Unique and original design

Tommy Barker finds a carefully modernised home with designer touches and flair

LACHPUR, in one of Waterford city’s chic suburban settings on Williamstown Road, has the hallmarks still of its original mid-1900s architectural era from the outside: it is all curved white walls, flat top roof, and a mix of large and small feature window sizes to break from boring, white box standards.

And, there’s now planning permission in place as well to grow Lachpur in size from its current and ‘perfectly fine’ 2,100 sq ft right up to 3,100 sq ft. That’s to be achieved by adding on another level on top of its existing flat roof, also to be flat-topped, as a final flourish to keep faith with its roots.

This single storey family home has already been carefully modernised inside, with designer touches and flair and some interesting furniture and fittings, but has been done by its owners of the past eight years or so without losing essential integrity.

Best of all, though, it is on an elevated Williamstown Road half acre site, private behind high stone walls, with great gardens for children, as well as outer-city and long, cheering Suir estuary views.

Within its stark white curved external walls, it has two big living rooms, each with garden access, one has a hefty old pine fireplace, the other a slightly elevated gas fire, and wood floors predominate.

There’s a study, five bedrooms at present, with the master bed en suite — and this main sleeping room also has a walk-in wardrobe and a walk-out option onto the banks of back garden decking, ideal for early morning coffee taking.

There’s a pine-dominated kitchen/dining area with tiled floor, and a utility and guest bathroom as well.

“It is uniquely designed, ideal for mixing entertaining friends and also coping with the everyday living demands of a family home,” says selling agent Michael Morrissey, who adds that the recent grant of permission to extend to the side and upwards allows it swell to the size of some of the other big homes here on what’s a bit of a local “Millionaires’ Row”.

VERDICT: With its curved walls and flat roof, this will appeal to buyers looking for something outside the usual hum-drum, in a great Waterford location. The chance to add another flat roof level on top allows as well for an energy efficiency improvement, thanks to today’s more advanced roofing materials and insulation options.