Ailesbury Road in Dublin 4 is no stranger to large-scale home renovations, with numerous lengthy examples completed in recent years and plenty more in progress or planned.

The latest property set for a facelift is the French ambassador’s residence at 53 Ailesbury Road – debatably the street’s most imposing home. The proposed works comprise the repair and cleaning of the property’s facades, improvement of thermal insulation, including the repair or replacement of roof and windows, renovation, redecoration, an update of the security system and renovation of the service lift.

The embassy is currently seeking tenders for a project-management team to assist with the renovation, which is expected to begin next year. The renovation is part of France's long-term building works programme and, having joined France's green embassy network in 2015, the embassy in Ireland has committed to improving its energy efficiency and reducing its carbon footprint.

Chancery expansion

Regardless of the plans the French have for their ambassador’s residence, the current ambassador and his successors may find themselves wishing they were taking up residence at the embassy’s former chancery across the street, to which they bid adieu in 2013.

That building and its acre of land were sold to Ryanair heir Shane Ryan for more than €4 million and, having lain idle since, a planning application has now been submitted for a major renovation.

The existing 385sq m protected structure is set to multiply to almost five times its size, 1,840sq m in total, making it one of the largest and most lavish homes in the city. If granted permission, the new home will follow the “iceberg” mansion trend, whereby basement structures larger than the remainder of the house are constructed – a relatively new concept to Dublin, kicked off by wealthy new arrivals to adjacent Shrewsbury Road as post-recession recovery began.

In Ryan’s case, the 1,077sq m basement will be larger than the proposed ground and first floors combined. The cavernous basement will include a substantial indoor swimming pool and a garage for five vehicles accessed by car lift, with a turntable to enhance the ease of parking. In spite of its gargantuan scale, Ryan’s modern home will still be a suburban semi-d in size away from exiting Aryzta chief executive Owen Killian’s under-construction 1,966sq m behemoth around the corner on Shrewsbury Road.