Arbutus Place is a peaceful cul-de-sac of late-19th-century artisan cottages off Lombard Street West, one of Portobello’s main thoroughfares. “Extremely quiet, considering how close to town it is,” say the vendors, “almost like the countryside. It’s very friendly, a lovely community – people talk to one another around here.”
They bought their house in 2003, when they paid €200,000. The original features had vanished in updates during the 1950s and ’60s, so they “gutted the whole thing, completely refurbished and extended into the back garden. We also lowered the floors, as lots of our neighbours have done. This allowed us put in a second storey and open the entire space up to light with large windows and a rear wall of window. It doesn’t feel like a small house now, plus the rear garden is like part of the house in summer. The only really original part of the house is the front façade.”
Wrench
They have, they say, “got a lot of room out of what was a tiny cottage”. But two children mean they need more space, so they are selling, though not without feeling the wrench of selling a home they love in an area they love. Number 19 is towards the end of the cul-de-sac, has a floor area of 88sq m (947sq ft), two bedrooms (one ensuite), open plan living/diningroom, kitchen and shower room. Agent DNG is asking €525,000.
Number 1 Arbutus Place sold for €450,000 in March 2016 and number 16 Arbutus Place for €355,000 less than a year before that.
Part of number 19’s charm lies in the long, long view along the entrance hallway, through to the dining/livingroom and on – courtesy of that wall of window – to the patio/garden. The dining area opens directly onto the patio, making for easy al fresco dining when the weather permits. The highly practical working kitchen is off this area and, beyond it, a bedroom and shower room. The entire space is filled with light.
The added second floor has a large (4.5m x 3.1m) bedroom and good-sized ensuite. Storage being a necessity in a house like this, the vendors have made good use of both eave and understair areas.
