At the end of a quiet cul-de-sac off busy Belmont Avenue, 17 Belmont Gardens is so ideally situated for Donnybrook, Ranelagh, schools and buses into the city centre, that you might find yourselves living in the epicentre of your children’s social lives.
Current owners Ray and Laura Murphy have enjoyed the experience, though they are now selling (by private treaty through Sherry FitzGerald) to downsize as their grown up children are finally and regretfully moving on .
The house is a pre-war semi, a description that doesn’t do justice to the bright and spacious, 200sq m (2,153sq ft), house.
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The Murphys bought it in an executor’s sale in 1999 and extended, rebuilding what had been the garage space (there’s now off-street parking at the front) to create a double fronted house where the new parts are seamlessly matched to the old.
Working with a surveyor – who gave them the wise advice “to enhance the house, but don’t overdo it” – the front door was pushed out into the porch space, the stairs reoriented, and the huge kitchen re-designed three times.
Downstairs, there’s a roomy hallway with the original front-to-back sitting room flowing into drawingroom to the right; with the family room and kitchen to the left. There is a utility room that has an extra cooker, making it an ideal catering space for parties.
It’s all timber floors downstairs and the kitchen leads to a sheltered outside breakfast area and on to a back deck with barbecue and ornamental pond.
Halfway up, the stairs divide: turn left for the master suite, which has a big bay window, dressing area and large en suite. Go right for the other three bedrooms, all of a good size, and a family bathroom.
This separation is another reason the house is so great for families with growing children – the different generations get an aspect of privacy while still living together.
The front bedroom to the right has a matching bay window that looks out on to an apple blossom tree.
“It’s a short season,” says Ray, “but lovely while it lasts”. The Murphy’s extension and renovations also included installing an energy efficient boiler, and the entire house was rewired and replumbed.
