There is a sense of calm at number 84 Drumcondra Road Lower that could either be chalked up to the airy architectural design or the comfort curated by the creative, textile-savvy owner. The three storeys over basement Georgian townhouse extends to 280sq m (3,014sq ft) in total, with a two-storey unit at garden level, and a second separate unit occupying the top floors.
It was bought by the current owner and her brother, who is an architect, about 24 years ago after the property had sat vacant for 13 years. They gutted the interior to create two fabulous, two-bedroom units, each with their own distinct personality. The current owner, who later bought her brother’s unit when he moved on, allowed him free rein over the design and his flair is evident in interesting features such as a glass-bridge landing and a conical skylight. They also enlisted another brother to help with building works, cashing in on the benefit of being part of a big family.
Now hoping to downsize to a single unit closer to her family and the sea, the owner has placed number 84 Drumcondra Road Lower, which is Ber-exempt, on the market in its entirety, seeking €1.15 million through Savills.
When the owner briefly listed the garden-level apartment for sale around 2009, she recalls a property journalist from The Irish Times remarking that the it was a fantastic example of how period properties were converted in cities such as London and Paris, but suggested that perhaps Ireland wasn’t ready for it yet. The question now stands as to whether the market is ready today, with each unit offering at least as much floor space – at about 112sq m at garden level and 164sq m for the top unit – as many two-bed terraces around the city. The lease for each of the properties have not been separated as it stands but it can be done, the owner says.
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The National Built Heritage Service describes the property as “an elegant, terraced house located at the centre of three mid- to late-18th-century houses […] set back behind a tree-lined buffer that separated them from the busy main thoroughfare”. The “buffer” – a walled mound of grass – provides privacy from passing traffic when looking out from the garden-level unit. The property is set far enough back from the road as to render engine noise a background hum.
There is a little porch under the main stairs sheltering the door to the garden-level unit. You step into an inviting living space with an exposed redbrick hearth that houses a wood-burning-stove. The eye is drawn to light steaming down from the first floor through a glass-floored bridge connecting two double bedrooms above, and to the stainless-steel staircase that spirals down between the living area and the kitchen/dining space. A bathroom to the rear features a bespoke copper cocoon shower, created by the owner’s brother and artist Brian McDonald.
The dining space, which also features a brick hearth, opens out to the tiled back garden which culminates in a raised sun terrace to the rear.
The second unit is accessed through the main front door and a lobby/reading area sits to the rear of the entrance floor, opening on to its own raised terrace to the rear.
Two large double bedrooms sit on the first floor with a stunning main bedroom looking out to the abundant foliage from the trees below through original sash windows framed by ornate wooden shutters. Elaborate Victorian-style wrought-iron window guards add interest both for those looking out and those looking up at the house. There is an en suite off the main bedroom as well as a quirky built-in oval-shaped wardrobe that curves outward from the dividing wall.
On the top floor, the living area offers leafy views to the front while the kitchen is hived off to the rear, lit overhead by a conical skylight.
For parking, there are two designated spaces to the rear of the property accessed from St Joseph’s Avenue.
As well as presenting two spacious, architecturally interesting units in a beautiful building, 84 Drumcondra Road Lower also offers convenience with parks, schools, restaurants and transport links nearby, with the north side of the city centre just a 20-minute walk away.
