If you viewed a house you liked in 2004, there was little time to pause before making an offer. With prices rising sharply and bids being lodged at viewings, hesitation often meant losing out. The owners of 680 South Circular Road in Dublin 8 knew this all too well. They viewed the property only once before securing the keys, and the house revealed its surprises after they moved in.
“They were crazy times, so we had only seen the house once and barely remembered what was where. It was in flats, so it wasn’t for the faint-hearted. It was a real case of pulling up your sleeves and living like that for a while,” says the owner.
“Where the kitchen should have been, there was an avocado-green bathroom. The first thing we wanted to do was to get rid of that. The livingroom was two rooms, so straight away we knocked down the wall between the two reception rooms.”
A full renovation followed, with an emphasis on retaining the surviving original features, including cornicing and centre roses in the reception rooms and hallway, and a stained-glass door to the kitchen. A joiner added new elements designed to blend with the Victorian architecture, such as the interconnecting reception room doors, sash windows and panelling.
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A second phase of work in 2019 introduced a bespoke kitchen and a revamped bathroom on the return.
With a floor area of 153sq m (1,647sq ft), the house is now on the market through DNG, seeking €975,000.
Attention to detail is clear from the tiled driveway. The glass and fanlight around the front door were designed and fitted by a Francis Street glazier to match the original glazing found locally. The arched hallway features high ceilings, original plasterwork and a walnut floor. To the right is the livingroom, opening into the second reception room.
A short flight of steps leads down to the kitchen, fitted with Shaker-style units and marble worktops. Integrated appliances include a built-in coffee machine, microwave and wine fridge. The kitchen opens up at the back to a bright dining area with a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the garden.
On the return is a large bathroom with a free-standing bath and separate shower. Three bedrooms sit on the first floor alongside a smaller bathroom with electric shower. The principal bedroom features wall panelling that runs into built-in wardrobes, all painted in Farrow and Ball’s Green Smoke.
The rear garden is a good size, finished in paving and gravel with a central patio area.
To the front, the Ber-exempt house faces the handsome stone Hybreasal building, originally a convent built in 1883 and converted into apartments in the 1990s.
The owners have seen the neighbourhood evolve significantly in their time there. “The area has moved on so much in 21 years. The new children’s hospital is going to be down the road. In Rialto, we have The Circular and the Rialto Bridge Café which is now Chilangos at night. There’s also Dosa Dosa, Four Coffee Café and The Bakery by the Cupcake Bloke, so we’re really spoiled for choice.”
They also note the easy access to parks and green spaces. “The dog is well acquainted with Imma [the Irish Museum of Modern Art], as we go there every day. The War Memorial Gardens were our oasis during lockdown and we’re less than a mile from the Phoenix Park.”
