Showhouse quality to Limerick suburban home

Trish Dromey gets the low-down on a spacious-rated home ideal for a professional couple.

Castletroy, Co Limerick

€325,000

Size: 149 sq m (1,600 sq ft)

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 4

BER: A3

Looking stylish enough to be a showhouse — although it isn’t — No 182 Caisleán na hAbhainn in Castletroy is a spacious A-rated home which is expected to attract the attention of a few well-heeled first time buyers “It’s the perfect first home for a young professional couple — offering underfloor heating, triple glazing, an air to water heating system and 1,600 sq ft of accommodation presented in tasteful neutral tones,’’ says Orla Sheehan of Sherry FitzGerald Limerick quoting a guide of €325,000.

The explanation for the showhouse looks are that the owners who bought it new four years ago asked for all the upgrades they could get, including some glass kitchen cabinets and a wine rack.

“All the flooring was down when we moved in — all we had to do was pick colour schemes and landscape the garden,’’ says the owner, who opted for a mostly neutral cream décor with some beige and gold and made the outside space as easy to maintain as possible.

Decorated predominantly in cream, the sitting room is spacious and modern with splashes of gold in the accessories and on the floral patterned wallpaper. The main decorative feature added by the owners is the open shelving which are lined with lamps photos pot plants and other brick-a-brac.

There’s a wood-burning stove in the fireplace but the owner says that the house is already so warm that it’s just ornamental. “We lit it once to try it out but the room was much too hot.’’

The kitchen at the rear is cream and neutral with hints of gold and beige in the tiling. The units are cream with granite worktops and a centre island and the dining space has a wall finished in beige coloured brick effect wallpaper.

In the guest WC off the hallway the owners have introduced a little bling with a gold Buddha picture and papered one wall in a pink floral pattern. There is also a cream utility room which has been given colour and personality by a collection of wall signs.

The first floor has a bathroom and three bedrooms, two doubles and a single which is used as a study. Decorated in shades of beige and gold the largest bedroom at the rear has both a shelved walk in wardrobe as well as a tiled en suite.

The top floor is given over to the large master bedroom which is decorated in grey and cream and has en suite and a walk-in wardrobe.

To the rear of the property, there is a low maintenance paved garden with two sheds and a raised rockery area with a collection of garden ornaments. Putting in a raised bed and a small fountain, the owners also personalized the space by painting the walls and hanging lighting and some wrought iron candleholders.

Sherry FitzGerald’s Ms Sheehan says new houses which are now on offer in this locality don’t have the amount of space that this one does, and expects the property’s Castletroy location to prove a big draw.

“Castletroy Shopping Centre, the University of Limerick and the National Technology Park are all within a short drive from this development which is also close to the National Trust financial services facility.” She says that as well as an appealing to first-time buyers it may also attract families and investors.

VERDICT: Spacious, attractively modern and energy-efficient.