Trading Up
Gorse covered ground and forested hills create an attractive setting for this modern bungalow near Rosscarbery in West Cork.
Selling agents Hodnett Forde say it has a warm cottage feel, but is modern and bright with 1,550 sq ft of living space. “It’s been very well cared for by the couple who built it around five years ago and is very centrally located within nine miles from Clonakilty and ten from Skibbereen,’’ says auctioneer Noel O’Donovan.
The largest room is a 24’ long kitchen with modern white units, a cast iron fireplace and patio doors. There’s also a laminate floored lounge with a bay window as well as a utility room, a bathroom and three bedrooms, one with an en suite. The bungalow has oil heating, mains water and a floored attic for storage.
Surrounded by three quarters of an acre of untamed gardens, the property has summer flowering gorse bushes at the front and a patio at the rear.
Behind the property in the distance is some Coillte forestry and Carrigfada Hill which has a walk way with scenic West Cork views from the top. Although it has an address at Leap, the bungalow is much nearer to Reenascreena village.
VERDICT: This is a perfect out of town family property with space, scenery and a bit of land
All cleaned out for its market launch is 23 The Rise, a substantial semi-d with four bedrooms, at this very popular Bishopstown address.
But, while the furniture is gone, and the cupboards are bare, there’s still more packing to be done — bring a skip, for the place is in need of a total decorative makeover, or more.
Up will come the patterned carpets, out will go the old-style built-ins and shelving, while the kitchen units are decades old.
The 1,500 sq ft western suburban Cork house is new to market with Casey and Kingston auctioneers who, perhaps optimistically, seek offers around €300,000.
But, the location, at the start of the Waterfall Road beyond Dunnes Stores/Bishopstown’s imminent ring road flyover, plus the house’s size and decent amount of garden, will draw interest, and after that it will be down to the market to decide where the value lies.
At present there’s an attached garage, two reception rooms with fireplaces, one has a dated stove in situ and the back room has a small sun room (more a space for a seat than anything else) hinting at the potential for a more generous, bright back garden extension.
VERDICT: Scan the neighbours up and down the road for ideas on what can be achieved.
There’s a price of just over €100 per square foot for this large Ardmore, Co Waterford home with distant sea views from its big rural site.
The four-bedroomed bungalow at Ballinamertinagh, a couple of kilometres from the ocean and the west Waterford seaside village and beaches, is guided at €295,000 by auctioneers Property Partners Spratt, and that’s for a 2,750sq ft home, with a detached 150sq ft garden room/store.
It’s a bright, double-fronted home, on an elevated country site, with porcelain tiled floors in the galleried hall and side sun-room with views from three sides.
Other rooms include a large sitting room with bay window and cast-iron fireplace, a 21’ by 17’ kitchen/dining room with marble floor off the hall via splayed double doors, utility and study.
The main, en suite master bedroom is at ground level and is 18’ by 15’ with the other bay window here, there are two other bedrooms, and overhead are two further dormer bedrooms plus main family bathroom.
VERDICT: A nice, airy country bungalow home thanks to its galleried landing and hall, within an easy commute of Cork, Youghal and Dungarvan, and with beaches a few miles away.
The attractions of 3 Kilquane Grove, Woodstock near Ennis include lots of space, a touch of luxury and a custom-built children’s play fort in the garden.
Part of a six-house development, this is a detached and modern house with 2,500 sq ft of space and gardens of around a third of an acre.
Selling agents Location Location say it has a very high standard of finish and has been carefully maintained by its one owner. Auctioneer Thomas Maleady reckons that you couldn’t buy a site and build a similar property for the asking price of €450,000.
Fitted with zoned heating, the house has a B3 energy rating. Ground floor accommodation includes an 8 metre long kitchen/dining/living room with attractive ivory fitted units, black granite worktops, a breakfast counter and solid timber flooring.
In addition to this there’s a living room, a ground floor bedroom, a utility a shower room and a sunroom while upstairs there are four bedrooms, two with en suites. Behind the detached garage in the garden, is the child’s fort. The property also has lawned gardens, a patio and electric gates to ensure privacy.
VERDICT: Kids will love the playhouse while parents will appreciate the comfort and space in the house.
There’s been a price reduction on 6 Fort View, a detached bungalow in the Kinsale development near Summercove and Charles Fort, and it comes with some sea glimpses from its gardens.
Selling agents Savills have reduced the AMV from €595,000 to €455,000, so that’s nearly 25% lopped off to tempt buyers to move this way.
The location is popular with families, as there’s privacy and security but also neighbours for children to play with, there’s a national school almost on the doorstep, while Kinsale town’s amenities are a mile or two away.
On a site of one-third of an acre, there’s over 1,600 sq ft of internal space at No 6, with a stepped back layout, plus a rear attached garage giving a sort of T-shape, and one of its three bedrooms is en suite.
There’s one main sitting room, large at 23’ by 17’, with big picture windows for harbour views plus a couple of porthole windows on the side for good measure, and the kitchen is also a good-enough size.
However, new owners might want to integrate the garage behind for more living space as part of their extra investment, as the place is now a bit dated and needs modernising.
VERDICT: A nice-sized site in a popular Ardbrack/Summercove development of family homes.
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