"Literally everything else needed doing. The house didn't even have a bathroom, just an outdoor wc, " explains Sheedy, a banker by day but DIY enthusiast by night.

"I love the idea of a challenge and had no interest in buying a home that was completed by someone else. We wanted to put our own stamp on this house, so it suited perfectly, " he explains.

One full year later, with the help of his architect father, a plumber and electrician, Sheedy and Murnane had practically re-built the property, knocking down walls, extending the kitchen, installing a bathroom, wiring, plumbing, and laying new salvaged wood floors.

It was hard work but they achieved exactly the look they wanted, bright, open and fresh.

In fact, while most visitors expect a pretty, old-world home behind the hall doors, they get quite a shock when they see just how cool and contemporary this home is.

Downstairs is one large open-plan area, stretching out to the kitchen where a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows open out to the beautifully landscaped garden.

"I hate small pokey rooms, so we decided to knock down the wall between the front and back room, " says Sheedy. However, retaining the two fireplaces means there is a focus for seating areas both to the front and back, and the simple white walls are a great backdrop for the artwork dotted around the place.

The Shaker-style kitchen, which is completely new, was extended both outward and sideways, and double patio doors open out to the 24ftlong patio garden, which has been professionally landscaped, and includes a raised dining area.

Upstairs there are two double bedrooms, and on the return level there is an impressive bathroom with feature round window, double shower and full bath. The bathroom is in what was originally a third single bedroom.

The front bedroom is very spacious and runs the entire width of the house and has double windows and an original cast-iron fireplace. Duckegg blue walls contrast well with the timber flooring here, and there is plenty of storage space. The back bedroom is another double with timber flooring and cast-iron fireplace.

Overall, the property has a floor area of 84.5sq m (910sq ft). Just off the Drumcondra Road, close to Croke Park and about 25 minutes' walk from the city centre, this is the perfect city home.

The couple are hoping to stay in the Drumcondra area and are on the lookout for yet another building challenge. "I couldn't bear to move into a house with nothing to do in it.

Renovating is great fun!"

Price: 595,000 Agent: Sherry FitzGerald 01-8373737