Cover story: Tops in Bandon town

Price: €279,000

Hey, Cinders! Is No 4 Hill Terrace a bit of a Cinderella house, finally and belatedly recognised for its glories? Quite probably, after its methodical, decade-long refurb by its family owners. But, it also earns the nick-name ‘Cinders’ at another level — down at ground level.

When excavating the original floors downstairs, the owners, and their builders David and Kevin McCarthy, found tonnes of burnt coal used as a sub-floor insulation (bottles were used sometimes too), and it was. they admit, a dirty job to dig out when redoing floors and foundations. It’s proof, though, that the renovations were literally done from the ground right up, to roof level, and the couple, now with four children, also found a carpenter or builder’s signature pencilled in on a roof rafter dated 1909, when it had also previously been reroofed. In between roof and foundations, pretty much everything else got scrutinised, secured and improved by the family in proud occupation — so much so that now the Victorian home has scored an impressive C1 BER.