When the owners of number 5 the Stables bought the two-bed, one-bath terraced property in 2021, they decided to completely overhaul of the property. Converted from what had been the original stables block of St Helen’s Wood, constructed by Seán Dunne’s Berland Homes in the early 1990s, the sympathetic restoration of the stables has proved enduringly popular with residents and buyers alike.
Number 5 faces south and lies under the original clock tower of the stables. Red brick and granite render make for an attractive exterior, and the owners’ taste and style are evident as soon as you step into the front hallway. White walls throughout the house create a backdrop for the vivid contemporary art hung over the two levels.
It’s a compact property at 67 sq m (721 sq ft) with a C3 Ber, and is on the market with Sherry FitzGerald, seeking €650,000. Residents have parking to the front of the properties and pay €630 a year to a management company for all maintenance of the grounds, with a well-maintained, pretty green just outside the house.
The ground floor has two bedrooms and the bathroom, which is contemporary with black fittings and white metro tiles. There is a double bedroom with high-gloss fitted wardrobes and carpeted floors. The second bedroom was split into two when a former resident needed separate rooms for children; one of these is now used as a storage space and walk-in wardrobe but the partition wall could be easily removed and a larger bedroom recreated.
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All spare space on the ground floor is filled with tall, sleek storage cabinets; the units beside both front and back doors as well as under the stairs were custom built. Outside in the small garden there is a shed with a radiator, handy for storing outdoor accessories during the winter.
The garden was part of the renovation with artificial grass and new fencing installed and a smart Abwood garden room that doubles up as home office and second kitchen. The owner says this was a gift during summer entertaining, with the sink and fridge at garden level, hosting barbecues was a breeze.
Many of the original features of the stables block are beautifully intact on the first floor which serves as a kitchen/dining/living area. It’s a warm and bright space, lit by two large Velux windows, enhanced by original exposed redbrick walls and the black beams soaring into the room’s apex roof.
The new kitchen echoes the two-tone colour scheme with U-shaped white gloss units topped by black quartz composite countertops, and the island with seating flips this with black units and white countertop, making for a smart focal point in the room. The kitchen units, like all of the fitted furniture in the house, including a dining bench in the eating area beside the stairs, were made by the builder.
The owner says they will be very sorry to leave the home, adding that they loved the open-plan nature of the development and the location, which is within easy reach of the N11 on the Radisson side and Booterstown Dart station on the seafront side.
It’s an enviable location, with accessible bus routes to the left and right of the property, on the Rock Road and Stillorgan Road making for easy and quick access into Dublin city centre. Blackrock village is nearby and the shopping centres of Stillorgan, Dundrum and Merrion are a quick drive away.
