Secret surprise in house with lots of bottle

RANELAGH: €1.4M:THE LAST time the three-storey Edwardian house at 85 Ashfield Road changed hands it was in very different condition.

That was nearly four years ago and the redbrick house, which is at the Ranelagh Road end of Ashfield, was in pretty much original condition. The new owner, who has experience refurbishing and renovating period houses, took on the job with gusto and style and the result is a ready-to-walk-into four-bed with a large family kitchen.

She kept as many original features as possible, polishing floorboards and reconditioning fireplaces and changed the layout to allow for a large family bathroom, a utility room, an en suite main bedroom and an extended kitchen. The 180sq m (1,937sq ft) house is now for sale through Lisney for €1.4 million.

Downstairs there are two interconnecting reception rooms, the front with a small box bay topped with the original pink-stained glass. This connects to the kitchen at the back of the house via a small glass-roofed lobby.

The extended kitchen and adjoining utility room have been fitted with modern white units topped with granite and floored with oak.

There is space here for a large dining table and a sofa, making it the sort of kitchen that appeals to a growing family.

Glazed concertina doors run the width of the back of this area and open out into a small, well-planted patio area.

The most unusual feature in the kitchen is hidden. A large trapdoor in the floor opens to reveal a bespoke wine cellar designed around a concrete staircase with the capacity to hold 1,600 bottles.

Upstairs there are three double bedrooms and single which is currently used as a home office.

The owner was keen to maximise the house's storage and this room features a wall bed which can be quickly pulled down transform the office into a single bedroom.

The large main bathroom, created out of two smaller rooms on the first floor return, is a mix of old and new with a rolltop free-standing bath as well as a modern shower unit.

The main bedroom is at the top of the house where the entire space was reconfigured. It was originally two bedrooms but is now one large bedroom with a similar-sized en suite with freestanding shower and his and hers basins.

All bedrooms have been fitted with wardrobes, the kitchen comes complete with top end appliances and the colour scheme suits the house perfectly. New owners won't have to do a thing. .

85 Ashfield Road, Ranelagh, Dublin 6

Refurbished four-bedroom house with spacious ea--in kitchen and underground cellar

Agent: Lisney