32 Ivar Street, Stoneybatter, Dublin 7 Asking price: €500,000 Agent: Sherry FitzGerald (01) 860 3956
avid and Helen Holt fell in love with Stoneybatter after years of renting a house in a central Dublin enclave.
In 2013, the Wicklow-born pair decided it was time to put down roots in trendy suburbia. This suburb just so happens to be the only one in Ireland to be listed as one of the coolest neighborhoods in the world this year. time out.
At the time, David was working in the financial sector as a day trader and Helen was doing well as a lawyer. Both had come to Dublin to attend Trinity College.
The particular house that caught Helen’s eye was 32 Ivor Street. “We passed by it every day, and the gate beside it had a big appropriate yellow smiley face painted on it. It seemed to tell us something.”
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32 Ivar Street house exterior
Then when David’s uncle tells Stoney Batter he has a friend trying to sell the property. He turned out to be No32. “We met him at Darcy McGee’s pub in Arklow[Helen’s hometown]and had a great meal,” says David.
“He was a scientist in his 80s. He was going to marry a young woman and live with her.The house he was selling was his childhood home and he was very attached to it.
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Helen and David Holt with daughters Abigail and Daniel
“So we talked about the house and suggested a price and he agreed. He held out his hand and we held it. We weren’t even in it. But these most of the houses are very similar.
“My father, Joe, was also a builder and worked with him every summer from the age of 14 until college. So we were confident that whatever the shape of the interior, we could handle it.”
“But there were pitfalls,” says Helen. “He turned out to be a very bad hoarder, and when we went inside, we found that the house was piled up all over the place.
“He said he needed to sort out his stuff before he could process the sale. So weeks turned into months and months turned into a year and a half. I found it too difficult to throw away.”
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Clive Christian’s kitchen painted blue by Helen and David
Finally, David’s uncle sat him down and said, “These guys really need to move.”
The scientist’s reaction was unexpected. “He gave us the keys and asked us to do it,” says David. “And we were much stricter than he was, which means he kept the pile of rotten floorboards that we threw away.
And it wasn’t until the house was completely cleaned up that the Holts realized there was a more serious problem.
“He was doing the roof at one point so it was fine, but the floorboards were gone on both floors. ‘ says David.
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Dining area with floor-to-ceiling windows
But in many ways it was a blessing. That paved the way for a modern renovation that allowed for a large open-plan and sun-saturated space downstairs.At its center was a contemporary concrete floating staircase that they poured in place .
“The next step was to come up with the rail idea,” says David. “I thought long and hard about it and did a lot of research. There were all kinds of options, like tempered glass and rails with steel coil spindles. But it came to me. Porter of Temple Bar.” I remember there was a staircase in the house and copper pipe rails around it.”
Helen adds:
So David and Joe start over and embark on a lengthy investigative mission to Porterhouse. “We sat there for a long time, having drinks and studying coppersmithing,” said David. “It actually took me a while to find the right size of copper tubing, but I managed and installed it myself.”
David’s father Joe worked with them extensively over the course of 18 months to complete the renovations. “We are so grateful for his help and his expertise. He has a lot to give to how well the house looks,” says Helen.
“By removing the floor, we were able to increase the height of the downstairs room,” says David. “Now it helps bring in more light from the edges of the garden.
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Rooftop deck overlooking the street
The house has been rewired, re-plumbed and new bathrooms installed. “My parents were the original owners, so it’s changed very little since it was first created. It had an outdoor toilet,” says Helen. The couple demolished this and the shed to make room to expand the kitchen. They installed floor-to-ceiling glass at this end, overlooking the garden.
David adds: He was always calling to see how we were doing and following up on our work and seemed fascinated by everything. ”
Meanwhile, another piece of luck for the couple was finding an incredible kitchen in an abandoned building.
“The kitchen is my pride and joy,” says Helen. “She’s one of my favorite items in the house. She was white when I got it, but I painted it the current blue. I love it.”
David adds: Having worked with his father a lot, he had his eye on a good job. It looked beautiful and very well made.
“The Macs rep said they took it out of a house on Shrewsbury Road. When it came over they said it was Clive Christian and was worth over €100,000.
And while “big house” kitchens don’t usually fit on a stoney batter’s terrace, the huge open-plan lower floor that Holtz opened up was perfect for this statement installation.
“After painting, I found copper handles and copper lights to match the stair railing,” says David. Since moving out, his two girls, Abigail, 7, and Daniel, 5, have been born. Using the roof deck I found myself near old apple and plane trees. She “remembered that she grew up in Wicklow,” Helen said.
“I wanted girls to experience what we grew up with: running in the woods, swimming in rivers and the ocean.”
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one of the double bedrooms
So they bought it near Glendalough and now sell the No32.
They also changed careers. The couple now run the Earth Medicine Community Retreat in Avondale.
Their scientist ended up traveling the world with his wife before he died, instead of sitting on a pile of stuff at home. “He kept calling for tea and went to see the house. says.
No32 features a large open plan living/dining/kitchen, large sliding doors to the city garden, two double bedrooms and a modern bathroom.
At just under 900 square feet, it’s significantly larger than most Stoneybatter Terraces and also comes with a coveted B3 rating. And there is an overhead roof deck for relaxing on summer nights.
Shelly Fitzgerald is asking for half a million euros.
