“When I first moved here, coming home in a taxi one evening the driver told me he knew a Kelly family that used to live here for years. He told me they had 11 children,” says the owner of 8 Joy Street, a renovated mid-terrace house off South Lott’s Road. Dating from the early 1900s, houses here were constructed when reclaimed marshes gave room to build much needed family homes.
One of the first to be developed was Hope Street, which, along with Joy Street, give an indication of the sentiments felt at the time, as these developments meant people would finally have a home of their own.
The current owner bought number 8 in October 2005 and moved in in January 2006: “It was my first home, and how things were so different then. There was really nothing with the exception of Spar on Bath Avenue, whereas now it has lots of great restaurants like Paulie’s Pizza.”
She says when she first bought the property all the work had been done by builders who turned this 57sq m (613sq ft) house (plus converted attic) into a smart home. Then in 2015 she began renovations and knocked a small box room, “that would not even hold a single bed,” and extended the bathroom so it would accommodate a free-standing bath.
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One of her favourite rooms in the property is the attic room: “It’s so attractive the way you can see over the rooftops along Hope and Gordon Street, but also with the high-rise tech buildings – it’s a great mix of old and new.”
Inside the front door is an open-plan living-dining space with a galley-style kitchen beyond. Here a full wall of storage allows the space to be clutter-free. A toilet and utility lie here too, and there is access to a small courtyard for summer dining.
Upstairs is the principal bedroom and the large bathroom now accommodates the space formerly held by a box bedroom.
A light-filled attic conversion offers 13sq m of extra space, providing great views and a multitude of uses.
The owner has upsized to nearby Sandymount, and will miss her friendly neighbours; a mixture of those who are “here for 50 years and new ones too”.
The quaint spot lies in a row of tiny streets, ideally located between Barrow Street and South Lott’s Road, which is within walking distance of the city centre and the Dublin docklands.
Number 8 Joy Street, with a Ber of F which new owners may want to address, is now on the market through Owen Reilly, seeking €425,000.
