Trading up
A Waterford house with a link to the famous Mt Congreve estate and its 70 acres of gardens is for sale with its own more modest garden splendour.
The Georgian-styled Killoteran Hill is a 3,000 sq ft villa on 0.9 of a wooded acre, on grounds which once formed part of the Mt Congreve estate, whose mansion contents sale last year made international headlines. It was designed and built about 20 years ago, with input from Ambrose Congreve and his architect, and tends towards the modestly classical end of the scale.
Killoteran Hill is just off the old Kilmeaden Road, five miles from the city, and is for sale with agents Property Partners Barry Herterich in Tramore with a €495,000 AMV.
He says the gardens “are just lovely, totally private and partly overlook the Mount Congreve estate, fronted by a 10’ stone wall, electric gates, a wooded section and patio with hot-tub.
There are slim columns standing sentinel by the front door, and inside a hall with beech floor and beech continues into the 20’ by 14’ sitting room, as well as into the dining room, and there’s also a study, utility, kitchen with Stanley oil range, shower room, main bathroom and four double bedrooms with one en suite.
VERDICT: Living next to true grandeur.
Not so much a trading up as a trading down, or a trading-in option, is No 6 Orchard Close, a 1970s townhouse that’s been extended and made cosy — it even has an excellent B2 BER rating.
Its owners have a background in architecture and BER assessments, so they’ve put that expertise to use, but with two small children, they’re ready to trade up or swap.
They featured in these pages as swap-hopefuls three weeks ago, but in any case they are now ready for the open market, offering this 1,150 sq ft city pad via Tim Sullivan, and it’s guiding at €230,000.
Well-built from day one by Lane Builders, no 6 Orchard Close is located inside of Ballincurrig Park, off the main Douglas Road by the Briar Rose in a great location.
And it now has an extension plus garage converted to utility, with easy keep small garden, off-road parking and a communal front garden.
Agent Tim Sullivan has sold several similar Douglas and Blackrock townhouses, but in a more original state. No 6 is now better, bigger, and warmer — a walk-in job.
VERDICT:Ideal for those who don’t need more bedrooms, in a secure setting.
House sales have picked up considerable pace in recent months in Cork’s Glanmire, with clean buys finding new owners in rapid order. So says estate agent Frances O’Brien of DNG Don Murphy Condon, as she puts 13 Marwood Lawn on the market.
She launches it at €210,000 as a trading up option and says “houses like this are flying, especially compared to last year; if they are in good condition they can go sale agreed within weeks,” she said, instancing one Glanmire home getting a €200k buyer on its first viewing.
She reckons the spotless condition 1,400 sq ft four-bed semi by O’Flynn Construction will find favour also in jig-time.
There are two reception rooms, one with bay window, good quality flooring, gas heating, an alarm, utility and guest WC, and a south-facing back garden. Marwood’s just east of Glanmire’s central services, a short commute of Cork City and with easy access to the M7 for those going further afield.
VERDICT: No 13 Marwood Lawn could as readily suit a first-time buyer at the €210,000 asking price as a trader-up who’ll be keen to get his/her hands on 1,400 s ft of comfortable home, with a solid C2 BER rating.
€99,000
Plans to be re-born have been drawn up for this beautiful Co Kilkenny stone church but, the lack of finance means the stone mason who bought it with a grand design in mind won’t be acting on them.
A better hereafter was dreamt of by mason, and TV’s Grand Designs aficionado Mark Stewart when he bought this moody 1796 structure, Odagh Church, built as a Church of Ireland Board of First Fruits church with three-storey bell-tower. It held its last service in 1957, and the roof was removed in 1980.
Now, full planning is secured (Feb 2012) for a renovation and conversion to two-bed (but it could accommodate four), part-three storey dwelling, with open plan living area, with design by Extend Architects in Dublin, who’ve got a YouTube video online of how it could look once completed.
It’s for sale via Kilkenny agent Clodagh Daly, guiding €99,000.
On a half acre off the N77, it’s built on bedrock and has sound foundations (sounds biblical?), adjoins a small cemetery, and has a number of neo-Gothic details — ‘good bones’, quips the proud owner.
VERDICT: Glorious second coming awaits.
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