Dargle Road is one of many residential streets that branch off Drumcondra Road Lower, but it is a particularly quiet one consisting of one long row of single-storey Victorian villas facing a high granite wall, beyond which is a retirement home.
When the owner of number 34 bought it in 2003, the two-bed, one-bath property had been overhauled and renovated by its architect owner, whose imprint is still all over the property, a testament to the longevity of good, classic design. After the owner got married, the couple moved to another part of the city but kept the house, which has an area of 63sq m (678sq ft), as an investment.
The livingroom, on the right of the hall, has a deep bay window and 2.7m-high ceilings. This is a lovely room with an original cast-iron fireplace and original pitch-pine floors that have been recently sanded and painted. The architect opened up an internal wall between the livingroom and kitchen, meaning the south-facing livingroom carries light through to the north-facing kitchen.
Although fully functional, there is plenty of scope for modernising the kitchen; currently it has a wall of units and a large, free-standing fridge. It should be possible to remodel the configuration and to add an island to optimise the space.
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Double doors open on to a small courtyard, which is a decent outside space but doesn’t get much sun; the owners used to take cushions and sit outside on the front steps to catch the daytime and evening sun coming down the road from the west. A gate in the courtyard opens into a lane, handy for bike and bin storage. The heating is gas-fired and the Ber rating is E2, which new owners may look to improve.
A small lobby connects the kitchen and the bathroom, with enough space for a washing machine, overhead storage and a place to hang coats. The bathroom has a cast-iron bath sitting on a bed of shells and stones – again, a design of the architect and a quirky touch, although given the property has been rented out for more than 15 years, new owners may want to refresh the bathroom.
Upstairs are two bedrooms. The single could also make a fine home office. By building up into the far reaches of the attic, the main bedroom had enough height to incorporate a mezzanine level. When the owners lived here, they slept on the mezzanine level and used the room downstairs as a dressingroom.
The house has been staged for sale, and the mezzanine level, accessed by a wooden step ladder, is set up as a reading nook. It has a storage niche to the side, which could accommodate suitcases or sports gear. Both bedrooms have skylights in their high ceilings.
The location is superb, combining peace and quiet with quick access to the city; regular Dublin bus routes pass through Drumcondra village, Drumcondra train station is around the corner and the owner used to walk into the city when she lived here.
Number 34 Dargle Road is on the market through Sherry FitzGerald, seeking €575,000.
