More than you think, actually.

Joanne Maher and husband Stephen McManus's 1920s' Tudorstyle home on Temple Road, Blackrock, Co Dublin is a real Mary Poppins of a house . . . 'practically perfect in every way' . . . from the flexible layout to the pale but interesting decor, choice of furnishings, techno gadgetry and not forgetting the fab hidden extras that you can't even see.

Their home didn't always look this good tbough. When Joanne and Stephen bought it four years ago it was a case of wrong layout, right location. So they hatched a plan to open it right up to let the sunshine in without comprising the house's original charm.

The renovation took six months to complete and the result is a real testament to Joanne's talent as an architect (she currently works for Dun Laoghaire County Council), influenced by Stephen's love of Scandi simplicity and honest practical design.

"It doesn't look it, but this house needed a lot of work, " says Joanne.

"In fact most of what we've done you can't even see."

They ripped out the ceilings in all the rooms, insulated and replaced them and installed new plumbing, radiators and pipes, drylined the external walls and even removed the wooden architraves around the windows to insulate underneath, then carefully put them back again. They also took up the original wideplank wooden floorboards, insulated underneath and painstakingly relaid them.

"As an architect it would have been tempting to rip everything out and start again but we didn't want to do anything that took away from the integrity of the house. We've kept as much of the original details as possible and reused what we took out elsewhere in the house, " says Joanne.

The biggest obvious design change is the layout. Having two children (Dylan and Myles) Joanne and Stephen wanted to create a family friendly space, so they knocked the kitchen and dining room into one big open-plan room, put in an uber cool (but seriously practical) grey Bravo kitchen and added double-glazed doors out to the garden, created a storage room in the hall (re-using the original door from the old dining room) and added a really clever WC cum utility under the stairs. Upstairs they knocked two pokey bathrooms into one indulgent spa-like sanctuary with wall-hung sanitaryware, deep inset bath and double walk-in shower with rain shower head.

When reconfiguring the space, this forward-thinking pair not only created a home for the present, but also one for the future. The deck off the kitchen has been wired and plumbed for an extension and there's plenty of space in the attic for converting.

By keeping the colour scheme neutral throughout, the look is bright and light, broken up with natural elements and splashes of colour in the form of paintings and accessories. It's a comfortable mix of old and new, unforced and well, natural.

This is very much a house for living in . . . added practical touches include CAT 5 wiring which means they can watch movies and listen to music anywhere in the house and a central vacuum system, for easy maintenance.

"We love this house and the location, " says Joanne. "We've got everything on our doorstep . . . shops, schools, bars, restaurants, the beach and even a Starbucks."

Unsurprising then, their next move is just up the road. They've their eye on a site and plan to build something totally modern - but of course totally practical.

The Lowdown

Address: No 84 Temple Road, Blackrock, Co Dublin
Details: Renovated 1920s' Tudor-style family home of some 115sq m (1,240sq ft) comprising entrance hall, guest WC/utility, drawing room, open-plan kitchen/dining room, three bedrooms and family bathroom. The rear bosts a 50ft-long garden with decking.

Highlights: The restoration work on this house is top class . . . it celebrates the pleasures of period architecture but is geared up for modern living.

Price: 1.095m
Agent: Savills HOK 01-288 5011