House of the week

There’s a fascinating shape to the rear extension and high-ceilinged add-on to the back of 12 Amberley Green: it’s like its builder or designer folded up the floor plans in an origami style, inserting crisp folds in the roof line along the way.

The jutting shape and indented ceilings — with several handy Veluxes for additional light — would be the making of most extended homes, but No 12 has yet more space to offer, built on the side, and in a more regular, rectangular shape.

As a result of the work done about 10 years ago, No 12 now has about 1,400 sq ft of space. Those who came to view prior to Christmas loved it to bits, says agent Ann O’Mahony of Sherry FitzGerald, who launched the three/four bed family home in Cork’s Grange / Douglas suburb just as most families and house-hunters began to wind down their searches and focus on the holidays.

Nevertheless, she still clocked up a couple of dozen viewings, including a few second viewings, and its’s under offer, but shy of its €270,000 asking price.

Because of its corner site, there was scope to go out to the side as well as to the back, and now the rear is home to an irregularly-shaped 30’ by 16’ kitchen/dining / family room. It’s the scene-stealer, first glimpsed from the front door through the hall.

There’s also a standard-sized front living room with open fireplace and bay window, and alongside is a playroom (sort of small garage-sized at 12’ by 7’ wide), with utility behind off the kitchen. That playroom is billed as an optional fourth bedroom, and overhead on the first floor are three bedrooms — two doubles and a single — and the master bedroom now has a dressing room and an en suite bathroom alongside thanks to the grafted-on two-storey side extension.

Floors in the front room, and in that great rear communal family space, are in solid timber and the kitchen units are painted cream, with mahogany tops. A diagonally-placed breakfast bar serves a sensible dividing purpose between the kitchen and the rest of the open space, while the kitchen/dining end has handy understairs storage too.

No 12’s condition overall is “immaculate,” says Ms O’Mahony, with Stira access to an attic for putting away the Christmas decorations.

While the extensions have eaten into some of the outdoor space, there’s still a good enough back garden, enclosed and private, with shed and patio. One of the main greens in Amberley Green is across the way — a huge plus, either for children to play on, or for its visual amenity — and the corner setting allows good street parking.

Location is excellent, as Grange now has good services, shops, schools and more, with Douglas village down one hill, and the Airport Road and Kinsale road roundabout off in the other direction.

VERDICT: There’s great space here, mostly at ground level, and while there’s the option of a fourth, ground floor bedroom in the play room, it’s a bit remote for younger families to make full use of.