Take a walk on the wild side in East Cork

Tommy Barker says Belmount House is set on a lovely two-and-half acres.

THE house is good, but the gardens are better: they are a triumph of landscaping.

Set in East Cork, near Ballymaloe and Cloyne, the six-year-old Belmount House combines a 2,300 sq ft main residence with a 1,200 sq ft convertible garage and loft, alongside.

The property is set on two and a half acres, with pond and planting bridge and bower, walkways and wildlife.

Belmount House is being sold by builder, Oliver O'Donovan, who downplays the effort that went into this one-off.

Mr O'Donovan built five other houses in the same time period, along with his two sons who are serving their time in the trade.

Mr O'Donovan says (though it hardly needs to be said) that he was building for his own use and satisfaction, not for a quick 'turn-around' sale.

The quality of this house is reflected in concealed features - such as the doubly-insulated floors and high wall insulation levels - and in more obvious ones, such as the hardwood oak and maple floors, spiral staircase and assorted joinery work.

Belmount House, long and tall in parts and linked via a cured, brick wall to the garage, is newly for sale with estate agent, Valerie Parkes, now with Hamilton Osborne King, and she says the asking price is €650,000. Set behind electronically controlled gates and brick-and-stone pillars, the house would suit a family 'trading up', or a keen gardener.

The four bedrooms are en suite, and the large, master bedroom has a balcony on its gable wall with garden views. Once past the sturdy, wooden front door, the hall has a spiral staircase and oak flooring, with a guest WC.

There's a 25' by 15' run between the two main, interconnecting reception rooms, with features like coving, a good fireplace, oak floor and French doors to the gardens and a decked area, while an adjoining sun room also has deck access.

Other rooms include a long kitchen with breakfast area - the units are ash and the tops are granite - and another set of French doors gives access to decking, and to a gazebo for morning coffees or evening sundowners. There is also a utility room.

One of the house's four bedrooms is at ground level, with an en suite bathroom, and there are three double-sized bedrooms overhead, some with attic storage or access, and the master bedroom has a wall of mirrored, sliding door robes.

The gardens will sell the house to a cohort of home hunters who want external space aplenty, and the cost of paying someone to do this work elsewhere would swallow a few SSIA bonanzas.

Planting is 'naturalistic': a cheery blaze of yellow gorse crops up with ornamental grasses, and the pond can be appreciated from the pergola, from the bridge or from the air - which is the way the ducks who drop in like it.