49 Oakley Road, an elegant period end-of-terrace property dating from the 1870s was purchased by its current owner in 1992, when it was laid out in flats and needed much work.
In April 2016, the owner decided to completely renovate the house with the intention of selling it as a fine family home on this much sought after road in Ranelagh. Its location is a two-minute walk to the village triangle, four minutes to the Luas, and there are a multitude of local schools within a short stroll.
Renovations took more than a year and a half, says the owner who has just completed them with a team of advisers and interior designers. The result is a wonderful mixture of period and contemporary details across 280sq m (3,013sq ft).
Prior grace
In a quest to reinstate the house to its prior grace, sympathetic neighbours – whose house is a mirror image of this property – allowed the owner to take endless photographs of period details, so he could restore the house to exactly its heyday grandeur. There had been damage to the coving – now all repaired – and the front hallway with its three arches retains quite remarkable plasterwork.
McNally Joinery constructed new architraves around the doors which feature period brass hardware, and new banisters on the stairs down to garden level were carved to match the original.
The fireplaces had the hearths removed in the 1920s and these were transformed back to their original state, by Ryan and Smith Antique Fireplaces in Stewartstown “who literally rebuilt them from broken pieces”.
The old pine flooring was beyond repair and has been replaced with more expensive and warmer pitch pine, which is reclaimed though appears brand new due to heavy sanding.
At hall level, the two reception rooms are served by a new butler’s pantry which now sits in what was a bathroom when the property was divided into flats. “I did this so owners could have a glass of wine or a cup of coffee without having to traipse all the way to the kitchen downstairs,” the owner says. It will also be beneficial during dinner parties in the elegant dining room.
Kay Egginton of Eco Design in Santry created the kitchen at garden level, which also features a separate pantry and utility. The slick design, with spring-loaded units – where the presses open on touch – lends a seamless feel to the room.
Fifth bedroom
Also at garden level are a family room warmed by a stove, a bathroom and a home office which would also work as a fifth bedroom.
The gardens, which are laid out as lawn and granite patios, feature a wall of espaliered Quercus ilex, which in time will provide complete privacy between neighbours. Designed by Geraldine Hayes of Hayes Ryan Landscaping – winners of a gold medal for their garden bedroom at Bloom in 2016 – they are low maintenance and house two workrooms and a garden loo.
A curiosity in the garden is the original water pump, which is fully operational and supplies water for the garden taken from a depth of 6m underground.
The property is in turnkey condition, as it has just been completed. It also features state-of-the-art heat pads and intercoms on each floor and a multitude of CCTV for privacy.
Although BER exempt, it has been insulated to a high level where “most of the work in this property is not visible to the eye”, the owner says.
Sherry FitzGerald will auction the 280sq m (3,013sq ft) property on Wednesday, November 8th, with an advised minimum value of €1.9 million.
