Be a brick — No 5 Mount Oval could just do the trick

Tommy Barker on a US take on the Georgian house model in Cork.

IT isn’t so long since No 5 Mount Oval in Cork’s Rochestown last changed hands — and now, with a work move overseas for its relatively recently-arrived occupants, it is back on the market once more.

A sort of US take on the Georgian house model, the red-brick five-bed home comes up for sale in summer garden finery guiding €590,000, and is already under offer, inching past the mid €500k level with estate agent Dennis Guerin of Frank V Murphy & Co.

When last offered, in late 2008, its initial guide was a then-optimistic €1m-plus, but it eventually sold for well under that, likely to have been in the €600,000s.

Since then, it has had some decorative changes, painting etc, and the garden especially seems to have sprung into colourful life.

This Mount Oval scheme dates to the 1970s, when its faux-period look with white columns created a bit of stir. Almost 40 years later, they’ve clearly stood the test of time, added to by lots of individual planted private gardens.

No 5 has lots of useful living space, and its c2,200 sq ft gets in five overhead bedrooms (one en suite), but the best spaces are at ground level.

They include a south-facing, sun-soaking conservatory, a double depth 29’ by 19’ L-shaped lounge/dining room, equally large family rooms, big kitchen/breakfast room, study to the front, a utility and guest WC.

VERDICT: Walk in condition, in a quiet and private scheme.