A shaman’s approach to renovation at €1.195m Blackrock four-bed

As an organisational psychologist, a transformational coach and a shaman, Leisha McGrath describes her work as “bringing change from the inside out”.

And so she brought all her transformational, organisational skills (and her shamanism) to the task of transforming 9 Maretimo Road, Blackrock from a 1930s end-of-terrace, three-bedroomed house into a 21st-century, four-bedroomed residence with air-to-water heating and a plug-in point for the electric car.

The house is part of a scheme of houses built by developer Thomas Archer in the 1930s, who bought the remnants of what was once an extensive property centred around Maretimo House, the seat of the titled Lawless family. The title became extinct when Frederick Lawless, Lord Cloncurry, died in 1929. The 30-room, 18th-century Maretimo mansion was eventually demolished in 1970.

A shaman’s approach to renovation

McGrath and her husband Danny bought 9 Maretimo Road in 2010 when the Irish property market was still in deep shock after the crash of 2007. “We did a very basic job on the house at first, made it liveable, did some minor renovations and put in an Ikea kitchen,” McGrath said.

But after living in the house for six years, they had come to know it and felt ready to take on the job of a more thorough renovation and a significant two-storey extension. Her approach to the task mirrored her approach as an organisational psychologist. McGrath looked at it from the perspective of well-being and energy and ease.

“Reflecting on 10 years of my work, I realised that people are living from the outside in, rather than from the inside out, meaning that people are responding to whoever is shouting the loudest without asking what I want to do here.” She says the work of change and transformation begins with identifying where the energy is and harnessing it.

“Working on an old house is like that and one can often be constrained by voices telling you what cannot be done. It is the same with human beings, our thinking styles and our self-limiting beliefs can hold us back more than anything else.”

Tapping into the strengths of the house, they transformed the building inside and out to suit the kind of life they wanted as a family.

When the renovations began in 2016, they were a family of four with a son and a daughter and wanted to make a home that would suit them all. So, for instance, they didn’t have plans for a playroom but incorporated space for play into the living area and built a den/study with extra soundproofing so that everyone could use it.

McGrath and her husband engaged an architect and a major part of the work involved transforming the former garage into a cube-style section running from front to rear to the left of the entrance. This now contains the den/study on the ground floor, while on the upper floor is a new master bedroom with ensuite, a walk-in wardrobe and a sauna.

The front door was maintained in its original form but around it was built a porch reflecting the style of the new section, giving the effect of a portico. The door opens to the entrance hallway and to the right is the sitting room with the original 1930s tiled fireplace, while the original bay window frame is now fitted with modern glazing.

Wooden sliding doors lead to the rear where the kitchen/dining room runs the width of the back of the house, with bi-folding doors connecting both spaces. The floors throughout the ground floor are in herringbone trunk flooring.

The kitchen has a fitted Langrell kitchen with Silestone worktops, glass door display cabinets, a central island and a range of premium appliances including an integrated fridge and dishwasher. Large sliding doors lead to the rear garden.

The utility, which is accessed off the dining area, is home to a freezer unit, storage spaces, the pump for the air-to-water heating system and a separate shower room with a WC.

Upstairs there are three double bedrooms including the main ensuite bedroom overlooking the front garden, a double room with a bay window to the front and one overlooking the garden to the rear. The original box room has been incorporated into the landing where a custom-made window seat, with under-seat storage, has been installed.

This floor also includes the family bathroom and a laundry room. “I think having the laundry room on the first floor makes sense,” McGrath said, “most of the laundry is generated and stored here so having the washing machine, dryer and ironing board at this level saves all the trucking up and down stairs.”

A fourth bedroom is located at the attic level. The double room has an ensuite bathroom and plenty of natural light from a side window and Velux rooflight.

Many of the original features of the house remain in place including internal doors, ceiling coving, cornicing and fireplaces.

Out of doors to the front of the house is a large pebble stone area with a garden bed containing mature shrubs and trees. There is also a secure outdoor bike storage area and built-in bin storage. The back garden is a smaller space that has been turned in a patio area laid with granite slabs with raised flowerbeds to the sides and an array of trees and shrubs.

The couple now needs a bigger space for potential extended family reasons. “We will be sad to move on as we have been very happy here. We are delighted with the way the house was finished, it has lovely energy and an easy flow to it. We also live in a great community in a cul-de-sac of 12 houses and we will be very sorry to leave but we don’t intend moving too far away.”

Sherry FitzGerald guides €1.195m for No9.