Extreme makeover for a northside redbrick

Dublin 3/€1.2m: An interior designer bought this house just four months ago. Now extended, restored and modernised, it's back on the market. Alanna Gallagher reports.

Interior designer Alison Cowzer bought a charming Victorian terraced house needing refurbishment at the Drumcondra end of Clonliffe Road four months ago for €765,000.

Now, after an extreme makeover, the 184sq m (1,980sq ft) four-bedroom property will be sold at auction through Lisney on October 26th, with an AMV of €1.2 million.

The makeover included gutting the interior, restoring period features and adding 37sq m (400sq ft) of living space.

The handsome front reception room is a cool duck-egg blue in colour and has retained all its original period features including the retouched marble fireplace.

The addition of a 37sq m (400sq ft) extension to the rear has opened up the kitchen-cum- living area into one big, bright space with glossy built-in units, an island, and dining and living areas floored with matt porcelain tiles.

This can be accessed directly from the hall or via a diningroom, which could also be used as a separate television or family room. Under the stairs is a roomy toilet which is plumbed for both washing machine and dryer.

Double doors lead directly from the kitchen onto the west-facing patio area. The garden has rear vehicle access from nearby St Joseph's Avenue.

Upstairs on the return is the main bathroom, with Jacuzzi bath and separate shower and glazed tiles throughout. There's also a double bedroom or study here.

The main bedroom encompasses the entire first floor and has a bay window, fireplace and cornicing as well as 13ft high ceilings and an en suite bathroom.

The bathroom is accessed via a small set of stairs and is on a level above the bed - but noise-phobes needn't have any cause for concern, as the almost silent toilet flush won't disturb sleepers. There are a further two bedrooms, a double and a single, on the first floor.

After its style surgery, the 1880s house is in plumped-up and pristine condition and looks 100 years younger. However, very little storage has been factored into its new look and that's something the new owners will want to address.