The White House on Hainault Road in Foxrock is quite different from when it was built in the mid-1940s. Then it was noted as “an international modern style, two-storey house for two adults and a servant”. It must have been much smaller than its current 320sq m (3,445sq ft) although even after considerable renovations its mid-century modern style is still clear in its boxy shape and white render.

The owners who bought 30 years ago made major changes, inside and out, extending and updating, so apart maybe from the strip timber ceilings in some rooms little remains of its original interior look. A key change they made was adding a pitched roof – replacing the flat one that was there – and in more recent years they have added extensive new glazing to the rear on both levels giving the five-bedroom detached house a bright contemporary feel.

The smartest bedroom is a good double with an en suite and a deep balcony – most likely original – looking out over Hainault Road. The other bedrooms are a mix of small singles and doubles, two used as home offices by the empty nest owners. There are three reception rooms, as well as the eat-in kitchen and utility room and good storage.

There’s a lovely feeling of space and light in the house. Buyers considering the White House as a family home will at least update the decor and put in a new kitchen and bathrooms. The mature south-westerly gardens wrap around the house and there is plenty of parking.

All this may not matter however to some of the viewers considering the White House. The agent selling – Sherry FitzGerald, asking €1.9 million – points out that the house, which is not protected, is on 0.4 of an acre and has frontage of 33m, factors that will have developers who are always on the lookout on Foxrock’s premier roads, running the rule over its potential.