It's not just location, location, location but redbricks, redbricks, redbricks that excite property buyers. Rose Doyle looks at a detached home needing refurbishment on Temple Villas in Rathmines, while Joyce Hickey visits two in Ranelagh.

Palmerstown Rd  €3.5m: Redbrick, detached and impressively dignified, number 9 Temple Villas, Palmerston Road, Rathmines, Dublin, 6, looks every inch the important Victorian home it was meant to be when it was built in the 1860s.

One of very few detached houses on Temple Villas, it is high and double fronted, has granite detail on the façade and granite steps to the front door. Railings, hedging and a conifer or two add to the sense of period.

It is for sale through Douglas Newman Good which is quoting a guide of €3.5 million in advance of its November 24th auction date. Houses in Temple Villas do not come cheap: number 12 Temple Villas, which is semi-detached, sold in recent weeks for €4m.

Inside, the grandeur has faded but with care and enthusiasm, could be restored. Many original period features are intact. Dado rails, some coving, panelled internal doors, a number of picture rails, sash windows to the front and bannisters are all waiting to come into their own.

Legend has it that the patriot Thomas McDonagh lived here at one time. In the hands of religous for the best part of a century, number 12 has been cared for but has had many rooms divided to make for separate sleeping and living spaces.

This is most obvious to the rear where a kitchen-cum-breakfastroom has a ceramic tiled floor and double sink by a window over the rear garden.

A hatch opens into the diningroom. Off the kitchen there is a shower with toilet and wash-hand basin, a room in use as a study/library and, to the side, a galley-style utility room. The high-ceilinged diningroom has a dado rail and window over the rear garden.

Steps descending from the entrance hallway, which also has a notably high ceiling, lead to two bedrooms with windows overlooking the back garden.

A livingroom to the front of the entrance hallway has an easily removed partition, centre rose and pair of long windows to the front. The partitioned-off section is in use as an office.

Across the hallway there is a second livingroom with picture rail, coving, large bay window and an original marble fireplace.

Upstairs, off the first floor return, there are two further bedrooms with windows over the rear garden; both have wash-hand basins. A high-ceilinged bathroom has greyish tiling on the walls, a bath, toilet, wash hand basin and heated towel rail.

There are five bedrooms off the first floor landing, the result of rooms having been divided. One of these has an impressive bay window. A skylight pours light onto the landing.

On the second floor return there are two further bedrooms, both attic in style and with windows over the rear garden; one has built-in wardrobes.

The back garden has a slabbed patio area and a lawn made private by high trees, granite walls and hedging. There is a block-built shed, pathways and a storage shed. To the front there is off-street parking for several cars.

Merton Drive: €975,000: Merton Drive in Ranelagh, Dublin 6, is a pleasant 1930s road with solid semi-detached houses. Number 3, a four-bed with 135 sq m (1,458 sq ft) and three reception rooms, enjoys a quiet location in the short cul-de-sac at the top, backing on to the grounds of Gonzaga College.

HOK Residential is quoting a guide of €975,000 prior to auction on November 17th.

The front door, with its original stained glass, opens into a wide, generous hall. To the left is a kitchen-cum-breakfastroom, with wooden units and off this is a utility room that leads out to the back garden. There is scope here for further extension, perhaps two-storey, subject to planning. Directly in front of the hall door is a cosy sittingroom with a shower room off it and to the right of the hall are two formal reception rooms divided by sliding doors.

The diningroom has a French door out to the very private rear garden, which has been beautifully landscaped. A deck in the corner gets the evening sun.

Upstairs are four bedrooms; a large double with fitted wardrobes at the front, two smaller doubles and a single. The bathroom has a cast-iron bath with electric shower over, and the toilet is separate. There is off-street parking at the front, and a side entrance. The house is well-maintained, and while the decor needs updating, details such as the Art Deco door handles and the stained glass inserts add to its character.

Moyne Road €995,000: The bustling shops at Dunville Avenue in Ranelagh, Dublin 6, might be a draw for many househunters but are only one of the attractions of 41 Moyne Road, which is just around the corner from the famed Morton's supermarket.

The three-bed house is scheduled for auction on November 17th, with Sherry FitzGerald quoting a guide price of €995,000.

The house, one of a row of terraced redbricks, has 168 sq m (1,807 sq ft) of well-appointed living space which has been upgraded recently so new owners will not have to worry about wiring, plumbing or any of the jobs that usually come with such a purchase.

The front garden is gravelled and retains the original chequered tiled path, which leads to the sombre blue door. The tall hall has simple plasterwork and a new oak floor, which continues into two gracious reception rooms on the left. Both have pretty ceiling roses and matching black reproduction fireplaces.

Three wooden steps lead down, past some cleverly concealed storage and a hot press, to the airy kitchen/breakfastroom which was extended by the previous owner, a builder, and has plenty of units and a terracotta floor.

Off this is a nicely fitted bathroom, with wood panelling. A glass door leads out to the rear garden, which has been landscaped with decking and gravel on two levels. At the end is a solid shed with a roller shutter door to the lane that runs along the back of the houses, parallel to the Luas line.

Upstairs, in the return, are a pumpkin-painted bathroom with an extra-deep Jacuzzi bath and a single bedroom with sloping ceilings lending a cosy feel. Two further bedrooms are up a short flight of stairs: one, a good double, overlooks the back garden and has an original fireplace; the huge main bedroom is at the front and has two tall windows and a bank of sleek fitted wardrobes.

The attic has been converted for home office use and while the whole house exudes an air of calm, this is a real retreat. Plenty of valuable working time could be spent, chin on Velux-sill, identifying city landmarks and even the occasional "ding ding" of the passing tram doesn't impinge on the peace.