Trading Up
Extended. Refurbished. They’re the words that cheer the house hunter who hasn’t the time, energy or the money to take a well-located older house by the scruff of the neck and update it.
Fitting the bill is 37 Lislee Road, within a short walk of Douglas village in Cork, between the Rochestown Road and Maryborough Hill.
The four-bed detached family home has up to 1,700 sq ft, thanks to two rear extensions, one of which has swelled the kitchen/dining room in size to 20’ deep and 14’ width with a slightly higher pitched roof and Velux over the kitchen end.
And, another extension for sun-room/conservatory use off the 24’ by 15’ living dining room brings in further space, with lots of glass, but direct sunshine here will be at a bit of a premium as it is the front of No 37 that has the southerly aspect. The view from the front, by the way, is over a large green.
Overhead, No 37 has four bedrooms, plus family bathroom, and there’s more space at attic level, with a room and bathroom up here, but they’re not making part of the 1,700 sq ft area calculation, so this will be a handy boost for new occupants whatever way they decide to use it.
New to market with Dennis Guerin of Frank V Murphy who seeks offers around €375,000, it is he says a very good trading up option in the Douglas area for families.
VERDICT: The work was done only about three years ago, so feels fresh.
Extended to the side and large in front, as well as up into the attic for storage, is the well-sized family home 5 Lyndon Crescent, in Cork’s Donnybrook.
Up the hills a little way out of suburban Douglas, the extended semi-d now has 1,500 sq ft of space inside, along with a back garden laid out for entertaining, with an ornate concrete shed, barbecue spot, lawn and water feature.
Auctioneer Mark Gosling of Jeremy Murphy Associates guides No 5 at €245,000. He says it’s a great family home, facing a green, in very good order throughout, and that all the extra space is a bonus, especially the 18’ by 14’ attic room with Velux roof windows to the rear.
Rooms include a family room to the side, a 28’ by 12’ living/dining room, front to back of the house with fireplace, and a 16’ by 11’ kitchen, with Shaker-style maple units.
There’s a ground floor guest WC, and overhead are four bedrooms with built ins, and a family bathroom with Jacuzzi.
VERDICT: With a green in front, a very useful back garden behind and 1,500 sq ft in between, No 5’s a good buy for a growing family.
This is a house to appeal to families — and it could be even better if they’re into horses as well.
Big inside, at 2,300 sq ft, with large living spaces and two of its four bedrooms en suite, this modern home is on 2.5 acres with a paddock in front — but a further two acres can be added to the mix if needs be for the gee-gees or other hobby farm uses.
Location is at Prohoness, near Aughadown, west of Skibbereen on the way towards Ballydehob.
Selling agent Henry O’Leary says it’s perfect for relocaters and those wanting a country lifestyle, and will appeal to buyers coming from the UK also.
It doesn’t yet have the charm that comes with age-old West Cork farmhouses, but that’s balanced by quality of build and a comfort factor, plus bright rooms.
Largest of all is the 23’ by 14’ kitchen/diner, with sun room off on a gable wall, and the living room on the other side of the house is pretty large too, at 21’ by 13’.
Then, there’s a home office/den, a utility, and a large cloakrooms with adjoining WC - great for when you come in and disrobe after being out in all weathers with the horses.
VERDICT: Better to negotiate on the extra land now rather than try and add to the 2.5 acres later on.
There’s absolutely nothing at all to done at 20 Kilbane Estate, bar maybe fit a stove into a fireplace to bring its BER rating into the enviable ’B’s, say auctioneers Rooneys, of this upgraded Castletroy four-bed.
The red-brick detached home has just about every square inch of its c 2,100 sq ft improved, cosseted, and decorated to a contemporary, neutral, tile-rich decor by interior designers — and the kitchen’s top-notch and gleaming.
That brand-new kitchen, with feature strip tiled splashbacks, has a high apex ceiling over the back portion, and a sort of dog-leg to a dining space, while the extensive banks of units are topped with creamy granite for an all-over restful look, and purposeful design— it’s a great room. It’s carries the main impact of the recent investment, ‘though every other room has a similar plus look, bathrooms are extensively tiled, bedrooms (four, one with en suite) are richly carpeted (as is the main 27’ by 12’ living room), and other rooms like the hall are tiled in porcelain.
Estate agent Lisa Kearney of Rooneys says it’s an ideal family home, in an ideal location. Extra spending went into insulation, new condenser gas boiler, zoned heating with thermostats on new rads, new windows, etc.
VERDICT: All done, and there’s a garage which can be adapted too.
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