The owners of 130 Oliver Plunkett Road have eclectic tastes in home and garden decor, and they have put their personal stamp on this 1940s former council house just off Glenageary Road. This 81.7sq m (880sq ft) end-of-terrace home stands out among the rest of the houses along the street, and stands as a testimony to the flair and imagination of its owners. It has a Ber of B3 and is for sale through Janet Carroll Estate Agents, seeking €675,000.
The house has been renovated and extended, with design by TAKA Architects (who won an Architectural Association of Ireland award in 2019 for their design work on number 130) and construction by Clarus builders. There’s a modern, light-filled extension to the back, and a striking front porch and medieval-style side gate, both built using reclaimed material from an old Methodist church in the UK. There’s even a gargoyle at the apex of the porch. Decorative Tudor bricks and jostle stones complete the old-world welcome.
The walls bordering the front garden are topped with bullnose bricks and dotted with hollow Edwardian brick inserts; at Halloween the family place tea lights inside the inserts, creating an arresting visual treat for passersby. The front drive is laid in cobblestones retrieved from King’s Cross railway station in London.
While the brickwork may be inspired by Victorian London, the palm trees in the front and back garden are inspired by the sunshine state of Florida, and include what the owners believe to be Ireland’s only Bolivian coconut palm tree.
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Inside are many pieces of modern history, collected by the couple over the years, including street signs from Victorian London and Dublin, old post office signs, a railway sign from Cape Town, a light from an old Japanese tanker and an sliding barn door opening in to the downstairs bedroom. And there’s musical history here too: in 1979, Luke Kelly hosted an impromptu session in this very house. (His Dubliners bandmate Ronnie Drew had lived just down the road as a child.)
To the right of the hall is a modern bespoke ply-oak kitchen with fitted cupboards, polished concrete worktops and tiled splashbacks. To the left is a fully tiled bathroom with part-mirrored walls, fitted shelving and a cast-iron radiator.
The living/diningroom extension is bright and spacious, with a polished terrazzo floor with underfloor heating, panelled timber walls and ceiling, two large skylights, a full-height window with a large wooden window seat below and bi-folding doors to the back garden. All the glass here is triple-glazed and there’s also a large aquarium at the back of the extension that also looks out to the back garden. The family’s pet snapping turtle used to live here, but has recently been rehomed, and now the aquarium is filled with a tranquil variety of tropical fish.
Upstairs are two more bedrooms, a large double with dual aspect, built-in wardrobes, fitted presses, original cast-iron fireplace (currently blocked up) and cast-iron radiator. There’s also a wet room fully tiled in a sylvan green, with shower, bespoke ornate sink and part-mirrored walls.
The walled rear garden has raised timber decking and raised flower beds, and the front garden has off-street parking for one car. Monkstown village and Dún Laoghaire town centre are both within walking distance, and nearby schools include CBC Monkstown, St Joseph’s National School, Monkstown Educate Together, Rockford Manor and IADT.
