Exciting potential in Dublin 4 and 6

Dublin 4 for €995,000 and Dublin 6 for €775,000: Get down and dirty to develop this Donnybrook residence or discover the inside track on transforming a Ranelagh Victorian, write ALANNA GALLAGHERand EMMA CULLINAN

172 Rathgar Road, Dublin 6

Description: Double-fronted five-bedroomed late Victorian with enormous back garden

Agent:Sherry FitzGerald

This double-fronted house with enormous back garden at 172 Rathgar Road, Dublin 6, has all the ingredients for a wonderful home: high ceilings, original plasterwork, multiple original fireplaces and other generous details and spaces typical of such late-1800s buildings in Dublin 6.

The five-bedroom house (with two apartments in the basement) last came on the market in the mid-1950s.

The Irish Times ran a photograph of the front at that time, which looks exactly as it is today: seven windows arranged around a front door – set between pilasters – that is reached via wide granite steps.

The house is now for sale at €775,000 through Sherry FitzGerald. It is an executor sale following the death of a woman who was part of the family that bought it in the 1950s.

Not a huge amount has been done to the house since then and there are still retro-reminders of that time, including Bakelite handles on the bedroom doors on the upper floor.

There are five bedrooms here, two on each side of the house, one front and one back – three with fireplaces intact. One has a metal vent in the wall going straight through to the exterior in a historical display of effective old technology. In the middle, over the front door, is what used to be known as – and still is – a box room.

At upper-ground level is a dual-aspect living room to the left of the front door, with original fireplace and sash window to the front. All of the back windows of the house have been replaced with PVC versions.

There is a small sitting room to the front on the right side and a large sitting room to the rear with wide-wooden floorboards. Beyond this is a fairly new kitchen and above it is a bathroom, both functional but in brown/beige mainly synthetic materials that new owners will probably itch to clear out.

The 120ft garden is just beautiful and has been well kept – with a curved-edge lawn, shrubs, bamboo and trees – and has a country feel to it, with its meandering path and stone ruin at the end with ivy clambering over it. A whole row of neighbours to the south has built mews houses at the ends of their gardens (this garden has side and rear access).

At the least, new owners will strip out the carpets, paint over the yellow and orange colour scheme and peel back paint to reveal the original plasterwork’s true form.

Going further, they could reclaim the apartments in the basement and incorporate them into the house.

For more ambitious ideas you could always track down a March 2012 issue of Ireland’s Homes, Interiors and Living magazine and see the all-singing job the neighbours did on their house.

Whatever the new owners decide to do, they have the most amazing raw materials to work with.

86 Eglinton Road, Donnybrook, Dublin 4

Description:semi-detached red-brick, south-facing garden

Agent:Savills

Number 86 Eglinton Road is a 222sq m house, semi-detached red-brick residence with the potential to become a lovely family home. At the Ranelagh end of this leafy road, its boundary walls border the busy Clonskeagh Road. Set on a sizable plot of land; 0.22 of an acre, the five-bedroom house will suit someone with deep pockets. Savills are asking €995,000 for the property. It will need additional investment to get it into family home condition.

Off the large hall are two interconnecting reception rooms, both with lovely mahogany fireplaces. Double doors from the back lead through to the south-facing garden. A third reception room is off the hall. This room needs rethinking. In theory it has dual aspect windows, a lovely bay overlooking the side garden and two more to the front, but these are blocked from view somewhat by an abutting supporting wall, especially when seated. This side of the house faces south-west and gets the evening sun. Some creative thinking could transform it into a great place to retire after work.

To the rear is the kitchen which is painted a loud purple. The decor and fitted units are dated. Adjacent to it is a utility room which could be incorporated into the kitchen. There is a large shower room and built-in storage also to the rear. With some clever rethinking these could all be knitted together to create a larger, open plan and family friendly space. At present the bars on the windows and doors do nothing to enhance its appeal.

The first floor has a dual return with one of the two singles and family bathroom to the right. The family bathroom is a relic of the decade that taste forgot, complete with the much mocked avocado suite – actually now enjoying a resurgence in some retro circles.

There are three good-size doubles on the other return and a large old-fashioned single – the kind that can accommodate a four foot six double bed. Two of the three have double windows. Sensitve ears should note that when the windows in the bedrooms to the rear are opened you can hear the heavy traffic on the Clonskeagh Road junction – when closed, the sound retreats to a very low hum.

The back garden is what agents call city-size. It isn’t huge but it is south facing, the Holy Grail in house-hunting terms, and is totally private, shielded from neighbours by some of their own trees. Building a glass box on to the kitchen and reception rooms would really transform the rear. The concreted garden shed and washing line area could be moved from their current position into the ample front garden – extending the size of the rear. There is ample room to the side of the house to extend and/or create additional off-street parking. Currently there is room for three cars off street.

You will have get your hands dirty to transform this house. You may also have to convince your bank manager to get the funds to finance the dream.