Edwardian family home in Dublin 6

When the owners of 4 Palmerston Gardens moved in nearly 40 years ago, the house was in fair condition but needed general updating and a peculiar single-storey extension at the rear had to be knocked. They did all that at the time and the semi-detached house on the quiet Rathmines road that links Cowper Road with Palmerston Park dates from 1908 and is a typical large Edwardian family home. It has five bedrooms and 214sq m and it is for sale through Sherry FitzGerald for €1.595 million.

The nearest comparison in terms of price is, handily enough, next door. It sold in late 2013 for €1.3 million, a strong price as it needed a top-to-bottom renovation and the owners have done just that as well as adding on a very smart kitchen extension at the back and going up into the attic.

While number 4 does not need that extensive a renovation – the couple who live here, and who are downsizing, have made a very comfortable family home – it’s likely that whoever buys now will look to what next door has done and aim to do something similar.

There are five bedrooms, three doubles and two large singles. The owners installed a small ensuite into the main bedroom at the front of the house. There’s also a small bathroom and separate toilet, and thanks to a good-sized landing and the high ceilings upstairs there is a feeling of space.

Downstairs off the spacious and bright hall – one of its nicest features is the custom-designed stained-glass window installed by the current owners – are two interconnecting reception rooms. At some point an extension was built across the rear to provide a diningroom that opens through glazed doors, directly from the rear reception room. It also opens, via patio doors, into the back garden. Also at the rear is a family room. The kitchen is small and opens into that family room. This entire area is ripe for a rethink; knocking through the two rear rooms would create a large eat-in kitchen while the existing kitchen could easily become a utility room.

The back garden, bordered by shrubs and trees, is 23m long. There is also a side entrance opening into a covered passage. There is off-street parking to the front for a couple of cars.