Movie buff’s bungalow in the frame for auction

ONE of those rare events in Cork city, a house auction, is due to take place next month for a bungalow on a large site at Uam Var Drive, Curraheen, Cork.

Boarded up and enclosed by tall trees (there’s a reason why Leylandii are despised), No 13 is certainly not ready for its close-up.

However, it was the home of an ardent movie buff — walls are hidden behind stacks of video cases and there are film books everywhere: what the executors plan to do with them, remains to be seen. The house, though, will get the fast sale treatment and Darragh Taaffe of Keane Mahony Smith is taking this three-bed detached property to auction October 7. And although the interior is a bit of a Nightmare at Uam Var at the moment, (the boarding lets no light through), and there’s furniture and fittings everywhere, the house itself seems to be in good structural order.

The site, though, is the thing: stretching to about a quarter of an acre, it’s very generous and could have potential for a separate dwelling at the side.

Alternatively, it will allow for some extensive extending on the original bungalow footprint and has road frontage on two sides.

Internally, the house is similar to all the other bungalows at Uam Var, it has a hall, sitting room, living room, extended kitchen and three bedrooms with an old-fashioned bathroom. Most of the houses in the area have converted attics, too. No 13 needs a good clear-out and an overhaul and, because it’s an auction, should be passed by an engineer beforehand — it’s caveat emptor in these matters as a sale is final.

However, at the guide of €260,000, for a detached house and a great site in the western suburbs, the agents KMS have pitched the property well, leaving plenty of financial room for a makeover for those in the mid-range, trading-up bracket.