Country mix of the old and new in Dungourney cottage, East Cork
THE owners of this charming, old world property struck it lucky when they went house hunting in Dungourney in 1998.
As their new home, they found an old stone cottage which had been very carefully and tastefully renovated and extended by a teacher from the UK who had been planning to spend her retirement there.
Although she must have put in a huge amount of time and effort in the project, she decided that she was too young to retire and put the cottage on the market.
āWe had looked at a lot of three bed semis in Midleton but when we saw it we knew immediately that this was what we wanted,āā says the lady of the house who admits to falling for the charm of the stone walls and red brick windows ā and to welcoming the opportunity to live in rural tranquility with over an acre of gardens.
The cottage was both quirky and interesting, having just acquired a new L-shaped extension which made use of the exterior stonewalls to create an interesting feature in the newly-created rooms.
Although the extension was finished in plaster, pains had been taken to make it blend with the original structure by using similar redbrick detail on the new windows.
Along with redbrick detail, timber-panelled ceilings, original fireplace and latched doors the cottage also had a new spiral staircase leading to an upstairs bedroom in the extension.
The owners liked the cottage so much that they havenāt altered it much in the last 18 years, other than putting down some timber floors as well as doing maintenance work and redecorating.
Their main efforts have been expended in the gardens where they landscaped and used Kerry stone to build a new front boundary wall.
Ready for purchase by another couple looking for an option to an urban semi d, the cottage is now on the market with James Colbert Auctioneers, Midleton, who are guiding it at ā¬245,000.
Mr Colbert has been showing it to east Cork locals but is getting more interest from Cork city buyers who he says are attracted by the character and quirkiness as well as large site.
āCountry living within a five minute drive from a McDonalds is a huge draw to purchasers of a certain age. Their only worry is if they can get broadband, which they canā, he adds.
The cottage offers 1,100 sq ft of living space including four bedrooms. Entrance is through a stone and redbrick front porch added on during the extension.
From this a half door leads into the main sitting room which has tiled flooring and a large redbrick fireplace with an old bellows. Off this room there are doors leading to the two small original bedrooms which have timber flooring.
To the rear, a door leads to the kitchen/dining room, which is in a single storied part of the extension and has painted green units and exposed stone walls as well as small living area with patio doors. Also in this part of the extension is a bathroom with exposed stone walls.
At the other side of the extension thereās a second sitting room with timber flooring and a fireplace as well as a bedroom.
The spiral staircase leads up from the kitchen to a timber-floored bedroom which has an en suite and a large window with countryside views.
The original cottage has single glazed timber windows while the extension has PVC double glazed ones. Fitted with oil-fired central heating it has an E1 BER which is something a buyer might to want to work on improving.
On the site which stretches to an acre and a quarter thereās a curving gravel driveway which extends around the cottage as well extensive lawns, some hedging and a shed.
Located at Ballymartin, the cottage is four miles from shops in Midleton and is within a short drive from the shop and post office in Dungourney village.
The East Cork Golf Club is two and a half miles away and the nearest beach is within a 20 minute drive.
An old property like this will require more care and maintenance than a modern three bed semi ā but for those who would enjoy country cottage living, there will be compensations.
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