Pitched above the city

Possibly the cheapest detached house to come on the market in Sunday’s Well for a while, this sun-trap home needs a strong hand to bring back to a good standard, writes Tommy Barker

AS much a doer-up as a moving on or trading-in property is this detached Sunday’s Well Cork city home of original character, called Landscape House.

Aimed at the enthusiastic, and the strong, its guide price of €220,000 via Michael O’Donovan of Sherry FitzGerald reflects the fact it needs investment, upgrading, damp-proofing and more.

Any physical work will indeed be a literal uphill slog too, as the house’s privacy high above the road and behind a tall screening wall means quite a bit of labouring work lugging up building materials.

Small donkey needed?

But, this 19th century quirky house clearly has scope, and it certainly has aspect, looking out over Cork city high above Sunday’s Well Avenue, a kilometre from the city centre via the North Gate Bridge.

Its views include St Fin Barre’s Cathedral.

There are three reception rooms, and four big bedrooms, plus bathroom with cast iron bath and separate bathroom, and the most basic of kitchens, but it is bright throughout thanks to its southerly aspect and some gable windows too.

There’s a sun trap front terrace by a small entrance porch, suggesting the heat trap that a sun-room addition up front here could make.

Most of the windows are original sashes, there’s a porch, a hall with Victorian tiling, old fireplaces about the rooms including some of the bedrooms, and a bonus is an upgradable/convertible attic level with high pitch roof and about 500sq ft floor area.

That’s on top of an existing 1,600sq ft main house and annex.

There are some interesting ‘old house’ features including two upright lengths of old rail track used as supports around the hall’s internal arch — and there are very private back and front gardens, with the possibility (subject to planning) of scooping out a car parking space by the front entrance.

Location: Sunday’s Well, Cork

Price: €220,000

Size:195 sq m, (2,100 sq ft)

Bedrooms: 4

BER rating: Pending

Best feature: Setting and genuine potential

VERDICT: Might Landscape House be the cheapest detached house in Sunday’s Well for some time?