Big grounds for a major project

The last time 1 Grosvenor Place in Rathmines changed hands was more than four decades ago and the buyers didn’t even go inside. They stood outside, liked the look of the two-storey over garden-level Victorian house, put in an offer and bought it. They were amazed to discover that the house was in three units, one apartment on each floor. As they were retired at the time but with grown-up children still living with them, they moved in, took over more of the house but left an apartment in part of the basement area. The 344sq m (3,700sq ft) house is now being sold by DNG with an asking price of €2 million.

Old chestnut tree

The detached house is different in several ways from many of its Dublin 6 neighbours. It’s on a quarter-of-an-acre site and that’s obvious from the wide front garden dominated by a spectacular old chestnut tree; at the rear the garden is narrower but stretches down to a two-car garage. A lovely and unusual feature is the original Victorian conservatory to the side – accessed from the front of the house by a cast-iron staircase and from inside via a highly decorative door in the front livingroom.

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Two rooms that new owners will leave pretty much as they find them are the two fine interconnecting reception rooms on the left side of the hall. Their original features include tall sash windows in the deep front bay, sliding doors, fine marble fireplaces and decorative plasterwork – these rooms are grand in terms of proportions. On the other side of the hall is a third reception room with that door into the conservatory.

Patience and budget

New owners will need the patience and budget for a significant renovation and be able to cope with the planning demands of working on a house that is a protected structure. The basement and the top floor will need to be completely renovated with their rooms reconfigured. The five bedrooms may become four when the partitions, a legacy of the flatland days, come down.

The kitchen in the current layout is in the basement at the rear and relatively small, so that might need some thought. Hopefully, as it’s such a pretty feature, the conservatory, which is in poor repair, will be brought back.

The current owners have been happy to park in the garage at the rear but at this price range new owners will want to drive in at the front and will likely apply for planning permission for a driveway.