Gem in heart of the city

Rose Martin reports on an office/apartment with prized parking space.

IT’S amazing what you can do with a small space and a bit of imagination.

Number 42, Henry Street might strike a chord with Corkonians. The Dutch gabled, semi-detached property was for a long time a familiar landmark in the Marsh and served as the parish shop for a long time. It went on the market over a year ago and sold for around €250,000 then. Now it’s back on the market with the same agent, Micheal Downey of ERA Downey McCarthy Murphy and is ready for its close up.

Transformed into a ground floor office with overhead apartment, this is a little gem in the historic heart of the city. And best of all, it comes with its own parking spot — worth at current rates about €45,000 per annum.

The guide price for this Cinderella property is €425,000 and it’s eminently suitable for someone to work from home, who needs a city centre office.

The ground floor commercial area is 16’ by 15’ and is fully finished, down to antique desk and button-back chair. It also includes a small loo and would suit as an office, or perhaps some therapeutic use: access is directly from the street.

Overhead is a very chic little one-bed apartment that comes with everything, down to candles and wall-mounted corkscrew.

The kitchen is in walnut and steel, with breakfast bar, and the living area comes with three tall windows overlooking the rooftops of the Marsh. Now, it is a bit snug, but perfect for a singleton or couple, and the layout is so well thought out that the living is easy.

Access is via a side door, and recessed lighting on the stairs continues up to the top floor, where there’s a snazzy double bedroom with a tiny ensuite that nevertheless, manages to get a double shower unit inside.

Flat screen TVs, wall mounted sound system, a washing machine, espresso maker and microwave are all included. The kitchen area has windows overlooking a building site at the rear, but that’s soon to become an apartment development.

The area is in the process of change. Across the road Linehan Design have opened a new showroom and Marcus’ premises looks like a juicy piece of property for developers. Cornmarket Street Shopping Centre is due to come on stream next year and this, along with the City Council’s plans for the Coal Quay, will see this little property rise with local values.

In the meantime it’s still going to be a nice little earner.