When thinking outside the box paid space dividends for semi-d's home owners

YOU have to look just a little bit harder to see how the owner of 1 Manor Villas went “above and beyond” when doing extension works and upgrades to his home.

A long-time owner of the 1980s/1990s-built two-storey home in the sizeable McInerney Developments Thornbury development, living in for a couple of decades, he later used the services of Sigma Homes about seven years ago for an extension, to the side and upstairs.

But, he went that bit further when adding upstairs on the side, working with Sigma builders’ Patrick O’Brien to project or cantilever a section out over the side passage’s ‘air space’ to create a larger first floor en suite main bedroom, which is now home to a decent-sized bedroom with lofted or vaulted ceiling.

This new first floor room is a few vital feet wider than the room under it, thanks to the side projection, done in timber frame on steel supports/RSJs: the upshot is more space, without losing external/bins access to the back garden due to what Mr O’Brien dubs ‘free land’ on the side.

Now, midships by the newly-created main bedroom ‘suite’ there’s a walk-through wardrobe dressing room, leading to a private en suite bathroom with shower.

It all helps add to the overall floor area, naturally, as well as the usefulness of the home today with four first-floor bedrooms for any trade-up family in the wider Rochestown catchment.

And, what of the ground floor now?

Well, the left hand side has the original layout of front and rear reception rooms, now interconnected with double doors, while the kitchen’s now on the back right hand side of the enlarged home, with patio access, whilst the front right has a small room facing the drive, with shower room behind.

This could be an occasional fifth/guest bedroom, but it’s small, just about 6’ wide, so there’s room for a single bed at best: best to use it as a home office, perhaps, with handy guest WC beside it?

No 1 is deep with the wider Thornbury scheme which has wide mix of house sizes and styles, including bungalows; a drive through shows a number of updates in various styles and shapes.

Interior-wise, No 1 is in very clean order, with solid oak internal doors, pretty much all new flooring, carpet, solid timber and laminate in the bedrooms and timber-style laminate in the bedrooms.

Estate agent Mark Gosling of Behan Irwin Gosling guides at a widely reachable €485,000, and notes it is very much in walk-in order.

It’s been a private home first and foremost but was rented for the last year or so after the owner’s move to Kerry, but with its interior order, walnut kitchen and rooms on the side, it’s certain to be bought as a family home.

Mr Gosling says the west-facing home offers more house for the money than other semi-Ds in the wider Rochestown area, and comes with off-street parking, and an enclosed mature back garden with shed, printed concrete patio and that very useful, retained, side passage access from front to back.

The Price Register shows over 60 resales at Thornbury, the last in the ‘villas’ section was way back in 2016 when No 4 made €305,000, while No 11 Manor Close sold during 2023 for €670,000.

VERDICT: Going that little bit ‘outside the box’ when adding to/converting the standard ‘attached garage’ clearly pays dividends: it’s a bit more work for a builder, needs an engineer for sure, but once the work and disruption is done and forgotten, is so worth it.