The cut-stone facade on 654 Whitechurch Road gives the Rathfarnham semi-D a rustic feel – and indeed, when it was built more than 100 years ago, the area, now a busy suburb, was very much in the country. This cottage, like its neighbours, was built for workers in nearby Marlay Park.
While the exterior – and location – might have been the immediate attraction for the owners who bought in 2016 (for €525,000), it was the interior, which presented almost like a new-build, that was the clincher. Nothing needed to be done – the house had been stripped back to the front wall, rebuilt entirely and its footprint doubled to 130.7sq m (1,407sq ft).
The entrance has been moved to the side, where a modern hall door opens into a small hall. There are three bedrooms, all doubles, one en suite – all in the original part of the house – while the living space is to the rear, in the extended area built across the back. This large room is home to the open-plan kitchen, dining and living area – the sofa faces a wood-burning stove, a cosy furniture arrangement a new owner will probably follow. Three large Velux rooflights bring light in and the windows and doors out to the patio are glazed. The kitchen style is country with painted timber units, quartz worktop and a Belfast sink. A peninsula gives plenty of work surfaces and storage and doubles as an informal breakfast bar, with two high stools for perching. Off the kitchen is a small utility and there is a guest WC off the hall.
One of the bedrooms is currently used as a home office – a familiar scenario – but there also is a purpose-built home working space (the musical instruments in evidence suggest it’s been more of a studio than an office) in a smart-looking Shomera in the garden.
The rear 10m-long garden, laid out for low maintenance with a small lawn area and a fringe of well-planted raised beds, is west facing. There is off-street parking for several cars – the original gates have been removed and the entrance widened for easy access from what can be a busy road.
Just five years after it last sold, No 654 Whitechurch Road is again on the market, through Sherry FitzGerald seeking €650,000.
