€455k and €525k: extended Monkstown and Crumlin homes

Oliver Plunkett Road, a throughway that connects Deansgrange to Monkstown has everything on its doorstep, a row of shops including a post office, good public transport and lots of school options nearby. Number 112 also has the advantage of being a really well-realised example of how to successfully extend a small terraced house.

The owner, architect Michael Lamb of Ryan & Lamb Architects, bought the property 10 years ago paying €450,000 for it at the top of the market when it measured about 80sq m (860sq ft). Compared to the refurbished house next door which sold at about the same time for €635,000, it didn’t seem excessive.

Now measuring 115sq m (1,237sq ft) this is a well thought out family home. It was launched to the market in recent days with an asking price of €395,000, and agents DNG say there is currently a bid on at €455,000.

Before the family moved in, they did a single-storey extension to the rear that wraps around the original kitchen in an L-shape accommodating separate dining and living areas. Both have large picture windows and window seats with built- in drawer storage underneath. While not in a position to add a second-storey extension then, Lamb built in the structures so that it could be easily added later.

Cramped bathroom

Glazed double doors lead from the family area through to the original sitting room where there is an open fire and a smart cast iron surround. The cramped bathroom downstairs was the only one in the house but the next owner might consider replacing the bath with a shower to free up some floor space.

Instead of adding a fourth bedroom Lamb opted to install a good size family bathroom in one of the original bedrooms, extending the landing to house a roomy study area and ensuring that all three bedrooms have decent storage.

The installation of a light shaft washes the centre of the house in daylight and makes the study area a real boon. Light from the well pours down onto the kitchen counter that divides it from the dining area, balancing out light that was lost when they had to remove the original roof light to build the two bedrooms to the rear. Two solar tubes, set between the dining and living areas further compensate for this loss of light.

Wardrobe space

All three bedrooms have decent wardrobe space with smart internals like wire drawers and double hanging racks. The Ikea designs were customised by Peter Nyhan who added bookshelves and also did all the cabinetry and shelving in the office area and in the bathroom.

There is a small north-facing garden to the rear that has been laid out in artificial grass and has a raised timber deck. There is off-street parking for one car.

Next door, number 114 recently sold. An executor sale in need of modernisation, it sold for €327,000 through Downey.

On view: Sat 11th March between 1.00 - 1.30PM  

Step up to Iveagh league with Crumlin home

Three-bed two-storey red brick in Iveagh Gardens has been extended to 128m sq

Iveagh Gardens is a Crampton-built estate of two-storey redbricks built by the Guinness family as workers’ homes. Secreted off Crumlin Road in Dublin 12, this development has a very English feel in its prettiness, with mature trees lining the street and black-painted, railed fences delineating the gardens and communal spaces.

The owners of number 98 hadn’t known the development existed until they were tipped off by an estate agent, but they had made their minds up before they even crossed the threshold in 2001. Back then the semidetached three-bedroom property was only 80sq m (863sq ft) in size. The owners installed uPvc sash windows and extended the property in 2006, adding a sizeable open-plan kitchen-living-dining area to the rear with 3.3m-high (11ft) ceilings overlooking the rear garden, which is 22m (75ft) long and faces west. They also reinstated a fireplace in the sitting room, a space to which they love to retire as a family in the evenings.

The house is now 128sq m (1,378sq ft). It has all the add-ons a family wants: a good-sized, naturally-lit utility room; a large family bathroom downstairs; and a separate dual-aspect playroom or study to the front of the house. There is a cloakroom with room for more storage under the stairs.

Three bedrooms

Upstairs there are still three bedrooms, with two small doubles currently set up with single beds for the two children – both were born in the house in a birthing pool in a kitchen still under construction at the time. In fact, the owner, Aidan Crawley, recalls a cement mixer in the corner of the room when his wife, Emma Walls, gave birth to their eldest child, Bill, now aged 10.

The master bedroom is the depth of the house and has dual-aspect windows and boasts a lovely view down the tree-lined entrance to the estate. In terms of additional scope the attic could be converted and the foundations have already been laid to build a second-storey extension. There is off-street parking for up to three cars.

The property’s asking price is €525,000, through agents DNG. Recent sales in Iveagh Gardens, according to the property price register, include number 103, which sold last July for €446,000 and number 50, which sold in March 2015 for €345,000.

Close to town, with a row of shops at the end of the street, the house is adjacent to a shed belonging to the Iveagh Trust which uses it to store trestle tables and other paraphernalia they use for Iveagh Gardens’ annual street party. They also hold an egg hunt at Easter, a summer barbecue, a fancy-dress party at Halloween and an annual visit from Santa to the housing estate.

On view: Sat 11th March between 1:30pm - 2:00pm