroom and a wall-mounted fold-up bed, and benefits from own-door access to a lane at the rear.
The attic, though converted by previous owners, now has a bathroom and has been used as a bedroom for overnight guests. There are three other bedrooms on the first floor.
The rear garden, which had “just a bit of grass” when the couple bought the property, is now a no-maintenance space, as it is laid with paving and has raised planters set into the walls.
The property, in turnkey condition, is on the market through Hunters Estate agents with an asking price of €1.245 million.
