Familiar to generations living locally, Bennett’s Bakery shop on Blackrock’s main street garnered a huge amount of attention when it first came to market in 2021 with an AMV of €375,000.
It had no heating of any sort, nor was there a screed of insulation. It needed rewiring, replumbing, new windows and a bathroom. Its conversion needed a knowledgeable approach.
It first sold to an Irish person overseas, who then realised that the project was too large to undertake from afar, according to the selling agent DNG.
The 68sq m (732sq ft) property went back on the market, and it was at this stage a retiree living on his own in a four-bedroom semi off Mount Merrion Avenue spotted it. He was looking to trade down.
A building engineer, with the knowledge and experience to tackle the job, the new owner also had a bulging contacts book of talented tradesmen to execute the refurbishment.
“I had considered downsizing to an apartment but couldn’t find anything nice,” he says. “It (the bakery) was so central. I knew I could get a second space in for the grandchildren to come and stay.”
He was also, as he says, “looking for a bit of wow factor”.
And he has found it in spades here; that is, after the serious renovation works.
He paid €470,00 for the former bakery in May 2022, according to the property price register, and ploughed in about the same amount again to do it up.
The Bennett’s signage remains, but the grey concrete render is gone. Its warm red brick facade is now expertly repointed.
Before and after the renovation
Inside, the result is a warm and toasty abode, with everything the village of Blackrock has to offer on his doorstep.
He is in the heart of the action, surrounded by 34 coffee shops, restaurants, bars and cafes, according to his count, rather than being on his own in a semi in suburbia.
“By making the move I have freed up a family home,” he says.
The one-way glass in the front room window allows him to watch what is going on outside without being seen.
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“Being able to look out and watch the world go by is a beautiful experience,” he says.
The odd passerby, however, remains intrigued enough to literally cup their hands against the glass to try to peer in. “I think they think it’s a shop,” he says. It’s happened enough times that he is now considering putting a discreet sign up to say it is a private residence.
And intriguing it is. He rejigged the layout in favour of an open-plan approach downstairs. Large format porcelain tiles are warmed by underfloor heating. He doesn’t have a Ber for the building, but says the insulation levels in the walls, floor and ceilings are high. The heating is gas, which he puts on for two hours in the morning and he doesn’t need to switch it on again. An electric flame-effect fire from Buckley’s Fireplaces brings in visual warmth. There’s a bathroom on each floor.
It’s a man cave with some retiree add-ons. Marine blue is used on bespoke shelving, the window box that surrounds the triple-glazing and on the full-height cabinet doors that conceal kitchen units to the rear of the room.
There’s bold floral wallpaper on two of the walls with a double height mirror wall reflecting the room into antiqued mirror-back shelving.
A transparent glass spiral staircase, which feels a lot more solid underfoot than it looks, climbs up through the floors. He first spotted this design at a building exhibition.
The space is youthful and fun and very much suited to his personality. He’s a ‘why not?’ kind of guy.
But he’s also future-proofed it. “Being able to put a lift in was important,” he says, for he has a bad knee.
So, adjacent to the stairs is a pod housing a pneumatic vacuum lift that can transport him to the principal bedroom above, and on up to the attic space on the second floor in a jiffy.
It’s an innovative self-supporting structure that requires no excavation to accommodate it or the hoist way and machine room that help it function. Installation is directly on to the existing floor. In the case of a power cut, the moving car automatically descends to the lowest level. He says it cost about €50,000 to import and install and he has it serviced twice a year.
While the interior is bold and contemporary, homage is paid to the property’s Victorian origins. The most obvious example is the very decorative cornice, actually three different cornices layered together, supplied by The Old Mould Company, with recessed strip lighting to the rear. It was inspired by a hotel visit.
Living over the shop or in a converted shop is a way of life on mainland Europe. Here, it could help repopulate our town and village centres. This is a good thing; however, the conversion work takes time and money.
This restoration should become a model for shops and buildings lying derelict in towns and villages across the country. If restored, they could accommodate many homeowners
We need mavericks willing to spend both to demonstrate the different ways it can be done. There are lots of people willing to give it a go, but finding the pockets deep enough to execute the dream is more difficult.
Would he recommend it as an option to others trading down? In a word, yes.
“I was able to do it because it was my job, but for ordinary buyers you need architects and engineers, adding to costs,” he says.
Fire regulations also need to be considered. “I was okay as I had a rear access.”
But the upside far outweighs the difficulties. “The main benefit is location,” he says. “You’re in the heart of it once you go out your front door, with shops and restaurants all around.
“This restoration should become a model for shops and buildings lying derelict in towns and villages across the country. If restored, they could accommodate many homeowners.”
From a shop to a home
As a route to home ownership, acquiring a building that was formerly in commercial use is one that appeals to those looking for something a little different – but oftentimes, the properties need a lot of work.
The key issue is access to adequate funds to purchase the property and do the work.
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“The problem for home hunters hoping to buy a commercial property that you want to use for residential is that the bank won’t lend to you,” Orla McMorrow, deputy chief executive of the DNG Group, the agency that sold the bakery property, explains. “It won’t issue a residential mortgage.”
As such, vendors of such properties should go for change of use planning permission before bringing the property to the market, she says. “Otherwise, you will restrict your buyer profile to cash buyers.”
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