Hunting lodge catches a modern look

CHAPELIZOD €1.25M: This Georgian lodge, which dates back to the 1790s, has been given a thorough makeover and is deceptively spacious

LAURENCE LODGE is a pretty villa-style house set above the River Liffey in Chapelizod, Dublin 20. It’s hard to imagine that the building dates back to the 1790s since it’s been gutted to present a modern family home housed within an 18th century shell.

Now for sale through Owen Reilly at €1.25 million, the two-storey house is larger that it first appears, with around 175sq m (1,883sq ft) of living space inside.

The entrance hall has a pitched roof that conceals clever and accessible storage designed to look like a mezzanine.

The formal sittingroom is framed by dual aspect twin windows. This dual aspect layout is a feature of many of the property’s rooms.

On the other side of the hall is an L-shaped, open-plan kitchen/dining/livingroom. The cappuccino gloss kitchen by Hacker has dark oak counter-tops and Kuppenbush appliances. This room has glazing on three sides.

The property’s only remaining original feature is its deep-set windows but sympathetic additions include new coving in the sittingroom and exposed beams in the garden-level bedrooms.

It’s a house with two very separate accommodation areas, ideal for families who want to install a live-in au-pair. A French-polished stairs leads down from the diningroom into what was once the property’s stables. It now houses a perfectly private small double bedroom with built-in wardrobe, double-height ceiling and en suite bathroom.

A flight of stairs leads up to bedroom number two which would suit a new baby or small child. This space could also work well as a home office.

There is access into the north-west facing garden via a French door. It is city-sized and framed by a border of pale-grey Kilkenny limestone and was landscaped by Max Kemper of Maximise Design. Across the garden is a tropical hardwood decked area and pedestrian side entrance.

From the hall, a second staircase leads down into the property’s main accommodation quarter. Here there are three bedrooms and an impressive family bathroom. A real selling point of this house is its top-of-the-range bathrooms which are extremely well-appointed. They offer Villeroy and Boch sanitaryware, Gerberit wall-mounted toilets, Grohe and Hudson Reed fittings and heated towel rails.

The main bedroom is spacious and feels wonderfully detached from the main house hub. It offers great storage that includes sliding door wardrobes the length of the room and a second smaller wardrobe adjacent to the bed.

The gun-metal grey limestone tiled bathroom has a full-length bath cum shower and full width mirror. The second double is also roomy while the third is on the small side. All have built-in wardrobes.

There are engineered walnut floors throughout and gas-fired radiator heating. Sleek touches include the flush-fitting Westag doors, LED lighting and aluminium framed light switches and plug sockets by Gira.

A high boundary wall and electric gates frame the front.

A shared driveway offers off-street car-parking for up to three cars and there’s also an enclosed bicycle and bin store.

Having been wrapped in Sto’s external wall insulation system which, when professionally installed, can cut energy costs by up to 60 per cent, this property is well insulated and has a BER rating of three.

Despite being tantalising close to the River Liffey and having a rather hefty price tag, this property does not have river frontage.

Laurence Lodge, Chapelizod, Dublin 20

Modern family house within an 18th century shell with a high-spec finish

Agent: Owen Reilly