The Sunday Times | Updated and contemporary | 18 Woodside, Dodder Park Road, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14

New to market: 18 Woodside, Dodder Park Road, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14, €695,000

When Arthur and Grainne Cassidy bought 18 Woodside at the end of 2015, the house – located in a quiet cul de sac off Dodder Park Road – was much the same as when it was built in the mid-1990s.

“It was in very good condition,” says Arthur, “but it felt a bit dated. The original kitchen and bathrooms were still there.”

The couple set about a top-to-bottom updating of the house, for which they paid €599,000, according to the Property Price Register. They started by decorating the ground floor, painting and wallpapering, and putting in new walnut laminate floors, doing much of the work themselves over bank holiday weekends.

The biggest change was to remove the wall dividing the kitchen from the dining room and turn it into one big contemporary space. It is now a stylish room with a bright blue island unit topped with Silestone and brand-new wall and floor units. There’s a clever larder unit and integrated appliances include a Stanley induction hob, dishwasher and a large fridge-freezer set in a specially-constructed recess. As well as looking super-smart, Grainne says the Silestone worktop has made her a better baker. “I was at my sister’s house recently and I couldn’t manage to roll out the pastry for a lemon tart. I’ve got so used to using the Silestone – it’s brilliant.”

The kitchen opens onto the garden, where there is a decked patio area. Also on the ground floor are a study, guest lavatory and store-room with access to an outside cupboard where the couple keep the washing machine.

Upstairs there are four bedrooms, three of them doubles. The fourth is a single to the front of the house, currently used as a walk-in wardrobe. The master bedroom is papered in a colourful bird pattern Grainne first spotted at the Westenra Arms Hotel in Monaghan and tracked down online. It has an en-suite shower room, and the family bathroom features a modern slipper bath the couple purchased with the winnings on a scratch card. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to pay for the taps as well,” says Arthur.

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