Méadbh Stronge and Graham Harris’ love of history was to the fore when renovating this Blackrock house
Asking price: €675,000
Agent: DNG Rock Road (01) 283 2900
When it comes to buying a house, a knowledge of architecture is an advantage. A trained architect will know exactly what to look for; what to avoid in terms of structure and layout; and they can generally envisage the finished aesthetic.
When architect Méadbh Stronge and her husband Graham Harris, who has a background in architectural technology but works as a project manager, bought San Antonio, a two-bedroom, semi-detached home in Blackrock, their architectural knowledge came to the fore. “As architects, we knew exactly what we were letting ourselves in for,” says Harris. “We both have the practical knowledge to restore a house, and Méadbh has a keen eye for design, so we knew we could lean on each other’s expertise.”
Graham Harris and Méadbh Stronge at San Antonio. Photo: Bryan Meade
“We were so used to working on other people’s homes, so we were dying to sink our teeth into our own,” adds Stronge. “I have an absolute grá for older buildings, so I loved the idea of buying somewhere that has history.”
Stronge is from Athlone, Co Westmeath, and Harris from Clonmel, Co Tipperary, but they were renting in Dublin. They started looking at houses to buy in early 2020. They found San Antonio, a double-fronted 668 sq ft semi-detached home, built circa 1950s, quite quickly. “It hadn’t been lived in for a while, but it was evident it had been well looked after, and that a lot of work had gone into the garden,” she says.
The kitchen of San Antonio, 7 St Fintan’s Villas, Blackrock, Co Dublin
It was not habitable, however. “There was no heating and no insulation,” explains Harris. “It had the original windows and there was no bathroom upstairs.”
They went sale agreed just before the pandemic, but it was the end of 2021 before they could move in. In the meanwhile, a lot of work was carried out.
The living room of San Antonio, 7 St Fintan’s Villas, Blackrock, Co Dublin
“We wanted to make the house as energy efficient as possible,” says Harris. “We insulated all of the walls and the attic, and added under floor heating. We also installed an A-rated gas combi boiler, and a gas stove in the sitting room, which fits nicely into the wall.”
When it came to replacing the windows, they stuck with the original proportions of the sash windows at the front to keep the original look, but in the back, they added clear, triple-glazed windows to let the light in.
Another view of the living room at San Antonio, 7 St Fintan’s Villas, Blackrock, Co Dublin
They didn’t make any structural changes to the building but they did change the layout. “We wanted to maximise the space to ultimately suit our lifestyle,” says Stronge. “As a result, we removed the small downstairs bathroom and replaced it with a utility room, and added a bathroom upstairs.”
A bathroom at San Antonio, 7 St Fintan’s Villas, Blackrock, Co Dublin
In the kitchen, they installed a built-in seat, with storage underneath, and a counter that pulls out to create a table. “We thought about everything very carefully and drew on our experience as architects,” says Stronge. “For example, when we first bought the house, the windows were quite small, which made it dark. However, we wanted to make use of the light coming in from the south-facing back garden, so we put a large window in the hallway and designed a customised door, which folds into the wall. Then, we painted the walls white to bounce the light into the kitchen at the front.”
The nursery of San Antonio, 7 St Fintan’s Villas, Blackrock, Co Dublin
Upstairs, they also attempted to maximise the space. “In the bedrooms, we opened up the roof to add height and installed oak beams and recess lighting,” says Harris. “It changes the atmosphere completely, making it airy and bright.”
Stronge made most of the decisions regarding the interior design. “I like the idea of having a clean space and then adding art, ornaments, antiques and furniture to give it personality,” she says.
The master bedroom of San Antonio, 7 St Fintan’s Villas, Blackrock, Co Dublin
An antique screen in the sitting room, for example, combined with a white ‘pringle’ shaped white lamp shade, gives the room an Asian feel. A mirror on the wall above the stove here reflects the artwork on the opposite wall. There’s a guitar hanging on the wall, which Harris plays.
Upstairs, in the nursery, there’s a bent-wood rocking chair, which is also antique. “The decor is a mixture of the old and the new, which appeals to me,” Stronge adds.
The garden of San Antonio, 7 St Fintan’s Villas, Blackrock, Co Dublin
In addition, they rewired and re-plumbed the house, and installed provision for electric charging of a car. They painted the front door pink to pick up the hues of a mature hydrangea bush which grows outside. They also tidied up the flowerbeds and added gravel underfoot. In addition, they restored a plaque with ‘San Antonio’, the name of the house, which hangs at the front.
There’s a big garden to the rear and the side of the house and here, they left the mature trees and shrubbery, but removed a hedgerow which blocked the view, and tied up the lawn. There’s a patio with a table and chairs outside the back door. “It’s a real suntrap in the summer and it’s very quiet,” says Harris.
The back of the garden at San Antonio, 7 St Fintan’s Villas, Blackrock, Co Dublin
The house is located across the road from Deansgrange graveyard. “It adds to the feeling of peace and means it won’t be developed in the future,” he adds.
It’s an established community and the couple felt welcomed by their neighbours from the moment they moved in. “The area offers access to all kinds of amenities and there’s a great coffee shop in the graveyard called The Tranquil Tearooms, which we go to a lot. The scones are amazing and sell out quickly,” says Stronge.
The couple married in 2023 and had a baby daughter called Fiadh last October. They’re selling the house now as they want to move closer to their families, and hope to start a new project.
“We’ve really enjoyed working on this house. We tried to retain elements of the previous owners,” says Stronge. “We’ve put our mark on it now and I’m sure the next owners will add their mark. That’s the great thing about an old house like this and it’s something that really appealed to us. The cycle continues…”
DNG is seeking €675,000.