Trading up: Ballyhea, Co Cork €300,000

Ballyhea on the Cork-Limerick road near Charleville is a sort of ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ village, but it has risen to some stature thanks to its weekly ‘Ballyhea Says No’ public marches, rejecting the banking bailout terms.

Size: 560 sq m (6,000sq ft)

Bathrooms: 5 

Bedrooms: 6 

BER: N/A

And, Ballyhea is also known for having a SuperMacs burger joint tucked away inside the local shop and filling station, and another SuperMacs up the road in Charleville.

Now, a Whopper or a Big Mac of a different hue and flavour is for sale with an Ardskeagh, Ballyhea address.

An unfinished home of 6,000 sq ft, on 23 acres of land two miles from Charleville off the N20 Buttevant, this super-sized house is guided at €300,000 by estate agent Maurice Cohalan of Cohalan Downing. That equates to just €50 per square foot, even excluding the land value.

The snag of course is that a new owner has to finish it off, and as it’s so big, it will take wedges of extra cash to bring to completion.

Mr Cohalan describes this lofty home (there’s a third floor of accommodation, but no stairs up to it yet) as an unfinished new country home build, set well back from the road, with commanding country views, forecourt and triple garage.

VERDICT: Supply your own toppings