Find your thrill on Saffron Hill with attractive house on private site

SAFFRON HILL — the name alone is attractive and individual — just like the house.

A detached four-bed in the discrete enclave that is the Tivoli Estate, Saffron Hill is a one-off that will suit a certain type of buyer.

Set in a mature, old money address to the east of Cork city centre, it stands on a very private, elevated south-facing site.

Big enough for a small family, but small enough for a single person or a couple, the house is a niche buy in that it wraps detached status into a manageable package while still offering four bedrooms and a good site.

This slopes in terraces to the road below and who knows, there could be the potential for a mews/glass box at the bottom in the future — but that’s mere speculation.

Meantime, the gardens are mature, full grown and in need of a pruning sweep but are a real attraction for an avid gardener — the terraces are perfect for strawberries and in the Big House days, were used as beds.

There is a surprising amount of ground here with the opportunity to create a really great garden in the sunny, sheltered spot.

Then, the house: set behind high stone walls and with the main entrance to the side, it has living rooms to the front with a staircase rising to the bedroom level at the northern side. All very contained and snug behind its perimeter walls, the house has two main reception rooms, (one with a fine, sandstone fireplace) and a galley kitchen leading through to a guest bathroom and utility.

Beyond these rooms is the attached garage and there’s the tempting option to knock through and create a large, open plan kitchen/ diner. Alternatively, because the garden is laid out in terraces, it would be possible to open out to the south with a sun room extension which would transform the flow of space and add passive solar gain.

However, as it stands now the house is perfectly fine and is in pristine condition. The kitchen has been newly revamped, there are fresh carpets, good maple flooring in the hall and the main staircase is boxed-in, ‘50s-style in simple, aged oak. The understairs storage is also very good and with windows back to front, the house is really bright, warm and sunny, even on the lowest of cloudy days.

Upstairs, there’s a master bedroom with attached nursery, which could serve as an office or could be pressed into use as an en suite. Bedroom two is a good double, as is bedroom three and the smallest room, bedroom four has a curious, L-shape, which could also convert to an en suite bathroom. The main bathroom is to the east of the house at the top of the staircase and has a hot press.

Conor Flynn of Conor P Flynn and Co has set a guide price in the region of €450,000 for this detached house and it’s well worth a look. A quick drive around the neighbourhood only underlines the uniqueness of the location.