Drumcondra: €1.75mA five-bedroom terraced house at 88 Lower Drumcondra Road will be auctioned by Lisney on February 16th with an advised minimum value (AMV) of €1.75 million.

It may have seen better days but there is no reason why this 1880s house cannot be restored to its former glory and yet meet modern residential requirements.

As it stands, the four-storey building is in need of extensive refurbishment but offers 214sq m (2,300sq ft) of living space and has a particularly long rear garden extending to 83 meters (270ft) with vehicular access.

Located on the main Drumcondra/airport road, almost opposite the Catholic Archbishop's Palace and within walking distance of O'Connell Street, the redbrick house is one of perhaps a dozen set on a bank above street level and shaded by mature trees.

The pavement running along the front of the terrace is for pedestrians only, hence the great advantage of access from the laneway at the back of this house.

A small garden at the front leads to steps that rise to the hall floor.

There are two reception rooms at this level. Here, as throughout the house, few original features remain, but proportions are generous.

There are two floors above: the first has two bedrooms and the top floor has three, with evidence that two of these rooms once formed a self-contained flat.

At garden level there is a kitchen and family room that leads to the rear garden. Here there are two outbuildings: a timber structure and a long concrete shed running along one side of the property.

What is best about this house is the combination of large internal and external spaces close to the city centre, but the potential owners must have the patience to oversee a thorough renovation and the vision to see its substantial potential.