When the owners of 2 St Mary’s Terrace began a comprehensive renovation after they bought it 12 years ago, they found a copy of The Irish Times under a carpet dated the day of the owner’s birth. They took it as a positive omen, framed the old newspaper and happily lived here from their early 20s until now. With the owners deciding to trade up, the three-bed, three-bath 135 sq m (1,453 sq ft) terraced redbrick with an attic conversion is now on the market with Sherry FitzGerald for €645,000.
The renovation revealed damp in the walls and woodworm in the floors, which they treated as they undertook a complete overhaul, including rewiring and replumbing. “Everything in the house had to be restored,” says the owner. “We did a lot of it ourselves. We lived in what was the back bedroom. We stripped everything back and we had it looking well within nine months.”
Every inch of this turnkey property, which has a D1 Ber and was built around 1886, has been utilised through a clever use of space that makes for an excellent division of rooms. The south-facing livingroom is to the left of the hall. It has two sash windows that bathe it in sunlight. The cast-iron fireplace is original, with built-in shelving on either side, and the floors are semi-solid oak from Kährs.
A smart, navy-blue set of doors from the Vintage Kitchen Company separate this room from another living area, currently used as a playroom, which could make a great second sittingroom. The couple found the matching fireplace from Glasnevin; it’s an exact match of the livingroom fireplace and also has built-in shelving in the alcoves on either side.
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The kitchen is part of a double-height extension the couple installed, and their builder made the timber units. A skylight over the dining area increases the light in the room.
Building the extension out this far left them with a small courtyard in place of a garden; it gets sun in the morning and has a built-in bench and bin storage. There’s an understairs WC in the hall and an additional niche for shoes and schoolbags under the stairs.
There are three bedrooms on the first floor. The one to the rear is a good-sized double. There is a second double to the front and a single room that would make a great home office or child’s bedroom. It is painted an appealing shade of dusky pink, suitably titled Sulking Room Pink from Farrow & Ball.
The family bathroom on this floor is beautifully kitted out with a cast-iron bath, brass fittings and smart tiling. The sanitary ware was sourced from England. In a truly clever use of space, sliding doors reveal a small utility area with just enough space to house a washing machine and dryer, with overhead cabinets for storage.
The attic conversion, although not officially deemed a bedroom due to building regulations, is used as a main bedroom and en suite with under-eaves storage. It’s a restful space with two Velux windows and a white-painted chimney breast with an arch, adding interest and character.
“I walk to town. We go to the local pubs, for walks on the strand and we use the sports facilities nearby. We have to be pushed out of it now,” says the owner. This property, on busy Bath Road in Irishtown, is close to the Aviva Stadium and Grand Canal Dock. Ringsend Park is right behind the house and the strand at Sandymount is a short walk away.
