What a difference six years can make to the value of a property. Number 44 Greenville Terrace is one such house. Bought by its current owners in August 2011 for €270,000, according to the Property Price Register, one smart refurbishment later the one bedroom red-brick is now back on the market seeking €550,000, through agent Quillsen.

The single-storey house off the South Circular Road has been completely reimagined with the owners cleverly retaining two separate yet interconnecting rooms and setting their bedroom and bathroom to the rear, thanks to the input of the owner’s architect brother.

There is a decent-sized entrance hall with two doors off it. The first one isn’t used by the owners who prefer to enter into the heart of the house – a bright open plan living/kitchen/diner set in the middle of the property but washed in light from above by roof lights. It has several focal points: a smart dark grey Ikea peninsula kitchen, a clever repurposing of an old chimney breast as a cabinet and a graphic tiled inset surrounding the room’s open fire.

Rear access

There is also a small back porch that is under-utilised – it would make a great utility room/drying area. This leads out to a small east-facing garden with access to a shed which, while narrow (1.7m deep by 5.7 m long) has pedestrian rear access via a gated lane – ideal for bin and bike storage in the mid-terrace house.

While it looks in walk-in condition the property has an E Ber rating so may need some insulation upgrades.

What’s key is that it makes really good use of its 80sq m/861sq ft living space with a very well-considered layout.

A sliding door divides the main room from the front room. Simply decorated the owners have made a feature of their vast record collection, housing it in floor-to-ceiling open shelving where it lends character to the room.

And that’s what makes this house feels like the perfect place for a couple to set up home. When feeling sociable you can open up the two rooms – there is a good size dining table in the open-plan room and the front room could be lovely for relaxing in later listening to music. But the same room can also be an escape behind closed (sliding) doors when people want to do their own thing. The front room could also work as a second bedroom.