Two-bed home with investor and occupier appeal

This large two-bedroom apartment is an unusual property, created 25 years ago when its owner divided the period house he’d acquired into two apartments.

Westbourne House, built in the early 1800s just off Rathfarnham Road, is a big square-shaped property, and just half of it is still 110sq m (1,190sq ft) of floor space.

The apartment, number two Westbourne Road, is for sale by private treaty for €495,000 through DNG. Its location is close to the junction with Dodder Park Road and a short walk to Terenure village.

The entrance is at the back of the original house, near the start of a small cul-de-sac of 1930s houses. The front door opens into a small, high-ceilinged hall. To the right is by far the biggest room in the apartment, a large, long livingroom painted deep red. It has wide-plank timber floors, a large black marble fireplace and room for lots of period furniture – two sideboards are swallowed up by the room. There are two attractive alcove bookcases at one end. At both ends of the livingroom, new double-glazed sash windows in the original style were added in 2007.

Basement

The current owner, who as a child helped his father renovate the property, has insulated the attic and replaced windows, but the apartment needs redecorating.

There’s a modest-sized pine kitchen off the livingroom. A small basement area down a flight of steps from the kitchen provides room for a washer and dryer.

A steep flight of about 15 stairs leads from the front hall to a bright upstairs landing, off which are two medium-sized double bedrooms, both with new sash windows and shutters, and the family bathroom. The main bedroom has a small en suite shower-room.

There is no garden and just one parking space.