Terenure house with a designer revamp

Dublin 6W/€1.8m: An end-of-terrace house has been refurbished with the touch of designer Philippa Buckley, writes Eoin Lyons

A four-bedroom end-of-terrace house at 36 Hannaville Park in Terenure has an AMV of €1.8 million prior to auction through Sherry Fitz-Gerald on July 5th.

If the house looks familiar it's because it was last on the market just 12 months ago. A developer bought it for around €3 million, hived off the garden where he is hoping to build four new houses and has now put the original house back on the market, totally refurbished, but with a vastly reduced garden - it's now down to just 11 metres (36ft) by 5.5 metres (18ft).

Designer Philippa Buckley was called in to revamp the 160sq m (1,720sq ft) house and her stylish touch extended to not only the interior finishes but also to the addition of a large kitchen extension, some reconfiguration of the layout and conversion of the attic space. Mod cons include underfloor heating and central vacuuming.

Built around 1900, Hannaville Park is a quiet street running between Terenure Road West and Eaton Square. The brick exterior has been refreshed and the railed front garden tamed. Inside there is the usual layout of interconnecting living and dining rooms on the ground floor. These rooms open straight into the new kitchen and family room. It's a large, bright and impressive space: the unobtrusive "fade away" kitchen runs along one wall behind an island and part of the room is vaulted, with skylights.

There's a utility room at the end, next to wide doors opening to the west-facing, prettily landscaped garden. Upstairs on the first return is an office that could also be used as a fifth double bedroom. The family bathroom is at this level too. On the first floor is a good-sized double to the rear and to the front a large main bedroom with bay window and cast-iron chimneypiece. The staircase is bright, lit from above by skylights.

On the second return is another double bedroom with en suite. Up another small flight is the converted attic, housing a bedroom, again with en suite. While investor properties sometimes raise concerns about things being done superficially - with only a good first impression in mind to achieve a quick sale - this house has been conceived and finished by a designer who admits she's a perfectionist: a character trait that will surely delight potential new owners.