Complete makeover in D12
THE early 1950s model Ford Anglia, with its muscular 10 horsepower engine, had a top speed of 57mph and could do 0-50mph in less than a minute.
Back in the 1950s, when the houses at Greentrees Road in Dublin 12 were built, the sheer, white-knuckle power of the Ford Anglia would have been the method of choice for making the neighbours jealous.
Private car ownership had really taken off post-war and these houses were designed to appeal to buyers who already had cars to show off and to those who had every intention of keeping up.
All the houses had garages, first because your Anglia had to be kept out of the rain and, second, because you needed some place to change the oil every 5,000 miles — a job you would do yourself, afterwards cleaning your hands on a brand-new white tea towel in the brand-new Formica kitchen.
But today, very few of the houses at Greentrees Road still have garages. Cars have long since been trained to start in the wet and, in any case, people don’t tinker with them any more for fear of voiding the warranty.
Instead the garages have almost all been converted to family rooms or play rooms or — as in the case of Number 27 — nanny’s quarters.
The conversion was part of a complete makeover of the property, also including an extension that has boosted the space to 1,680 sq ft.
The garage conversion has its own entrance and consists of a kitchen, living room and bathroom.
The single-storey rear extension makes for an open-plan kitchen and family room with skylights and full-height windows giving onto the garden.
The kitchen also has double doors to a sitting room, and there are three bedrooms upstairs (one en-suite).
Number 27 is for sale for €545,000 with DNG Terenure (01) 490 9000.