Smart Churchtown bungalow to suit both downsizers and families, for €1.25m

Flemingstown Park is an address that will tick a lot of boxes for both traders-down and those with a growing family. The cul-de-sac is situated off Churchtown Road Lower and is about a seven-minute walk to the Windy Arbour stop on the green Luas line and about a similar distance to the swish strip of shops and eateries on the Braemor Road, which include one of the city’s best SuperValu supermarkets and a branch of Elephant & Castle.

There are about 25 bungalows on the road, all built in the 1960s and in various states of modernisation. Number 13, a four-bed with about 111sq m (1,200sq ft) and needing complete modernisation, sold in January 2021 for €860,000, according to the Property Price Register, which also shows that Number 3 sold in 2019 for €1.15 million.

Number 14 is set on almost 0.2 of an acre of grounds and, while south-facing to the front, it also gets sun to the back because it is surrounded by low-lying homes and isn’t overshadowed.

The house has been in the same family since the 1980s and has been well maintained and upgraded since they first moved in.

The current layout will really suit traders-down, as there is more living space than accommodation, but the existing floor plan could also be reconfigured for family life.

Extending to 198sq m (2,131sq ft) this sizeable home includes an attic room used as a bedroom and adjoining shower room, which amounts to about 14sq m. It also has a C1 Ber, which is impressive for a property of its vintage.

The living areas are set to the front, where the large panes of glass in its box bay window wash the open-plan living- and diningroom in warming light.

Adjacent is an L-shaped kitchen, which is accessed via a set of glass doors. This is a dual-aspect space with glass doors opening out to the back garden.

The accommodation is on the other side of the hall. The main bedroom is opposite the family bathroom, a big space that was originally a bedroom.

There is a family room at the end of the corridor that opens to the garden, and off it is an extension that was added in 1977.

It is here that the second bedroom is located. It too opens out to the garden and has a walk-through wardrobe space to an ensuite bathroom on one side and a home office that the current owners use as a dressingroom on the other.

This “wing” extends to 37sq m (398sq ft) and with some rejigging could be turned into two kids’ rooms with shared bathroom. It could also work as a space for an older parent to cohabit while enjoying a degree of autonomy and a separate livingroom.

The stairs leading up to the attic is located in the family room. At this level there is scope to convert the further 10m-long roof void into habitable space, subject to planning and an architect redrafting the roof height.

There is also scope to completely reimagine the property with a large second-storey extension. In an inflationary era this is subject to very deep pockets and being able to find the right contractors and architects, for many are already operating waiting lists.

The property is seeking €1.25 million through agents Beirne & Wise.