Solid safe bets with room for adventurous expansion

AUCTIONEER Billy Casey has a choice of two solid semis on offer in the inner Cork city suburbs at the moment.

Both are in the general Douglas/Ballinlough area at Ardmahon Estate and Beechwood Park and are the kind of trading-up properties that remain bomb-proof even in a volatile property market.

The first is Glenbeg at 39, Ardmahon, a four-bed semi with a fine, corner site and some lovely gardens.

Houses here are rare enough to the market, says Mr Casey, and most are still owner-occupied from the time they were built.

Highly desirable and in the perfect trading-up location, this house not only offers existing accommodation with the chance to add on at the back and side, but comes with a substantial garage.

A quick tour around this Well Road estate is like the realisation of the illustrations in a builder’s brochure. Most of the houses have been added to, or have had their attics converted, and Glenbeg offers plenty of potential for change. However, it’s a decent family home at it stands and is offered in excellent condition, says Mr Casey.

The guide price is in the region of €510,000, to be expected given the location and corner site.

Accommodation includes a bay-windowed sitting room of 17 ft by 15ft, which is a good size, a smaller dining room and a fitted kitchen of 12ft x 11ft. The upstairs has four bedrooms and a main bathroom and heating is by gas.

The house also comes with a substantial garage to the side and gardens include a fish pond and glasshouse.

A large back garden is also one of the features of 14, Beechwood Park on the Ballinlough Road, which is a three-bed semi with garage. This has more or less the same layout as Glenbeg, but room sizes are slightly smaller.

Again, though, there is scope for expansion and the address is highly covetable, mid-way between Blackrock and Douglas. The city is a short drive away.

In excellent condition, no 14, Beechwood Park is also in walk-in condition and comes with a conservatory porch entrance. The property is on offer at €460,000 through Casey and Kingston.