Wednesday, 15 June 2022 | 19.2°C Dublin
Andrew Hayden and Shannon O’Dowd in the once hidden underground room which has has been turned into a living area at their house in Dublin 7 PHOTO: Bryan Meade
Another view of the basement room
The house has two bedrooms
The Perch, Synnott Row, Phibsborough, Dublin 7 Asking price: €475,000 Agent: Owen Reilly (01) 6777100
W hen Andrew Hayden and his wife Shannon O’Dowd bought The Perch on Synnott Row in Phibsborough it was a rundown warehouse, previously used to store goods from a shop located in a building behind it.
But little did they know when they bought it with the intention of turning it into their dream home, that it had a secret room hidden in its depths.
The bonus basement room is today accessed by a spiral staircase hidden behind a wall in the dining room. Now it is a cosy TV room, which could equally be used as an office.
Another view of the basement room
The shop is now a Turkish barber’s and the warehouse has been transformed by the couple into into a swanky 775 sq ft two bedroom city centre pad.
Andrew from Dalkey and Shannon from Manly in Sydney first met in Krystal nightclub on Dublin’s Harcourt Street and were married in 2016.
Andrew works for a property facilitating company and first came across the warehouse while scouring the internet for a home in Phibsborough.
Shannon was working for an airline at the time and the area offered easy access to the airport. “We were looking for something that we could afford, and we managed to find it for €175,000,” says Andrew. “Luckily, it already had planning permission, so we decided to turn it into a house.”
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They hired Brendan Money from RMA Architects and their first port of call was to strengthen the walls of the period building with steel. They then planned to add internal walls to create room in what was otherwise a shell.
To their surprise however they found there was an extra room hidden below the floor. “The builders started opening everything up. They were digging up the floor thinking it was solid concrete. They gave me a call one day and said, ‘Andrew, you know you’ve got a room down here?’ There was a basement room that we didn’t know about as it hadn’t been on any of the plans.”
They initially plumbed its depth by dropping coins down into the void that first appeared in the floor when it was being pulled up.
While there was nothing down there, the extra room which was likely closed up and hidden for decades, would prove to be a big bonus to the property’s buyers for use as an additional reception.
It currently houses a couch and has a gas fire housed in a wooden frame along with the big screen tv.
Overall the interior design, throughout the house is best described as urban minimalist. It’s a look they based on a friend’s house, a new build in Malahide. “We were impressed by the level of finishes, so we emulated that as much as possible,” explains Andrew, adding that they used designer Emma Power from Elmgray to help them with the paint colours and furnishings.
You enter the house through a hallway which has Welsh Oak laminated floors, and this same flooring is found throughout the downstairs. The hall leads to the kitchen/dining area.
The kitchen is a simple design, chosen by Shannon. It has cream units with brass knurled handles and quartz worktop, as well as Tap and Neff appliances. There’s an extended counter here which fits two high stools and over hanging lights.
“The light fittings reminded us of a cocktail bar, which seems ridiculous now that we have a baby,” laughs Andrew. “The cocktails are few and far between at the moment.”
The open dining area has a round wooden table and chairs and there’s a reclining yellow chair in the corner. There’s also a larder unit accessed by a door. The stairs and upstairs is carpeted in Provence grey Windsor Velvet carpet and there are two bedrooms.
The house has two bedrooms
The master has an en suite bathroom and both are doubles. The main bathroom features terrazzo blanco flooring and grey wall tiles. There’s a heated shower rail and matt black bathroom units.
The standout feature however is the roof top garden which is why the house is called The Perch. “We loved our roof top garden so much that we decided to name the house after it. It’s like a bird’s perch,” says Andrew.
The rooftop gets the sun all day as the house faces southwest and there is nothing overlooking it. It’s designed as an outside room, with decking underfoot and comfortable outdoor furniture and furnishings. Glass railings protect it on all sides and the couple have installed a number of olive trees in pots.
“Nobody can see you at all,” says Andrew. “We’ve had parties up there from time to time and you can even sunbathe there in the summer and it’s completely private.”
Phibsborough is, of course, close to Dublin city centre. But inside, the house is surprisingly quiet given its location close to the North Circular Road.
Despite all the work the couple have done to transform the building in just a year and a half, what they failed to envisage was just how their lives would change on the arrival of their baby George who is now a year old.
“The city life that we thought we would love is not happening now,” laughs Andrew. “Once our baby came along everything changed.”
The house is not ideal for a growing baby, learning how to walk. Realising this, the couple have decided to sell up and move to the suburbs.
“We’d like somewhere with more space and a garden,” says Andrew. “It will be great not to have worry about putting up stair guards.”
In addition, Shannon has decided to be a stay-at-home mum and no longer needs to be near to Dublin Airport. She and Andrew are however sad to see the property go. “We will be 100 per cent miss it,” says Andrew.
“But it would be nice to see it used for what it’s meant for. I think it would suit a young city-loving couple perfectly.” Owen Reilly is seeking €475,000 on behalf of the couple.
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