Double take in Dublin’s docklands with sauna and roof terrace for €645,000

What now stands at 40 Pembroke Cottages in Ringsend bears little resemblance to what its current owner purchased in 1999, or indeed to what it was when these cottages were first constructed for labourers by the Earl of Pembroke in 1893.

Having started out at 37sq m (398sq ft), this property had grown to 56sq m (600sq ft) by 1999. It has since more than doubled in size again and now extends to 126sq m (1,356sq ft), with four bedrooms and four bathrooms over two floors.

“It took five years to develop because of planning and construction issues. It was an unusual and technically difficult build, as everything underneath was sand. My dad knew someone in Hegarty Earthworks who advised on a floating foundation,” says the owner.

Back in 2005, when he started to develop the house, he was a 28-year-old, early on his career path. The decision to design the house so it could be easily split in two was taken as a form of financial security at the time. This was executed by the owner in conjunction with architect David Moran.

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It was a clever move. With the installation of a wall beside the spiral staircase, the new owner could effectively get two units, each having two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and living area in addition to an outdoor space for each – one with a garden, the other with a terrace on the first floor.

Or keep it as it is: a fine, well-lit two-storey house close to the Dublin docklands. The owner says the second kitchen upstairs has worked really well as a wine bar spot for parties.

It is bathed in light – especially in the kitchen/dining area on the ground floor – thanks to lots of glazing, both in the form of overhead Velux and full-height windows and doors.

A lovely feature of the house is its roof terrace. Decked, it has super views of comings and goings on the river Liffey: “It’s a fantastic spot. Besides the cruise ships and the boats going up and down the river, you are also looking over at the two tallest buildings in Dublin.”

Another feature is the Tylo sauna and a Vogue multi-jet shower cubicle that can keep you abreast of the morning news with its inbuilt radio. “I had a Finnish colleague at the time who recommended putting the sauna in, and those jets would have been unusual for showers when I first installed them. I did learn though that steel and steam do not mix at all, so the entire thing is properly ventilated the way it needs to be.”

Its location means you can walk to town, and parking is on street. The property also has the Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club on its doorstep – with 100-berth marina and new clubhouse after a €500,000 facelift. For walks, it’s hard to beat the South Wall of the Port of Dublin, which is one of the longest sea walls in Europe.

No 40 Pembroke Cottages, which has a Ber of D1, was last on the market in 2013, when it was seeking €560,000, but did not sell at the time. A decade later, it is now listed at €645,000 through Sherry FitzGerald.