It’s a blustery day with wind and rain threatening at the windows, but inside the bright and airy kitchen at 20 Fortfield Terrace, a different storm may be brewing.
As Scotland prepare to face Ireland in the Six Nations at the Aviva, Joe and Linda Hackett have divided loyalties. Joe’s Irish, but Linda hails from Glasgow, and in her soft Scottish accent, she’s prepared to shout herself hoarse for her home team.
Just off the kitchen, which is abundantly kitted out with cream units and black granite countertops, plus large double oven and five ring hob; there’s a brilliant family room with a large TV waiting for battle to commence. The family room has French windows to the back garden at one end, and then opens, through a series of connecting doors, right through to the front of the house, via the diningroom and livingroom. It’s a cleverly bright arrangement, and like the rest of the house, the décor is elegant, well maintained and up to date.
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Good proportions
Joe and Linda have lived here since 1990, extending twice to meet the needs of their four children. Now they're moving to a larger space – "with six of us, it's all arms and legs round here," says Linda. Nevertheless, the clever design of the house, over three floors, means that you never feel exactly on top of one another.
Prior to her public service role, Dublin City Architect Ali Grehan designed one of the two extensions. The new "layers" of the house work seamlessly with the original 1930s spaces, with good proportions throughout. The top floor is an en-suite conversion that once housed an au pair, before being taken over by successive teenagers in the family.
The Hacketts love the street, a quiet cul-de-sac, and they love the area too. Rathmines is on the doorstep, as are a wide choice of schools, and Cowper Luas stop is a short walk away. However, having almost doubled the size of the house from its original 111.4sq m (1,200sq ft) to 219sq m (2,357sq ft), they’ve decided to start over.
Houses on Fortfield Terrace don't come up too frequently. Last to market were Numbers 36 and 15 in 2012, which sold for €585,000 and €578,000 respectively. No 36 had been divided into two apartments, and No 15 is almost half the size of this house, at 164sq m (1,765sq ft), including the garage. No 20 is for sale by private treaty with Sherry FitzGerald for €975,000.
This article was edited on February 6th.
It’s not just the foul weather outside: it genuinely is hard to tear myself away from tea in the kitchen at No 20. Looking through to the TV, with a comfy sofa at the ready in front of it, I’m half tempted to come back for the match.
