House offering great potential requires some TLC

THERE’s high hopes for Hill House, a rock solid farmhouse and do-er upper prospect newly up for sale in the upper Glen area of Cork city’s Ballyvolane.

This is where the city fringes meet the country, and the views from the house – when you un-board the windows – are over green areas with encroaching buildings, as well as across to the north ring road between Ballyvolane and Mayfield.

A few minutes’ walk from the front door will take you the Fox and Hounds bar and a few minutes of a stroll to Dunnes Stores: this country farmhouse by the road even has a pedestrian path as well as its main drive to encourage a bit of shanks mare.

Locked up for quite a few years, and needing opening up and freshening up and doing up, is the 1880s-built, c 1,500 sq ft two-storey detached farm house, carrying a €275,000 asking price with agent Andrew Moore in Cork city.

It isn’t a knock-down job, he stresses. “It’s too good and too solid for that. It will make a lovely home again,” he reckons.

Mr Moore makes his upbeat comment as another locked-up Cork city do-er upper, the detached Monvana on 0.2 of an acre in Marble Hall Park by High Street, has tipped over 40 viewings in its first two weeks on the market, attracting the eye of dreamers, as well as development-minded individuals keen on the location.

Hill House is on a site of about two-thirds of an acre, which had been well planted and tended at one time with some original inside features and staircase, but it should now be viewed as a bit of a ‘canvas’ to work with, says Mr Moore.

There are more than the remnants of outbuildings to the back plus a fine, enclosing limestone wall of character, which might prompt thoughts of a rear courtyard-inspired glazed extension.

The house is stone built, straight up, with a slate roof and ornate ridge tiles, all awaiting a bit of enthusiastic drawing together into something newer. Great prospects?