Ex-showhouse get experts’ vote

THE EXPRESSION ‘first up, best dressed’, applies to 1 Glencairn, in Cork’s Glanmire.

The house was bought eight years ago by Liam Casey and family, when they moved from Clare to Cork as Liam took up the post as regional director of Paul Construction. He bought the detached showhouse of the BrideView Developments scheme of 17 houses at Riverstown, Glanmire.

Now, he is building his own home, and has used architects Deady Gahan to design his one-off nearby.

Conor Lynch of Property Partners Dick Barry of Glanmire has had bids of over €600,000 since inviting offers over €595,000.

Glencairn’s lower section has three different designs among its 17 houses. No 1, a dormer, has 2,050 sq ft of living space, with four bedrooms, three at first-floor level, one en suite and a main family bathroom.

The ground floor contains a large living room to the front, connected to a second reception/dining room by a set of double doors.

The kitchen, to the back, has American oak units and integrated appliances, with a utility to one side giving garden access, while the extensive and sloping back gardens are opened up via a patio door in a family room off to the other side of the kitchen. Also at ground level is a fourth bedroom, with a guest WC right alongside.

Internal finishes are good, there’s zoned gas heating, and the landscaped corner site grounds run to a quarter of an acre, with views of hills, farms and back to Cork. There’s also a large garden shed and a cobblelock drive.