Joy Street takes its name from sentiment felt during the construction of houses in the South Lotts area of Dublin city, when reclaimed marshes offered space for the development of family homes.
One of the first roads was named Hope Street – in the expectation that the area would ameliorate the city’s burdening housing crisis. To put this into context, the 1913 Housing Inquiry found that a third of Dublin’s population at the time lived in one-room tenements.
Today Joy Street and its environs in Ringsend attract young workers from the nearby docklands, and house prices reflect the popularity of the area.
Number 34 was purchased in 2016 by solicitor Mark Foster for €300,000. "It was totally dilapidated," says Foster "There was a hole in the roof where water had been pouring in for over a year, we had to knock everything, apart from three walls."
After much to-ing and fro-ing with planning, permission was eventually granted to remove internal walls, add a two-storey extension and convert the attic. The house now offers 78sq m of space as compared to its 59sq m prior to renovation and extension.
Flip
This is Foster’s second foray into flipping houses on the street, “the location is second to none, and the views from the attic at night remind me of the New York skyline”, he says referring to views of contemporary buildings intermixed with period properties.
Together with his sister Michelle – also a solicitor with an interest in interior design – the pair have totally transformed the property into a bright airy house which feels brand new.
To a degree it is, as everything has been replaced, including windows, doors and roof. The property never had a heating system and the BER rating has risen from an F to a C1.
The ground floor is open plan with a living area which leads to a dining area, then into the kitchen with Smeg appliances and a marble effect Silestone island. Small details such as the under-mounted copper sink add interest, as does the unusual bespoke light in the kitchen by Owen Shanley of Copperfish Studio – the base of which comes from reclaimed wood from a Galway Hooker offset with filament bulbs.
To the rear is a small patio garden, which would happily seat 10 on a summer evening.
Upstairs are two double bedrooms, the master is now larger than in its previous form as the staircase was relocated – this also gives more room in the living area downstairs.
The conversion of the attic has given the house an extra room which would make a fine home office.
Lisney is seeking €495,000 for the property which is in turnkey condition.
