Residents of Lennox Place in Portobello seem to have the best of both worlds. The quiet road runs perpendicular to the Grand Canal, a perfect starting point for walks, and if you keep going you’ll end up at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre at Grand Canal Dock for events of all kinds. It’s around the corner from Camden Street, a hub of nightlife, with enough restaurants, pubs and venues to satisfy all cuisines and musical preferences. You could quite easily live here without a car, with so much within walking distance and the Luas and bus corridor nearby.
But what most residents on this street talk about is the sense of community: “The age on our street goes from two months to 92 years, and that’s our great neighbour who looks out for everyone, taking postal packages for those of us at work. The sense of community is so strong some of the neighbours even went on holiday together this year,” say the owners of number 14, who purchased their 56sq m (603sq ft) home in 2017 for €406,000, according to the Property Price Register.
After buying the house they undertook some works in the form of upgrading all plumbing and electrical systems, insulating the floors and ceiling (though the house has a Ber of E1, which new owners will want to address). This was done in conjunction with upgrading the kitchen – now with smart copper hardware and a new countertop. In addition to a new shower, a new boiler was installed, and it now sits in a storage unit along with the water tank in the west-facing courtyard to the rear.
[ What are the pros and cons of buying a house with a friend?Opens in new window ]
[ Dalkey three-bed cleverly renovated and ready to extend for €875,000Opens in new window ]
Downstairs, an open-plan living/diningroom has polished original floors and is warmed by an open fire and beyond lies a galley kitchen that opens to the courtyard.
Rate of home mortgages over 90 days in arrears falls to lowest in 15 years
Greystar buys Dublin student housing scheme for around €150m
Typical price paid for home by first-time buyer up €88,000 on five years ago
Housing in Ireland is among the most expensive and most affordable in the EU. How does that happen?
There is a bathroom at garden level and a feature wall of glass blocks that keeps the room flooded with light.
The property has two bedrooms: a double facing the front of the property and a single room to the rear. With a growing family, the owners are moving on as they need more space, placing this two-bed on the market through Sherry Fitzgerald, seeking €495,000.
They are not going far, though, and hope to stay in the neighbourhood as they work nearby and love the area. It also has lots of bijoux eateries such as Bibi’s, 31 Lennox, Richmond and one of the oldest artisan bakeries in the capital, the Bretzel Bakery, which is a hop, skip and a jump away for fresh pastries at weekends.
