Looking at the Pinterest-pretty back garden at 8 St Alban’s Road, Dublin 8, and it’s no surprise that the owners say it is their favourite part of the house once spring arrives; the living room to the front with its high ceilings, double-glazed sash window and open fire is their go-to space in winter.

The 83sq m (893sq ft) house had already been upgraded and extended when they bought it in 2015, leaving a town garden they knew they could work with. Calling in the help of a family friend – who handily enough is an interior designer – they lined the walls with painted timber, had benches built around two sides topped with colourful cushions, installed a gas fire pit in the middle and an open slatted roof, garlanded with lights overhead. Two trees give colour and atmosphere.

St Alban’s is off South Circular Road, through the Clanbrassil Street intersection and connecting to Blackpitts and the Tenters in Dublin 8. Number 8, like most houses on the road, is split level, with two double bedrooms upstairs, the living room to the front inside the front door off the hall and a living room cum dining room down a half flight to the rear of the house. This is a cosy space with a solid fuel stove, a smartly designed shower room and a galley kitchen. Double doors open from the dining room to the garden.

The owners had intended simply moving in when they bought but instead got the builders in, digging down at the rear to insulate under the floor, while upgrading the insulation elsewhere. This and other work brought the house from a chilly E energy rating to a toasty C1 Ber – impressive in a house dating to the 1870s. They also took down partitions upstairs to make the main bedroom larger and found cast-iron fireplaces for several rooms – including the shower room.

As the mid-terrace house has been so recently decorated – in rich colours, a palette chosen, says the owner, “to respect the age of the house” – new owners will find little to do.

When all the work was being done at the rear they could have enlarged the narrow kitchen as others in these type of houses have done, building across the rear to make an eat-in space. As an adult household they preferred instead to do an interesting job on the garden – new owners with small children might think differently.

There is a shed to the rear of the house, used as a utility and storage.

Parking is on-street, though the road is walkable to just about every amenity. Number 8 St Alban’s Road is for sale through DNG seeking €700,000.