May the funds be with you: Manhattan-style loft-home in Midleton has an intergalactic edge

It's also nicely priced for first time buyers, writes Catherine Shanahan

62 The Stables, Midleton

Midleton, East Cork
€210,000
Size	88 sq m (950 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1
BER	E2

A COUPLE of creatively driven souls have scored an edgy Manhattan loft look at their Midleton home by making the most of its tall ceilings, large windows, and spacious open plan layout.

The exterior view of this end-of-terrace two-storey at No 62 The Stables, Mill Race gives no hint of what’s inside.

62 The Stables, Midleton

“It looks pretty normal outside, but when people get to the top of the stairs, they are like ‘wow, I wasn’t expecting this’,” says one half of the couple, Joanne.

She bought it six years ago, having scoured Cork city initially.

“I looked in the city for over a year but in the end, the value I got in Midleton was incomparable,” she says. The Stables were designed as “upside down” houses” to make the most of the double height ceilings on the first floor. Joanne and her partner Lee set about putting their own stamp on it.

Joanne describes Lee as “crazy talented” at making things using 3D printing, including a series of Star Wars helmets displayed on shelving in their living space. In fact the reason they are now moving is because she wants him to have more space for creating.

She will miss many features of her home, she says, including walking up to the sound of the Owenacurra River running beneath their bedroom window.

“It’s very relaxing after a week in work,” she says. She also loves the heron that flies by their balcony, from where they can enjoy sunsets and take full advantage of the light that floods their upstairs room. 

Getting to work in the city was also, surprisingly, easier from Midleton than when she was living in the city and had to cross across town from Grange.

She’s a short stroll from Midleton railway station and says they made good use of the hourly service, spending Saturdays in the city and taking a late train home.

Selling agent Kyle Kennedy of Hegarty Properties, who is guiding No 62 at €210,000, says there’s terrific interest, with 15 viewings for the first day alone.

He says it’s a property “oozing with character and charm” near Midleton town centre, and is “sure to appeal to first time buyers, as well as people looking to downsize”, with investors likely to be in the mix too.

VERDICT: This one will fly.