Tag Archives: D4

14 Gilford Road, Sandymount

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14 Gilford Road, Sandymount, Dublin 4

14 Gilford Road, Sandymount, Dublin 4

This house has potential. It’s a word that makes me shudder because in reality in means gutting the house and spending three times as much as you planned over twice as long as you planned to get a house that looks like the one you have in your head. Still though, this house has potential.

The side of the house is odd, the way the front door looks like it’s in a lean to and the bare grey wall crying out for painting. I’m not sure about the windows, and there’s something funny going on in the corner between the bay window and the rest of the house at roof level. Street view reveals a garage to the side, and what looks like an awkward extension. 1507sqft is tight for a four bedroom, especially a four bed in this area. It’s more like an overgrown three bed, but if it’s well laid out inside it might be ok.

Inside there’s a radiator in the hall, so central heating has clearly been installed at some stage, but every fireplace is blocked by an ugly electric unit. What matters is that the fire places are still there though. Hidden as they are under layers of paint. Stripping them won’t be fun, but is probably possible. The other features like the folding doors in the sitting room and the bannisters are also lovely.

The light is good at the front of the house, but I’m not sure which way the house actually faces. The photos of the back garden show it as very dark, but if the house is East/West you may be ok for parts of the day. No photos of the bathroom or the kitchen and I don’t see many plugs dotted about the place. I also have questions over the garage, the extension out the back, and the overall internal layout of the house. Wonder what the planners would say about changing those around.

It needs gutting, it needs reorganising, but there is scope there. In short it has potential.

Ringend Road, Ringsend, Dublin 4

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Ringend Road, Ringsend, Dublin 4

Ringend Road, Ringsend, Dublin 4

Ringsend is an area that interests me. It’s central, it’s in a good postcode, it’s on the sea, and yet it’s known as a bad area. I have to admit it’s not an area I know well. I guess until recently it was slightly geographically isolated as transport links and city development focused on the West of the city. Going back a bit, Grand Canal Dock DART station, and later the docklands development and the LUAS extension that has changed somewhat, and I get the feeling Ringsend is seeing some of the benefits.

From the front photo this house is in Ok but not great nick. The windows look new, but the roof looks old, and I really don’t like the look of that drain pipe to the right of the photo. It seems to empty straight onto the groundfloor roof, and it seems to belong to the neighbours, which might cause you problems it’s difficult to fix.

Inside the house seems to be newly done up and ready to move into. It looks like a property developer property that was commonly seen on TV shows circa 2005. White walls, clean, feature fire place, central heating in evidence, uplighters on the walls, and electrical sockets in place. The extension out the back looks impressive. Unlike most of these type of houses it looks recent and well done, and includes the all important upstairs bathroom. Weirdly the roof at the back of the house looks brand new in contrast to the roof at the front of the house.

I actually really like this house. It’s curiously impressive. It’s a bit overpriced though.

Walford, Shrewsbury Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4

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Walford, Shrewsbury Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4

Walford, Shrewsbury Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4

Unlike some of its neighbours on Shrewsbury Road, this house genuinely has character. It does look a little forlorn right now, but there are glimpses of what it could be all over the place.

In the photo of the front you can see a balcony on the first floor, the twin arches in front of the main entrance with some climbing plants growing up them, the sunroom to the right cleaned up and sparkling . . .

Inside the plans show a house that has that warren like feel you only find in real old houses. The floorplan looks like it works, the light pouring in through the windows is promising. Throughout you get glimpses of the features that make this house, the stairs, the huge front door, the stained glass, the balconies. There’s only one unpromising photo of a fireplace though, have they been ripped out? Refurbishment wise, this house needs alot done to it. There’s no evidence of running water, electricity or central heating in the photos. It’s a shell on which you’ll have to put a stamp, at a cost of several hundred thousand euros (if not more)

What really makes the house is the garden though. There are not many houses in D4 where the aerial photo convinces you it’s a one off house in Kildare. Room for a pool, a tennis court and a pony. Could you be sister Violet?