Large Dublin 6 period houses tend to hold their value better than most, particularly those in pristine condition. Lisney is handling the sale of 2 Palmerston Villas, a 4,230 sq ft Victorian semi-detached house with a private treaty price tag of £1.8 million €2.29 million).
Its choice location and immaculate decorative order are this house's chief selling points. Palmerston Villas is a quiet cul de sac off Upper Rathmines Road, just around the corner from leafy Palmerston Park.
The current owner is a builder, who has completely restored the four-bedroom house with careful attention to its period architecture. A magnificent Gothic-style conservatory, up-to-the-minute bathroom fittings and a serious cook's kitchen are some of the more modern additions.
Houses in this secluded road are slow to come to the market and are rarely in such good condition. In one of the first auctions of last season, a house on the same road in need of attention achieved £975,000 €1.24 million) at auction last February.
A flight of granite steps to the front door is positioned at the side of the house, making the garden level exceptionally bright. Decorative ceiling cornicing and centre roses are in perfect order in the main entrance hall and two airy reception rooms.
A high arched window at the far end of the timber-floored hall is an attractive feature. Another arch connects the drawingroom and formal diningroom. Both rooms are painted a soft butter colour, with matching French marble chimney-pieces fitted with coal-effect fires.
A study/library has two phonelines and ISDN connection and there is a granite-floored guest toilet.
The large Norman Pratt conservatory is used as a family livingroom and informal diningroom. The floors are red-tiled and arched Gothic-style windows open to the landscaped back garden.
Like many large period houses, the big country-style kitchen is at garden level, with a pantry and laundry room off. An American-style fridge-freezer is housed here.
Handmade Portland white kitchen cupboards have solid beech worktops and there is a useful centre island unit. A Britannia six-ring hob and oven are included in the sale. The floor is clad in Italian limestone.
Double doors open from the kitchen to a family room, also with a limestone floor and an en suite shower room off. A guest bedroom at this level is also en suite.
All three double bedrooms on the first floor have en suite baths or showers. The bay-windowed main bedroom suite is spacious by any standards, with a good range of mahogany raised-panel wardrobes and a polished pine floor.
Off this room is a separate fitted dressing area and an en suite bathroom with an antique-style bath. The fully tiled family bathroom sports a Jacuzzi bath.
The grounds have been landscaped, with a curved lawn, gravel paths and climbers trained on the stone walls. There is good rear access to Upper Rathmines Road.
