‘I’m very girly in my taste and therefore not afraid of pastel colours’ — Bray three-bed with vintage vibes on the market for €375,000

Asking price: €375,000

Agent: DNG Bray (Karen Bosch, 01 286 7625)

It's difficult enough for couples under the age of 30 to get a mortgage these days, even when both are working full-time. So, the notion of buying a house in Dublin on your own at the age of 24 seems somewhat ridiculous.

But this is exactly what Aoife Fitzsimons, a 44-year-old flight attendant, did 20 years ago when she purchased 33 Wolfe Tone Square South in Bray. "There's no way I could afford to do that now," says the Bray native. "It was a very different time. Those were the days..."

Back then, she had a four-year-old daughter and was working full-time in a bank, which helped her to qualify for a mortgage. Her daughter Fia is now 24, and three years ago, Aoife had another daughter, Clara, with her partner Cristian Andhelina, a self-employed plumber and handyman, who also lives in the three-bedroom end-of-terrace house.

The 765 sq ft former corporation home was built in the 1930s. "The previous owners had done it up and it was in relatively good condition," says Aoife.

It was, however, open-plan downstairs, which she didn't like, so the first thing she did was to reconfigure it.

"When I bought it, you walked through the small porch at the front which has white and grey tiling underfoot, and straight into the sitting room, which was bigger than it is now. That brought you through to the kitchen, which was in an extension, built between 2000 and 2004 by the previous owners.

"It looked lovely, but the sitting room was too big for my liking. I prefer a cosier room which is easier to heat, so I added a partition wall."

The sitting room now accommodates two couches — one in pale blue and the other in pink. It has storage under the stairs. The walls have been painted pale blue and the skirting boards and shelves are white, giving it a feminine but fresh appearance.

The room has laminated wood flooring and an open fire with an original fireplace, which was given a new lease of life. "It was black and had green-coloured tiles in the inset, but it looked dark and imposing, so I painted it white to bring out its detailed features, and added pale blue and white tiles," she says.

"The hearth was raised so I levelled it to make it flush with the floor. I love that fireplace. I think I'll miss it more than anything in the house."

The new wall created a small space between the sitting room and the kitchen at the back. A bench with storage underneath was constructed here, and cushions added. Shelving and a glass front cabinet were also added to the wall.

There's room for a small kitchen table, which can be used for dining, and the space complements the galley kitchen at the back of the house.

The kitchen was re-tiled four years ago with pale blue subway tiles as a splashback, and new patterned tiles underfoot. The couple recently added new kitchen units in sea green, with copper knobs and a Belfast sink with a copper tap.

"I tried to give this room a vintage feel that was in keeping with the era of the house, rather than opting for a modern look," says Aoife. "I think it creates character."

All the tiling and the carpentry work, including the bench in the dining alcove and the shelving, was carried out by her brother, Fionnán Aoife. He also made the panelling that goes up the stairs, which has been painted grey.

Originally, the house had two bedrooms. But three years ago, with their family expanding, Aoife and her partner built another bedroom downstairs at the back, overlooking the garden. This is now used by her eldest daughter, Fia. The youngest, Clara, sleeps in the smaller of the two upstairs bedrooms.

The previous owners of the house had added a bathroom upstairs which Aoife painted a fetching shade of blue, and this combines well with the white units and the grey and white tiles underfoot.

The house was rented out from 2013 to 2019, and once she moved back in, Aoife immediately painted all the walls. "I'm very girly in my taste and therefore not afraid of pastel colours," she says.

The back garden has artificial grass, a couple of flowerbeds and a big shed at the back, which is used for storage. It's been wired for electricity and houses, the washing machine and dryer. The garden faces northeast and gets the sun at the end, in the evening, and there's a table and chairs here.

The front garden, meanwhile, has a cobble lock driveway with room for two cars.

Wolfe Tone Square South is just off the Vevay Road and within walking distance of bus stops and a Dart station. It's also minutes away from the N11 and M50.

"Bray recently got a new supermarket, but Dundrum shopping centre is also just 10 minutes away by car," says Aoife. "There's every amenity you could need, and a range of schools nearby."

She and her partner are now selling the house as they hope to move to Wexford. "We've always wanted to move to the country, and it seems like the right time to sell," she says. "But in some ways, I wonder if I'm doing the right thing because I grew up in Bray and have always had a base here."

In fact, her grandfather, Noel Dowling, who was a printer for Irish Independent, along with his brother Frank, grew up on the road on which the house is located. "He was one of four brothers, all of whom were printers," says Aoife. "He passed away in 2013, but I remember him going off to work, wearing a big coat, when I was a little girl.

"It's those little memories that make me nostalgic about selling, but I think it's the right thing to do. It will make a lovely home for someone else or a family."

DNG Bray has an asking price of €375,000 for 33 Wolfe Tone Square South.