Rambling rural residence

GOBSMACKINGLY gorgeous, Ballycuggaran House has chocolate-box good looks, two acres of pleasure gardens, enough outbuildings for a classic car or two and even room for a bunch of visitors.

And it has views of Lough Derg. What offers?

The property started at a very reasonable €550,000 only this week, but when you consider how chi-chi this Killaloe/Ballina area is, it's no surprise that selling agent William Talbot of Sherry FitzGerald Talbot already has an offer of €685,000 on this rambling old residence.

With a house of this size, you're not only buying character, you're buying chronology, too. The earliest part of the building was erected in 1720 as a hunting lodge, and extended in the 19th and 20th centuries. It also comes with a range of outhouses, and a mews-style conversion of one lofted building.

The mews has one bedroom and self-contained accommodation on the upper level. On the ground floor there are two more rooms which have been used as a studio a perfect artist's retreat but which could also provide other accommodation.

With all the buildings around, it could also be a nice little earner, considering the location.

And, because it's within commuting distance of Limerick, this property could be seen not so much as a "breakaway" home, as the current buzzword has it, but as a full-time residence.

The two-acre site, which to some people could mean lots of privacy, could be something else entirely to someone with development in mind.

William Talbot suggests Ballycuggeran's generous road frontage could provide at least one, if not more, house sites.

The main house was made over, but that was some time ago, and it will need some money spent on it, says the agent, but it does come with plenty of room, so there'll be no need to extend.

At the moment, it has five bedrooms, three on the ground floor and two overhead, and two bathrooms. The dormer rooms could be turned into a master suite with walk-in dressing room in the smaller room and using the 29ft by 16ft bedroom as the main room.

On the ground floor, there's a separate entrance hall with stairs and then an 18ft square sitting room a living room and a dining room that's slightly larger.

Largest of all is the antique pine fitted kitchen/diner at 24' x 16', which comes with a separate utility and scullery.

Ballycuggaran offers the best of a modern layout in a property with great character. This is set off by the grounds which will need a deft gardening hand to maintain. Or just someone with the wherewithal to hire a gardener to do the work.

The present owner is retiring from the responsibility of running such a big property.

It's only 8 to 10 minutes to Killaloe and if you just fancy staying quietly at home, there's a good pub and restaurant just a couple of minutes walk away. Perfect, really.