Trademark Strain for €585,000

The owners of 129 Philipsburgh Avenue didn't intend moving on so quickly – it's less than four years since they bought the Victorian terraced redbrick in Fairview, Dublin 3. But circumstances change and now, two babies later, the young couple have decided to move closer to their families, and the house is for sale through Owen Reilly for €585,000.

The three-bed with attic conversion was in good condition when they bought in 2011 (they paid €502,000), but they immediately embarked on an upgrading and extension programme that lasted the best part of a year. The most noticeable difference is the large new L-shaped kitchen extension that opens directly off the rear reception room. It’s a fine space with a dining area at one end with a wood burning stove in the new fireplace which is made of reclaimed brick.

High spec

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There’s an island unit in the middle and the solid wood cupboards along one wall are country-style Chalon, a sign of the high spec that went into the house. By incorporating a side passage into the new extension they were able to install a series of roof lights, bringing more natural light into this large space.

The reconfiguring of the layout at the rear let them change what had been the kitchen into the first of the house’s two bathrooms. This attractively fitted-out room has a new stone-tiled floor and is large enough for a free-standing bath and a cast iron fireplace in an exposed brick chimney breast.

The house is Strain-built, with some of that builder’s trademark features, including stained glass in the front door and marble fireplaces in the interconnecting reception rooms. In most rooms the original floorboards have been stripped and stained and there are sash windows throughout.

Upstairs there are three bedrooms, one small and two doubles. The second bathroom is a fully tiled, contemporary styled wetroom. At the top of the house, accessed by a tall spiral staircase, is an attic room with an en suite.

There is pedestrian access at the rear. Parking is on-street to the front.