Architects' restored redbrick with 'garden escape'

MONKSTOWN: €1.275M:JOHN AND Francesca Ryan, a husband and wife architect team, are selling their family-friendly, four-bedroom Edwardian house at 4 Belgrave Road in Monkstown, close to Seapoint Avenue.

The bay-fronted redbrick has been refurbished by the couple, whose company, Camilleri-Preziosi Ryan, specialises in remodelling period houses. The property is testament to their talents: its original elegance is intact while discreet updates have made the interior more contemporary.

There are period features aplenty; art nouveau stain glass panels in the front door, cornicing, sash windows and original fireplaces in reception rooms and in the bedrooms. And all the original doors have been stripped and dipped.

The mid-terrace house has 223sq m (2,400sq ft) of space, an attic conversion and a garden room. The property has an asking price of €1.275 million through agent Sherry FitzGerald in Dún Laoghaire.

The two reception rooms interconnect; the sittingroom is framed by the bay window while sliding doors open up the back room.

The couple repositioned the guest bathroom, moving it from under the stairs to create a wall of storage, with plenty of room for utilities.

A new and sleek guest bathroom with a limestone floor is opposite the storage, adjacent to the back door.

“If you plan to do up your house in stages it’s vital to get the plumbing right from the outset,” says Francesca.

The couple also zoned the heating in the house, creating three separate areas, which helps contain heat loss.

Thanks to the extensive use of storage in the hall, the kitchen is simple and uncluttered with wood countertops. Again, there is a bank of storage for crockery and dry goods. Double doors open into the west-facing garden, which has a limestone patio and vegetable boxes.

In lieu of a large extension the couple built a freestanding garden room at the end of the garden. It offers teenagers or tweens over 10sq m (110sq ft) of space to call their own.

“We wanted to give our two boys a play room that could also have other uses,” says John.

This is a fantastic addition to any home – offering kids their first taste of independence but still under the familial roof. The room would also work as a home office.

When installing their “garden escape” design, the couple covered an area of the exterior. It’s perfect for drying clothing and doubles as bike storage – and pedestrian rear access dispenses with the problem of dragging bikes through the house. The house shares a rear gated laneway with two other properties.

Upstairs, on the first-floor return there is a good-sized double to the rear as well as a family bathroom. Adjacent to it is a shower room, helpful when trying to get everyone washed in the weekday morning rush.

On the first floor there are three bedrooms: a spacious double, a box room single and the main bedroom, which has sea views across to Howth Head. The sea is visible from the bed too – this writer lay on the bed to check.

The owners converted their attic into a smart home office. There is plenty of ceiling height and great light. A solid oak staircase leads up to it and to a shower room.

The house is a three-minute walk to the Dart station. Blackrock village is less than 10 minutes away on foot.