Victorian renaissance
Friday October 30 2009
When Ciara Kelly and her husband Eoin bought Dysart on Kimberley Road, Greystones at the beginning of 2003, it was a wreck. The couple paid €540,000 for the Victorian house and had a further €60,000 set aside for repairs.
"We knew it was a doer upper" says Ciara, "but we really had no idea what we had taken on.
"Everything we did that we thought would be a €200 kind of a job ended up being a €3,000 kind of a job.
"At one stage I really thought we weren't going to have enough money to finish it, but we had no choice.
"We couldn't live in it and we couldn't sell it -- we couldn't do anything but finish it."
In the end, the couple spent around €180,000 on the renovations, three times their original budget. But it was money well spent.
They replaced the roof, insulating it in the process; re-pointed the outside walls; injected a damp-proof course into the walls; replaced the floors and put underfloor insulation in the old part of the house; put in gutters and drainage.
They were anxious to keep as much of the original house as possible:
"We took out and treated any wood that we kept, so all the wood in the house is under warranty."
The house, which was used as a safe house for Michael Collins -- his aunt owned it at one time, is impeccably restored.
Measuring 166sqm (1,790sq ft) it faces south-west, with coastal views to Bray Head.
Granite steps lead to the tiled porch of the front entrance and into the wide hallway with its pitch pine flooring and dado rail.
The living room is a large reception room with a bay window, cast iron open fireplace, picture rail and coving.
The family room is another reception room, with a cast iron fireplace, picture rail and pitch pine floor.
The kitchen has a range of handmade wooden wall and floor kitchen units, centre island with reclaimed oak countertop, Belfast sink, Parkinson Cowen freestanding oven and gas hob.
The kitchen has a door to the utility room and is open to the dining room, which is dual-aspect with three Velux windows, a pitch pine solid wood floor, recessed lighting and glass panelled French doors that lead to a patio area outside.
Upstairs, the master bedroom is a double room with original cast iron open fireplace and tiled hearth. It features a box bay window with sea views. As well as the balcony, the room also has a fully tiled en suite bathroom with rain shower.
There are also three more bedrooms and family bathroom with rain shower.
Ciara and Eoin have just had their fourth child, so they are looking for a larger house. Would they go for another doer-upper?
"We said we wouldn't until recently, and now we think we would. Both Eoin and I have a huge love of old houses, and I must say I love this house. It's funny, people think that if you are moving, especially if you have cut your price to move, they think you must have been made redundant or are getting divorced. We have just had our fourth child so it is the old fashioned reason -- we just want a bigger house."
One thing is for sure, they won't be leaving the area.
"Greystones is a fantastic town for families. We have on our doorstep a tennis club, a rugby club, a GAA club, a soccer club -- there is an athletics park, a skate park -- the kids have a wealth of activities they can do after school.
"There is a lot of fundraising and a lot of community based stuff going on. There is a great sense of community here and you can put down roots very quickly."
Sherry FitzGerald are asking €695,000. Tel 01 2509499
- Yvonne Hogan
Irish Independent
