‘We were lucky because they’d just put in the windows when all building had to stop for a time’

Asking price: €675,000

Agent: Kelly Bradshaw Dalton (01) 8040500

​One of the great difficulties facing Irish people who spend years living abroad is buying a house on their return. The fact that they haven’t worked or lived in the country for a period of years can go against them.

When Dee Stobbs, a learning experience designer from Oranmore, Galway, moved home from Australia in 2015 with her now-husband Michael Stobbs — an accountant from Forfar in Scotland — it was pretty typical for banks to insist on a record of steady working income in Ireland of at least a year or two before considering a returnee for a mortgage loan.

But Dee and Michael also found it problematic to rent as a couple in the interim, with requirements to produce payslips and references. They ended up living with friends for the first two years.

Finally they went out searching for a house to buy. “It was nearly easier to buy a property than to rent as a couple in Dublin, and that was in 2015,” says Dee. “I can only imagine how it is now with the lack of accommodation available.”

They eventually came across 36 Millmount Avenue, a two-bedroom 1,228 sq ft Edwardian terraced house in Drumcondra, in 2017, a few months after they’d married. “We fell in love with the red brick and the old-fashioned fireplaces,” says Dee.

The first thing they did when they moved in was to get a dog — a golden retriever called Rosie. After a year, they set about renovating and reconfiguring the house. It had been built in 1910 and extended at the back in the 1980s.

“The mainstay of the building was a long, narrow extension at the back which wasn’t in great condition,” says Michael. “It had an unworkable galley kitchen and a bathroom behind it which wasn’t practical.”

We naively thought we could live in the house while the work was being done, but we quickly found it wasn’t possible

They planned to add an upstairs extension and renovate it and began the work just before the pandemic in 2019. “We naively thought we could live in the house while the work was being done, but we quickly found it wasn’t possible,” says Dee.

As luck would have it, however, their neighbours, a group of young men who were sharing a house on the same road, offered them a room to rent. The couple lived there for a few weeks and then the pandemic hit.

“I remember the day Leo Varadkar made an announcement, about Covid, on TV. Dee said ‘Right, we’re moving to Galway’,” recalls Michael. “We threw some clothes into a bag, grabbed the dog, and got into the car. We thought we’d be gone for a week, but in fact it was nine months, and we didn’t bring enough!”

They lived in Oranmore, Co Galway with Dee’s father, Roddy Wyse, who was on his own at the time, and Dee’s sister and her daughter. “We had a ball. It was just a quaint, simple time,” says Dee.

Builders were still allowed to work, and the restoration of the house continued in the following months. “The architect and the builder kept us updated on their progress in our absence,” says Michael. “We were lucky because they’d just put in the windows when all building had to stop for a time.”

The kitchen was expanded and the ceiling raised. The bathroom at the back was demolished and they installed a downstairs bathroom under the stairs. “We thought about knocking the wall between the living room at the front and the kitchen and making it completely open-plan, but in the end, we decided against it,” says Dee.

A double bedroom with an ensuite bathroom was built over the extension at the back and a main bathroom added upstairs. They converted the attic into another room with a staircase, and storage in the eves. It’s currently used as an office, but it could serve as a bedroom.

The couple added new sash double-glazed windows at the front and painted every room. The work still left original features at the house intact, including the hardwood floorboards, the cast iron chimney pieces, the front door, the panelling on the downstairs walls, and the architraves and cornicing in the high ceilings at the front.

It wasn’t all plain sailing, however. Dee and Michael were limited in their options for furniture and fittings because of the pandemic. Originally, they planned for the kitchen to be ‘Hunter Green’, for example, but opted for ‘Springhill Midnight’ by BeSpace, as the green was not available.

The blue combines well with the white walls and floor tiles. It’s now an airy, light-filled room with two skylights in the roof and a window seat. It has an island with a double sink, overhanging lamps and colourful artwork on the wall.

“The garden is south-facing and a real suntrap,” adds Michael. “It’s also not over-looked so despite being in the centre of Dublin, it’s very peaceful.”

Although neither were familiar with Dublin before moving here, they’ve come to love it. “In hindsight we got lucky, as we love Drumcondra,” says Michael. “It’s near to all amenities and there’s a good sense of community.”

“Our dog Rosie helped us to fall in love with the area,” adds Dee. “Whilst walking her in the park, we met other dog owners and became friends. Drumcondra feels like living in a small town.”

The week they moved back into the house in June 2020, Dee found out she was pregnant with their first baby, Maisie, who is now three years old. They’ve since had Noah, who is 22 months.

They’re both nostalgic about leaving the house now as so much has happened since they first moved in, but they’ve bought another house in the area. “We’ve had a lot of firsts here, but at least we’re not going too far away,” says Michael.

“The house has been very good to us, and we’ve had some very memorable times,” adds Dee. “But it’s time to move on.”

Agent Kelly Bradshaw Dalton seeks €675,000 on the Stobbs’ behalf.