DUBLIN 20: €660,000NUMBER 74 Turret Road in Palmerstown, Dublin 20, is a lesson in what can be done with a traditional three-bedroom semi, says Orna MulachyProperty Editor

WHEN THE owners bought the 1950s house four years ago, it still had its original layout and just under 93sq m (1,000sq ft) of living space. In a refurbishment that took just six months, they doubled the house in size, creating the kind of open plan living space you'd expect to find in a city penthouse.

Now, as the owners plan to emigrate, the house is back on themarket with an asking price of €660,000 through Douglas Newman Good.

Much of the ground floor is given over to a big kitchen cum livingroom that spans the back of the house with a wall of glass overlooking the 50ft back garden.

The space is unified by a limed oak floor that is echoed in a bank of drawers that forms part of the impressive German-designed kitchen with its marble worktops and stainless steel appliances.

At the front of the house is a room where one of the owners currently works as a holistic therapist.

It has folding doors opening through to the livingroom, allowing the open plan space to be even larger - it was put to the test last summer when the owners got married and had 70 people back to the house for drinks.

The landscaped back garden acts as an extension to the house on sunny days, with a dining area sunk into the lawn.

Upstairs, the bedrooms - three doubles and a single - have the neat, colour co-ordinated look of a showhouse. Two are en suite and the main bedroom has a terrific range of built-in wardrobes. The beds are fixed to the wall in a system that allows them to "float" above the floor. They too are being included in the sale.

A family bathroom with a stand-alone bath completes the first floor. A full staircase leads up to the attic, which is a long narrow room suitable as a home office.

74 Turret Road, Palmerstown, Dublin 20

Extended 1950s house with almost 186sq m (2,000sq ft) of space, and a cool decor

Agent:Douglas Newman Good