Easy to maintain terraced redbrick

Ranelagh:  A foothold in Ranelagh doesn't come cheap these days with even the smallest cottages in the area selling for several hundred thousand euro.Take this cute terraced two-storey redbrick at 2 Chelmsford Avenue, off Chelmsford Road on the fringes of Ranelagh.

It has space for a couple or a small family, with a total floor area of 84 sq m (900 sq ft), but it will also appeal to well-off singletons who want a house that's ready to walk in to and easy to maintain.

It is due to be auctioned by Sherry FitzGerald on February 25th with selling agent Christopher Bradley quoting a guide price of €575,000.

The bonus with this house is the back garden which meanders away from the house for about 60 ft, and is facing the right way to catch the afternoon sun.

A pebbled path zigzags down to the end of the garden where there is pedestrian access to a laneway.

Inside, the 1870s house has a surprising layout with the main living space upstairs, and the bedrooms on the lower floor.

Not many of its original features remain. Instead, the upper floor has been opened out to create a big, bright open-plan living-cum- diningroom-cum-kitchen with patio doors leading from the dining area to a big terrace.

The timber-clad ceiling soars into the roof space and a whitewashed brick wall houses a modern raised fireplace.

A spiral staircase leads downstairs where the rooms and hallway are floored in Junckers oak. The main bedroom is a rich red room with a sliding door opening onto the garden.

The drama continues into the en suite bathroom which has a big antique-style free-standing bath.