A quiet slice of life for €450,000 in rural Rochestown

Tommy Barker visits a property that has the best of both worlds, set in a rustic idyll yet just a short hop in the car to the bright lights of the city

Sat, 06 Jul, 2019 - 11:00

Tommy Barker

Tommy Barker visits a property that has the best of both worlds, set in a rustic idyll yet just a short hop in the car to the bright lights of the city

THE owners of this five-bedroomed Upper Rochestown bungalow called Knockroe love the area so much, that they are only moving a hop, skip and jump from where they’ve been for the past 25 years: they’re building a smaller new home, on a lower down portion of their quite extensive grounds.

Offered on a half an acre, with 1,800 sq ft within, and with its interiors largely already opened up during their tenure here, the private home near Rochestown’s Monastery and Capuchin friary is guided at €450,000 by estate agent Malcolm Tyrrell of Cohalan Downing, and has just started its first viewings.

Quipping that the city has come out to meet them, as the area’s now within the new, extended Cork city boundary after a transfer from Cork Co Council, the vendors say it’s the best of both worlds, country in feel and setting, but within a few minutes by car of services, two shopping centres in Douglas and even of Mahon Point, and the adjacent major office employment park at City Gate.

The departing owners, with adult family, say “it’s just the perfect location, and we have spent many happy years here.

“There are eight houses situated along the private road here, and no one has plans to move because we all just like it here: our neighbours are the best and there are never any arguments or disputes between us.”

The house’s location is in an area where houses rarely come on the market, so may be seen as a seldom-offered opportunity.

A recent build nearby is a large, contemporary one-off, and now it’s to be joined by Knockroe’s vendors, who aim to build a more modest, low slung private home, with separate entrance to Knockroe

They reckon “there’ll be minimal disruption during building because it will be built within months, being an eco-friendly wooden frame design.”

Previous changes at Knockroe included installing double doors from the living area and from one bedroom to the great outdoors, along with opening up several smaller rooms to create an open plan living space with a large living room, kitchen and dining, along with utility and four bedrooms.

Since then too, an attached garage was converted into a teenage ‘pad’ for the family’s youngest child, and can be used as a self contained granny flat, with a shared kitchen, a living room, bedroom and en suite, and there’s also a sun room addition, with deck access.

The detached home Knockroe gets a respectable C3 BER, with landscaped half acre of grounds with long rural and even city views, including apple tree and shrubs, store and garage.