Upgraded townhouse is a cool south-city retreat

Minutes from the city centre in one direction and from Grand Canal Dock in the other, number 108 Townsend Street couldn’t be closer to town. At one end of a terrace of five redbrick townhouses built in 1916, there is a Dublin Bike station across the road and a sense of the city’s life wherever you turn.

When the vendors bought in September 2016 for €235,000, number 108 was a traditional, early 20th-century two-up-two-down in need of modernising and major work.

They took it apart before rebuilding and extending, adding a bathroom, new flooring, windows, kitchen, utility room and more. Walls were stripped back to their original, pale brick woodwork and remaining walls painted white.

Attic storage

The house, thus transformed, now has a floor area of 64sq m (689sq ft) with entrance lobby, open-plan living/dining/kitchen, utility room, study (this could make a third bedroom), family bathroom, two bedrooms and floored attic storage. A small, enclosed rear yard with deck flooring has space for a table and two chairs. Agent DNG is seeking €395,000.

The vendors have done a good job of creating a city retreat that is relaxed, light-filled and easily maintained. The pale brick walls and bleached floorboards that are a ground-floor feature soothe, a large ceiling skylight in the kitchen throws lights into the entire area, and ceilings are high and lime-coloured kitchen fittings easy on the eye.

The exposed brick of the chimney breast in the family space is a nice touch, though the fireplace itself is no longer functional.

A front-facing sittingroom/study, with exposed brick wall and long window, could make a third bedroom. The good-sized utility room off the kitchen is a boon to city living.

The larger of two, first-floor bedrooms is to the rear, the second bedroom is to the front. Both have high ceilings and long windows. Tiles in the roomy, family shower room are a dappled grey.

A timber hideaway for bins/utility meters and maintenance-free, black-and-white tiling make for a clutter-free front. Parking is on street.