The four-bedroom property occupying the corner site between Gilford Drive and Gilford Park, at 23 Gilford Park in Sandymount, bears little resemblance to what it was when it last sold – in 2013, for €865,000, according to the Property Price Register.
Back then it had a one-storey flat-roofed kitchen to the side and rear on a somewhat overgrown site. “I had some idea of what I would like back then: I knew I wanted lots of light, an open-plan layout and lots of storage, as I had lived in the US and had ideas from there. But only our architect [Liam Brennan of Extend Architects] could see the real potential as there were so many bushes and old walls around the place” says the owner.
Brennan underpinned the underneath of the property, to stabilise it, and designed two extensions: one to the side of the front door and one to the rear that now houses a kitchen and lounge in a bright open-plan space with lots of clever storage.
It is remarkable that the extension to the front is seamless and it appears as if this property has always been a double-fronted home. Removing the front porch and moving the door into the archway resulted in a larger hallway, which in turn allowed a new layout for the staircase.
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“For the build we used John Dignam and Sons, and they were just brilliant; so much so that any time I need something done I turn to them,” the owner says. To give them their due, the new pebble-dash and redbrick over and around the bay windows to the front are now so similar to the pre-war part that it is hard to tell where one starts and the other ends.
Inside it feels like a brand new home and essentially it is an old house in new clothing – but warm clothing, as the generous 251sq m (2,700sq ft) of floor space has an impressive Ber of B1.
Two reception rooms now flank the front hallway, one of which is currently used as an office. Upstairs are four bedrooms and the en suite principal and second bedroom occupy rooms with fine bay windows. On the top floor is a converted attic with a large space – currently used as a bedroom – along with a shower room and storage.
The kitchen and lounge extension is now the heart of the home and where the family spend most of their time. “Even when the kids are here with their friends they tend to gravitate towards the kitchen,” says the owner.
Large sliding doors from the high-gloss kitchen open out on to one of two back gardens (a second, smaller back garden is accessed from the lounge). Orientated east, and designed for low maintenance with AstroTurf and raised beds, colour is particularly good in autumn from a number of Acer palmatum. To the front is real lawn, with twin lollipop bay laurels, neat hedging and off-street parking for three to four cars.
Its location is much sought-after and everything is on the doorstep: “It is a really lovely community; my children all went to the local schools and now have friends for life.”
The owners have moved to a home they have in Kerry; and to have the best of both worlds, they are downsizing from their turnkey Dublin base in Sandymount, which is now on the market through Sherry FitzGerald seeking €2.1 million.
