Live la dolce vita at Monkstown Farm for €425k

At this stage Monkstown Farm is a bit of an open secret. Its former council homes have become the most affordable way for many to buy into the neighbourhood. A lot of the properties that come up in this area are in need of modernisation, so the additional funds needed for a renovation can be difficult to factor into a mortgage application.

Number 9, St Patrick’s Terrace is one such house where all the hard work has already been done. The very tastefully refurbed two-bed semi has been set out in a “broken-plan” layout at ground level by its Italian owners.

They bought 18 months ago, paying €320,000 according to the property price register, and lived there through the renovation. In hindsight it’s an experience the owners would advise against, and they are keen not to repeat it when they move from here to London. Now the property is on the market with Sherry FitzGerald seeking €425,000.

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Typically traditional

From the hall the layout looks typically traditional, as if there are two rooms ahead, but you can walk from the original sittingroom, set to the front and now a study, through to the kitchen at the back of the house, and the skeletal remains of the original footprint is evident only in the steel joists installed to support the opening-up of the rooms.

The beauty of broken plan over open-plan is that half-walls remain, places to create rooms within the larger space that feel far cosier than with traditional open-plan.

A living area overlooks the 9m wide west-facing yard that gets sun for much of the day. A Stovax insert fire adds warmth, as does the redbrick fascia used to decorate the chimney breast and the kitchen. The galley-style cook space has smart black units and timber countertops that the owners sourced from Ikea. There is floor to ceiling storage installed in every nook and cranny of the space, and the yard is accessible from here too.

Laundry-drying

The washing-machine is located in the block-built shed in the yard where there is room to set up a clothes horse and overhead pulley to facilitate laundry-drying while keeping it out of sight. It is a smart addition.

The house also has a garage to the side, where there may be potential to convert its 25sq m into more living space. Subject to planning you could also look at going up a level to give a third bedroom. Currently there are two bedrooms, both with smoked glass sliding wardrobes. The master spans the width of the house and has windows on either side of the bed, bringing a fine sense of balance to the room.

Situated on a cul-de-sac the property, which measures 83sq m/893sq ft, has pedestrian access to Kill Lane, where commuters can catch the 46A bus. There is off-street parking for one car.