Red-brick charm at D4 address

A PRIME Dublin 4 address and some redbrick charm are on offer at an attractive two-bed house at 13 Dodder View Cottages in Ballsbridge.

End-of-terrace in a cul de sac, the small 536 sq ft property is on the market with a guide of €395,000.

Selling agents DNG say it’s well-maintained and has an attractive facade and some original period features.

To the front there’s a living room with a cast-iron fireplace and cornicing and to the rear a kitchen with fitted units and a skylight. There’s also ground-floor shower room and two upstairs bedrooms with original timber flooring.

Located a short stroll from pubs and eateries on Baggot Street, it’s also close to Herbert Park and the RDS.

SOME houses are unique, but to paraphrase George Orwell, you might say that some houses are more unique than others — such as a bioctagonal-shaped raised timber house which has been built at Caher in east Clare.

Definitely one of a kind, it featured on Duncan Stewart’s Our House TV show when it was built in 2000. Consisting of two connected octagons raised above ground on a timber framework, it has an estimated 180 sq metres of space. None of the seven rooms in the house are rectangular while the windows also come in a variety of different shapes and sizes.

Other unusual features include the fact the roof is made with cedar shingles, rather than slate. Given a C2 energy rating, it has both wood pellet and oil heating, and a reed bed and a grey water waste system.

The accommodation, described as modern and well-maintained, includes a large kitchen/dining living room with handcrafted elm units and a stove. There’s also a pantry, a bathroom, an office and three bedrooms.

Selling agents Green Valley Properties say the attraction isn’t just the unusual house but also the two acres around it which have been planted with 1,200 deciduous trees. “This is a property for nature lovers and has an acre and a half of woodland with bluebells and wildlife as well as a beautiful pond and profusion of shrubs and flowers,” says auctioneer Steve Symes.

Near the house there are two large outbuildings which have been converted into studios which might be used for living accommodation.

Located at Gortvrulla, one and half miles from Lough Graney and four miles from Feakle, the property is on the market with a guide price of €395,000.

Mr Symes believes it could well be one of the most unique houses in the country.

THE Old Stone Barn near Skibbereen successfully combines old world charm and character with modern features, such as a hot tub and a first-floor kitchen.

Originally renovated and extended as an investment property, the former farmhouse has been upgraded and occupied by its current owners since 2004.

Features include exposed stone walls and beamed ceilings as well as a covered decked area with a Canadian hot tub.

Guiding at €395,000 the property has close to 1,800 sq ft of living space and half an acre of gardens.

Selling agents Sherry FitzGerald O’Neill say it’s in beautiful condition and would make an excellent family home.

On the ground floor there’s a large, slate-floored living room as well as a bathroom and four bedrooms — one en suite.

A ladder stairs in the living area leads up to the first floor where there’s a large timber-floored living kitchen dining room. This has white modern units and exposed stone walls and ceiling beams with Velux windows.

Contents, such as the four-poster bed in the main bedroom, may be included in the sale.

Located within five miles from Skibbereen and the coast at Roaring Water Bay, the Old Stone Barn is both scenic and tranquil.

COBBLE COURT on the Old Tramore Road in Waterford is something of a rarity, a detached period property which is located within a mile and a half from the city centre.

Selling agents O’Shea O’Toole say buyers have plenty of detached modern houses to chose from but that older properties like this one are much more difficult to find.

New to the market with a guide of €395,000, it was built in the late 1800s and probably started out as a farmhouse.

Extended and modernised, it now has 2,000 sq ft of living space and is said to be very well-maintained.

Auctioneer Brian O’Shea says it has some nice period features and also has large mature gardens with trees rockeries and shrubs.

Traditional in decor, the house has a large, pine-floored sitting room with a fireplace, a dining room with a fireplace and stove as well as a family room and kitchen with built-in cupboards.

Upstairs there’s a bathroom and three bedrooms, including two with en suites.

The property has an integral garage at the side. To front there’s a large area of cobblelock and to the rear there are lawned gardens.