Cool makeover on Merton for €1.075m

Number 34 Merton Drive in Ranelagh was purchased in 2012 for €445,000 when it was a cold dark house in need of serious renovation.

The current owners, Amy Faulkner and Ben Harris, completely restored the house, converting the garage, opening up the attic and adding an extension to the rear.

That work saw the floor space increase by 30 per cent to a spacious 170sq m.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 4

In addition, the BER rose from a previous chilly F to its current energy efficient rating of C1.

Cook’s kitchen

OC architects in Ranelagh designed the double-height extension to the rear with extensive floor-to-ceiling glazing, which in addition to flooding the room with light, also gives the impression that the space is larger than it actually is.

The eat-in kitchen has room for a large, comfortable seating area.

The striking focal point in the room is a copper-topped Wedgewood blue island. There’s a six-door Aga with a four-ring gas hob plus two warming rings, there is the feeling that serious cooks call this space home.

And they do. Harris, through his company Adaptics, has created an interactive recipe platform called Drop – where an iPad or iPhone is connected to a wireless weighing scales, where a cook can switch between units but more importantly the app will adjust measurements if you are low on an ingredient.

The open-plan extension also includes a living space splashed with strong colours and a small fire hearth. The use of reclaimed brick along a wall creates a dramatic contrast to the ultra-modern glazed walls to the rear of the room which opens out onto the garden – which is in need of some planting. To the front is a formal livingroom which is a bit of a let-down compared to the cool funky space to the rear of the house. It feels as if it has never been used and needs some furnishing to bring the room in line with the rest of the property.

Quirky

Upstairs are four bedrooms, three of which are on the first floor and a fourth, which is en suite, in the attic conversion.

The décor, apart from the living room to the front, is bold and quirky with splashes of colour – the downstairs loo has wallpaper which is a collage of iconic Penguin paperbacks.

The semi-detached house is for sale though Beirne & Wise with an asking price of €1.075 million.

Nearby, number 12, a 125sq m house, albeit with a larger garden, in need of complete refurbishment and upgrading is asking €895,000 through Sherry FitzGerald.