City cottage comes up roses

Dundrum: €875,000: Rose Cottage at 39 Balally Terrace in Dundrum is a good example of how a quaint artisan cottage can be updated and enlarged without losing any of its charm. The key to the transformation was the decision to go for a well-designed two-storey extension at the back that created a great deal of space upstairs and down.

In all there's now 138sq m (1,400sq ft) of accommodation and three bedrooms as well as a large kitchen and good living areas. One of eight in a terrace built in 1910, Rose Cottage is for auction through HOK Residential on May 24th with an advised minimum value (AMV) of €875,000.

The present owners bought it seven years ago and waited several years before embarking on the extension. In doing so they maximized the house's potential, leaving it in walk-in condition.

Rose Cottage is double fronted so inside the front door, off a tiny vestibule area, there are rooms on either side. The room on the left could be a fourth bedroom, playroom or a home office.

The living area is open plan with the main living area leading down to a dining area with timber double doors out to the back garden. Glass sliding doors separate this dining space from the kitchen, which has granite topped units. There are double doors from here to the garden; several roof lights in its pitched roof make the whole area bright.

There's also a small utility room. Upstairs are three bedrooms, one single and two doubles; the main en suite bedroom in the extended part of the house is large. There's also a small family bathroom. The back garden is just over 16 metres long with a pedestrian entrance. The house has two designated off-street parking spaces.