Room to spare in convenient Glenair

THE capable owners of Glenair did this four-bed semi up from top to bottom nine years ago — and are now moving on to give another home of similar vintage an equally thorough dressing-up.

The large semi-d, with room to spare and good, open and bright family space at the back, is at the top end of Belvedere Lawn, one of those half dozen or so post-war estates linking the main and back Douglas Road in Cork.

Within a five minute walk of the village, and built in 1945, it has solidity on its side...as well as a garage on the side, with instant conversion potential for those with even more space needs.

It is one of a handful of similarly-size homes at the top of this estate, built day one with a fourth bedroom over the garage space, bringing the house’s area to about 1,400 sq ft in all, and it is grand room left of the staircase, bright with almost 10’ high ceilings. Other than that, there are two very good double bedrooms, optional main rooms, the one in front with a bay window, the other behind with west-facing views of mature, preserved chestnut trees screening the Dunmahon service station, now closed down and set for redevelopment.

Glenair, or 3 Belvedere Lawn, is on the market with Anne O’Mahony of Sherry FitzGerald, who pitches it just over the €500,000 mark, and once she gets viewers inside, they’ll see why it will make this sort of sum, or more.

The condition is spotless, and the work done is thoughtful, unflashy, able to stand the test of time.

Rewired, extended, gas-heated (two gas insert fires in pleasant fireplaces) and double glazed, with an attractive kitchen by Coolmore in Carrigaline just repainted and like new, it is a walk-in job.

The hall’s original oak floor has been buffed up, and the stairs has new oak spindles and newels.

Downstairs it had the familiar front and back reception layout, but that has subsequently been added to, so now there’s a wide sweep across the back of the house to take in kitchen/eating area, with French doors to an acceptably sized rear patio and screened back garden, with railway sleepers as a shrub bed-retaining feature.

The sunny extension space has a salvaged maple floor in its second or third incarnation: the vendors say it is originally from the ballroom at Castlefreke Castle, and also served its time at the old Crystal in Carrigaline.

Get your dancing shoes on.