House of the week: Douglas, Cork €395,000

Size: 155 sq m (1,730 sq ft)

IT’S called Trabeg Lodge, but its bigger (and better) than the modest-sounding word ‘lodge’ might indicate. In fact, it has over 1,700 sq ft within its red-brick walls, both old new.

This is a house of two halves, one original and old, at least 100 years most likely, and it was at least doubled in size in the 1990s by a family who moved to West Cork after doing a smart, matching extension update.

It was bought around 2000 by a now-retired architect, who did further and smaller works, concentrated on the neat, semi-exotic gardens and overall maintenance. And, now, he’s gone too, down to the coast for another move.

So, it’s all change time again at this distinctive one-off on Cork’s main Douglas Road at the junction with Rosebank Estate and near where there’s been a flurry of sales activity and refurbs.

Agent Malcolm Tyrrell of Cohalan Downing guides at €395,000, so buyers will have to realise the amount of distinctive house here for the price rather than dwelling on the ‘lodge’ word.

It was the lodge, though, for Trabeg House up the side lane here, beyond Douglas Swimming Pool, popular public park and playing fields, and the 4,000 sq ft Edwardian Trabeg House went on offer in 2012, also with Mr Tyrrell for €1.5m, but didn’t sell.

This is a seller, though, in a changed market with buying confidence back, especially in locations as good as this (last weekend’s House of the Week, a semi-d called Villa Marie nearer to Douglas village, has been swamped with viewing requests this past week, guiding €335,000.)

Lane-side Trabeg Lodge is a walk-in job, along an almost exclusively pedestrian access lane with private west-facing side gardens screened from the main road and junction by well-trimmed hedges, enhanced by palms, ferns and even banana trees.

It’s got a good mix of space upstairs and down, and is probably best suited to a single, couple or trader down. Handily, it has one ground floor guest or main bedroom, with dressing area and en suite in the older portion, with two overhead bedrooms under a pitched roof.

Back downstairs is the main bathroom, a dining room, a 22’ by 13’ living room with cast iron fireplace and patio access, long galley kitchen/breakfast room with garden access. And, over the main living space is a well-finished mezzanine/study, very bright with west-facing Velux and fitted with extensive shelving.

The condition is smart and clean, and a new owner can just move in and furnish. It already has pvc double glazing, alarm, gas central heating with a combi boiler, and while the BER’s a lowly-enough G, it seems like it should deserve better given its renovations, modern extension, glazing etc,. Most likely the open fires and the age of the original section pulled it down a bit. It has all been skillfully blended, half and half and linked through for a useful floorplan, the red-brick’s warm to the eye and is graced by terracotta-coloured render in sections, and there’s a parking spot on the lane for an occupant’s car, by a useful small garage/store.

The garden is a real feature, and is going to be easily kept, as there’s decking, patios slabs and gravel, with lots of feature planting, but no lawn, just hedges to cut.

VERDICT: A bit of Douglas history, Trabeg Lodge has got its own discreet visual presence on the road and lane, within walking distance of the city centre and Douglas village too, with a range of amenities right on the doorstep.