Home is where the hearth is

THE vendors of 3, St Joseph's Villas in Cork's Gardiner's Hill had grate expectations they hauled two fireplaces from New Zealand to Ireland to keep house and hearth together.

They brought carved timber fireplaces from one side of the world to the other in the late 1990s, and now with the work accomplished haven't the heart to take the Antipodean handiworks back out again.

So, they are just some of the distinctive features of the terraced, period style city house which also has an inviting patio area behind for summer outdoor living, Kiwi-style.

Estate agent Noel Morrison guides no 3 at €270,000-plus, and says the house has all the signs of being a labour of love.

The attention to detail includes the tedious, but worth it, restoration of the sash windows by hand, and lots of polished wood floors.

Rooms include living room, dining room, the latter linked via an arch to a gallery kitchen with pine units and tiled floor.

The bathroom is also at ground floor level, with three overhead bedrooms, while there's a utility/laundry in an old outside shed.

The house, within walking distance of Cork's city centre, has gas heating, an alarm, and small front garden giving additional privacy.

Also with the same agent locally in the St Luke's area is 2, Richmond Terrace, a larger three-bedroomed period home also off Gardiner's Hill carrying a €375,000-plus price guide.

Around the corner just above St Luke's Cross, Noelle Morrison is selling 4 Ard na Greine, a three-storey, five bed terraced home, again with period features, for a €350,000-price expectation.