Trading up: Skibbereen, West Cork; €450,000

Called the Sycamores, this modern family home’s on a smashing four-acre plot of ground, with paddocks, just off the Baltimore Road a mile or so out from Skibbereen in a quiet setting.

It’s now listed for sale with Skibbereen town-based estate agent Pat Maguire, who guides at €450,000, noting both the setting and the site size. And, the house is no slouch either, as it’s detached, a full two storeys tall, with sun room to the side, and it fits in 2,300 sq ft in all, with two of its four bedrooms en suite.

Only built in recent years, it fits well into its site thanks to the maturity of its surrounding trees (sycamores, presumably) and the grounds include an attractive, old-fashioned looking stone workshed and garden store/car port, with slate roofs.

Internally, The Sycamores has oak floors in the sitting room, living room and sunroom, has an oak staircase, and the hall’s floored in marble, with slate on the kitchen floor.

That kitchen’s very much the hub of the house, opening as it does to and serving several rooms, including the sun room which is well-paced to act a dining room. And, in finer weather, wrap-around decking by this sun room beckons outdoor diners.

Condition overall is excellent, says Mr Maguire describing the look as contemporary and fresh.

VERDICT: Four acres? Baltimore and the sea down the road? Go for it.