Designer garden a bonus in Drumcondra

Achill Road is one of the satellite streets off Drumcondra's Home Farm Road. The cul de sac has a mix of housing stock. Number 11 is a fine-looking redbrick house built by Alexander Strain and possesses all the typical period features of this master builder.

The reception rooms are a rich sand colour, and the fine living room has a bay windowretaining its original leaded glass panels and a fine marble fireplace with a patterned tiled inset. The doors that would have connected it to the formal dining room have been removed to open up the two rooms. It also features its original fireplace.

The return has been extended and houses the eat-in kitchen. Painted a lime green, it has a side door leading out to the west-facing back garden. Much more could be made of this room as it overlooks a mature but easy to manage rear area that has been paved in warm red sandstone slabs. By reconfiguring the space and installing glass doors accessing the garden a lot more light could flood into this really well-appointed room.

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The garden was designed by landscaper Mary Reynolds, gold medal winner at the 2002 Chelsea Flower Show, and is done in a very natural style that has aged well and in this instance looks abundant even in winter. Reynolds is the subject of a film, Dare to Be Wild, by Vivienne de Courcy, that focuses on her journey to Chelsea. It was launched at the Jameson Film Festival this year and is on general release in 2016.

One of the property’s three bedrooms is on the hall return and is decorated in a very traditional fashion. The same classic decor is visible in the other two doubles. The master, which spans the width of the house, is at the front and gets the morning sun. Painted a soothing eau de nil colour it is a very restful room.

The house, which has a D2 BER rating and measures 124sq m (1,334sq ft), has just one bathroom on the hall return. Parking is on street.

Inshalah, 27 Achill Road, is another Strain-built three-bed semi measuring 128sq m (1,378sq ft) with an F BER rating. Situated on the same side of the street as number 11 it is also asking €625,000 through Paul Tobin Estates. In May 2012 number 10 Achill Road sold for €445,000, according to the Property Price Register.