When the owner of Belgrove, a quantity surveyor, bought this modest semi-detached house in July of last year he paid just €355,000 for the three-bed property, according to the residential Property Price Register.
The house, set well back from the road and in the middle of Sandyford village, has been completely transformed. It has practically doubled in size from 95sq m (1,023sq ft) to 175sq m (1,614sq ft), but most impressively has moved up the BER scale from an F rating to a B1, just one point below brand new A-rated builds.
This impressive back-end to the build reflects the quantity surveyor’s expertise in using what he says is the best insulation; Kingspan 150ml in the floors, 75ml in the walls and 150ml of rock wool in the roof.
With heat loss secured on every front, the property was extended about 1.5m to the front, about 3m to the side and to the rear into the northeast-facing garden while there’s a further 15sq m (161sq ft) of converted attic space.
The house now has four bedrooms, new triple-glazed windows by Munster Joinery, which give off a slight grey/blue tint but offer incredible sound proofing, a new roof, underfloor heating throughout the ground floor, a new painted kitchen with granite-look quartz countertops and a utility room with new Whirlpool washing machine and drier.
The kitchen has limed-oak effect ceramic tiles underfoot, with the rest of this level floored in a limed-oak engineered wood.
The formal sitting room is to the front. It no longer has an open fire, and the original interconnecting doors were replaced with glass doors to throw in light from both sides.
It opens into the sizeable open-plan kitchen dining room, which overlooks the garden. To the front there is a playroom or den and a roomy hall.
Upstairs there are now four double bedrooms. The main bedroom overlooks the back and has an impressive five-door sliding-wardrobe system with a spacious en suite and shower.
The family bathroom has a separate, similarly roomy shower and a free-standing bath.
Roof lights brighten the attic room and there is ample storage under the eaves and to the side of the house. The next owner might look at installing an en suite bathroom on this level, subject to planning for additional roof lights.
The back garden has been set out in a low-maintenance lawn, while the front drive has been paved and a set of electronic gates opens to parking for up to four cars.
The owners says he spent around €250,000 on the refurbishment. The house is in walk-in condition but more crucially, thanks to all the attention paid to insulation and heating upgrades, is warm to inhabit and economical to run.
The property is on the market seeking €799,000 through agent DNG.
