With a bit of a makeover, you could turn this home into heaven

THERE are imposing piles and sweet cottages — and then there is the odd property that falls between the two. Such as this sweet little house at Gortnaglanna, close to Kilbrittain in Co Cork.

Built in 1720, this Georgian villa is single-storey over basement, with two additions at either side and an impressive rear courtyard.

Set on 2.5 acres of well tended gardens it’s only five minutes from Kilbrittain beach and local hostelry, the Pink Elephant, yet is tucked inside a private world just off the coastal road to Timoleague.

And it won’t need immediate work — it functions as a family home at the moment, but is ‘a little tired’ in parts.

Spend the €1.25 million asking price here, add another €250,000 or so on a makeover, and it will be an enviable property.

Most of the hard restoration work has been done, as an inspection tour of the basement shows solid new concrete blending with old brick along with new wiring and plumbing.

And that’s not all. The old buildings that form a perfect enclosure to the rear of the house have been restored and it would only take another little push to make some or all of these outhouses habitable.

And while this property may be old, it wears the years well: it’s a charming house, but the layout of rooms could be altered to make it more user-friendly.

This villa has a surprising, 4,000 square feet of space and faces full south to the front.

It also has a very impressive driveway which sweeps around to the front and back of the house.

The main living rooms are in the centre of the property, between the two wings, and are lit by deep sash windows.

The entrance is to the left-hand side and leads into a long, wainscoted hallway, which turns a corner and runs the length of the house.

There are just four bedrooms here, but the master includes a full bathroom and nursery bedroom, with three other bedrooms served by a main bathroom.

The kitchen is well fitted with hand-painted units and fans out to includes a utility area and sunroom/dining room which overlooks the garden.

There’s access to the courtyard via a half-door and to the front of the house is the formal dining room and study, with a large, glass conservatory off the dining room.

Maurice Cohalan of Cohalan Downing is in charge of the sale.