What's the price of a postcode? Quite a lot, if it's D6 or D6W. We look at three - two revamped period homes, one new - from €1.75m to €3m-plus
57 Kenilworth Square: €3.85m
The owners of 57 Kenilworth Square in Rathgar, Dublin 6, have given it a luxury makeover with fixtures and fittings designed to impress. The 338sq m (3,640sq ft) four-bedroom house is being auctioned on October 25th. Douglas Newman Good is quoting an AMV of €3.85 million.
The garden level is currently divided into two apartments which generate an annual rental income in excess of €2,000 per month. A family with young children might want to convert it to family use rather than have to negotiate the steps up to the main door and at the rear.
To the left of the elegant main hall, the kitchen comes equipped with some serious appliances including a range with double self clean oven and indoor barbecue and a huge American style fridge and freezer, a built-in steamer and microwave oven and grill.
The cream French-style kitchen is complemented by a gleaming porcelain tiled floor and has marble worktops and two earthenware sinks. A long island unit provides plenty of storage. There is a substantial dining area off the kitchen.
The main sittingroom is another bright space thanks to vast sash windows and a high corniced ceiling. A white marble mantelpiece has a cast-iron inset and slate hearth.
At the end of the hall down steps is a downstairs toilet and beyond that a utility room with dark wood shelving.
A wrought-iron spiral staircase leads down to the garden which has been simply and tastefully landscaped by designer Sheena Vernon. Tall trees give fringing the boundary walls give privacy and prevent overlooking from Garville Terrace behind.
On the main landing there are four double bedrooms including the main bedroom which has an en suite shower room and a walk-in wardrobe.
The main bathroom wouldn't be out of place in a modern hotel. The walls and floor are covered in shiny beige tiles and it is wired for a plasma TV.
A curved Huppe shower enclosure is almost sculptural and there is a bowl sink perched on a dark wood cabinet and a stand-alone bath on a wooden plinth.
At the top of the house a tiny but quirky room framed by a vibrant red-stained glass entrance could be used as a study. Edel Morgan
28 Fortfield Road:€1.95mNumber 28 Fortfield Road is a five-bedroom, semi-detached house with double-bay windows to the front. It is one of two new builds on the site of a former bungalow.
The 220sq m (2,367sq ft) house has a good finish throughout and includes well-insulated walls and attic, and an energy efficient condensing boiler.
The house is for sale by private treaty for €1.95 million through Lisney. It was built and developed by Robert Doyle Construction.
Creature comforts include underfloor heating on the ground floor and in the bathrooms and a central vacuuming system.
The front door opens onto a polished crema marfil floor that leads to a bay-windowed reception room. Behind it is a well-proportioned diningroom that has double doors thatfold back to open the space up.
The large L-shaped Nobilia kitchen has gloss units with black polished granite worktops, lightbox shelving and Neff appliances. An Elicia extractor is set above the island hob. There is also a utility room and guest wc.
A Portuguese granite patio opens onto a large old-fashioned 120ft garden, with a lawn and a mature pear tree.
On the first floor is a single room as well as two doubles and the master bedroom which has a bay window.
Its en suite has two sinks, a Jacuzzi bath and a double shower. One of the other double rooms also has an en suite.
On the third floor there is double bedroom with en suite and delightful views of the Dublin mountains.
There's extensive storage throughout with high-gloss, built-in wardrobes in each bedroom. These large pieces are all lined in walnut and recessed to give all rooms the cleanest of lines.
The exterior is in a self-colour render that should hold its shade for years.
The house is set well back from the busy road. There is off-street parking for two cars. Alanna Gallagher
54 Kenilworth Park: €1.75mA fine five-bedroom Victorian redbrick at 54 Kenilworth Park is for auction on October 25th through Douglas newman good with an AMV of €1.75 million.
The present owners bought 10 years ago and were lucky enough to find a house that had been in the same ownership for 60 years, and belonged to people who were happy to leave well enough alone. So all the period details that make these houses particularly desirable were there just waiting to be restored. This included decorative plasterwork, marble fireplaces, stained glass in windows and doors, floorboards beneath lino, and sash windows.
Over the years they've done all that, as well as sourcing appropriate fittings such as the Victorian cast iron radiators that are now in every room. Two years ago they got round to the final job of modernising the eat-in kitchen making a large and bright, family-friendly space with smart contemporary units.
Downstairs there are two interconnecting reception rooms - divided by sliding doors which, unusually, have stained glass inserts. The front room has a box bay window while the back room opens into a small hardwood conservatory - a relatively recent addition and this in turn opens into the kitchen.
The kitchen in the back return was originally two smaller rooms but these have been knocked together and new, larger windows and glazed doors were installed to improve access to the garden. There's also underfloor heating beneath the new American oak floor. The proportions are good: all rooms have high ceilings and the upstairs return can accommodate a double bedroom and a good-sized bathroom. There are four other bedrooms, one a single. The owners replaced the rooflights in the attic room and installed a shower en suite.
The garden is quite a formal space with a large timber decked area, a lawn and planted beds. There is side access. Bernice harrison
