Dublin 6: €4.3m-plus Families and housebuilders are likely to compete for a pair of houses on D6 square which have mews development potential. Property Editor Orna Mulcahy reports
Two adjoining houses with their mews sites intact at 44 and 45 Dartmouth Square in Dublin 6 are sure to spark interest among househunters and developers in the run-up to auction next month.
Clodagh Murphy at Gunne expects bids in the region of €4.3 million for the terraced redbricks which for many years have been the offices of pharmaceutical agents HE Clissman.
Their gardens back on to Warners Lane, an established mews lane which runs parallel to Upper Leeson Street.
While the houses are interconnecting, and have established pre'63 commercial use, the likelihood is that they will revert to residential use, given the surge in demand for townhouses close to the city centre and the cachet of a Dublin 6 address.
Prices in the immediate area have risen by as much as 15 per cent since January alone, well beyond average house price growth in Dublin.
While premium prices are being paid for houses that are in walk-in condition, there is equally strong interest in refurbishment projects, particularly those with potential for further development.
So, while lots of families will climb the steps of 44 and 45 Dartmouth Road over the coming weeks, they are sure to be in competition with housebuilders for the three-storey houses and their valuable gardens.
A developer would almost certainly build a couple of mews houses on Warners Lane, where a nearby mews is currently for sale guided at €1.2 million. The refurbished houses could then be sold on separately. Both houses have been well maintained over the years and most of their original features have been kept intact through their years of office use.
They have fine drawingrooms overlooking the square, with ornate fireplaces and cornicework.
The houses have 18 rooms between them, and would easily convert to spacious four-bedroom homes with large garden level kitchens. Number 44 has a 21m garden with a substantial two-storey building used for commercial storage, with access to Warners Lane. Number 45 has its original 42m garden intact.
