Gift of a house to grab

Tommy Barker finds a good solid house in a great location close overlooking Blarney’s famous castle

Some houses hide their lights under a bushel, but at this Lower Killeens home, the interior quirks and quality are masked by the exterior dormer design orthodoxy and lots of pebble dash.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with pebble dash, and there’s a whole lot right with easy-keep, but when a house needs an external visual lift, a full coat of dash doesn’t quite cut, eh, a dash.

Newly up for sale is this Lower Killeens, Cork dormer bungalow with an interior that’s personal, yet appealing to a wide range of tastes — and, it’s perfect for families, says agent Robert O’Keeffe of Irish and European.

Seeking offers around €370,000, he notes its location near Apple Computers’ and within a few miles from Cork city. He also highlights the handiness that it’s on a bus route (the 235), has a half an acre, and a couple of stables to boot: hence the origin of its name, The Paddocks... even if there’s only enough grass or grazing for a goat or miniature pony.

The Paddocks is all neatly trimmed and in very good order; the four-bed house has a gable end deck on its southern wing, and is west facing in front, with rural and valley views.

Built about 10 years ago, and timber framed, it’s well insulated — “it’s like a furnace when the heating’s on,” says O’Keeffe with mild professional hyperbole, while a BER is ‘pending’ to prove the point.

The clearly house-proud owner is trading down out of his 2,100 sq ft home, which has a few upgrades to give it visual oomph: they include porthole windows in the upper gable walls as bedroom feature, as well as how the 15’ by 13’ TV room is screened from the dining room by a short run of feature dividing wall, allowing access either side and making the space seem extra large, yet compartmentalised. Showing attention to detail, materials and workmanship, the 13’ by 10’ dining room has a marble tiled central insert in the walnut floor which runs through to the TV room.

Other space includes a bright 15’ by 11’ sitting room with solid maple floor and cast iron and black stone fireplace, and maple is also used in the lounge off the kitchen, as well as in the hall.

Shaker kitchen units are maple, contrasting with a textured black slate-tiled floor, and there’s a central island with hob and extract, LED lighting and the same slate floor extends to the utility.

The Paddocks has one ground floor bedroom, a guest WC with shower, and overhead are three more bedrooms, two sharing a ‘Jack and Jill’ en suite, and the 24’ by 17’ master bedroom has its own en suite and pine-panelled ceilings extending into the dormer windows.

The house interior has a good balance of varnished timbers and easy-on-the-eye wall colours, some feature glass blocks in the hall, and as the owner is trading down, there’s the option to buy much of the furniture as well if you want to keep the look.

There’s oil heating, alarm and CCTV, outdoor lighting and the location is 15 minutes from Cork City, near Blarney.

VERDICT: A good clean buy for the money. All a new owner might want to do is add a bit of colour to the front — plants in pots or some ivy to cloak all the dash would be a simple fix.