City to County: Beach life in Glandore or Park Life in Dublin

Comparing homes across the country's urban and rural divide

Fuchsia Cottage in Rushanes, Glandore, Co Cork is on the market for €325,000.

Glandore, West Cork
€325,000
Size	139 sq m ( 1,500 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	B
BER	D2

The high level of demand for coastal West Cork properties means that Fuchsia Lodge at Rushanes in Glanmore is unlikely to lack attention.

A three-bed detached house on an elevated site overlooking the harbour, it’s new to the market this week with a guide of €325,000.

Auctioneer Pat Maguire says it’s one of two lodges that belonged to the nearby convent and was renovated in the early 2000s for holiday letting before being bought as a full-time home by an owner who modernised it further.

“It’s now a well-presented property with 1,500 sq ft of living space ” says Mr Maguire noting that the views out across Glandore Harbour to Union Hall should prove a key selling point.

He says in addition to sea views, it has character and is well located within a ten-minute walk from Glandore village and pier as well as Nun’s Strand.

Accommodation at ground level is open plan and includes a kitchen with pale green units at one side, and a living space with a stove and large windows with south-westerly views across Glandore harbour at the front.

The first floor has two en suite bedrooms with sea views while the converted attic has a bathroom and another bedroom.

Mr Maguire says there’s a strong likelihood that it will be bought as a holiday home although he has had a few enquiries from people looking to move to West Cork.

VERDICT: A seaside property in West Cork with sea views, like this one, will always get noticed.

Blackhorse Ave, Dublin 7
€550,000
Size	105 sq m (1,130 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2
BER	F

The views of Phoenix Park from the balcony at the rear of Phoenix Cottage on Blackhorse Avenue are unexpectedly scenic for a Dublin city property.

Julian Cotter of Sherry FitzGerald Castleknock says that if the occupants of the renovated 1900s-built detached property watch carefully, they might glimpse a deer from the balcony.

On the market with a guide of €550,000, Phoenix Cottage has been extended and upgraded by its current owners and is now a three-bed property with 1,130 sq ft of living space.

“It oozes charm and character and is literally touching the walls of the Phoenix Park,” says Mr Cotter, noting that it’s conveniently located close to shops, bars, and restaurants on Blackhorse Avenue while the entrance to Phoenix Park is within a short walk.

The oldest part of the property has been turned into an attractive living dining space with a 12ft-high vaulted timber ceiling and a large raised red-brick fireplace. To the rear of this, the owners have added on a stylish galley-style kitchen with modern units.

At ground level in the two-storey section of the property are two bedrooms and a bathroom, as well as a small utility area and a narrow office.

A spiral staircase leads upstairs, where there’s a spacious en suite bedroom with a south-facing balcony overlooking the park.

Mr Cotter says Phoenix Cottage is attracting interest both from first-time buyers and downsizers.

VERDICT: A charming property with unexpected views.

Rosslare, Co Wexford
€495,000
Size	162 sq m (1,744 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	4
BER	C3

Attractively extended, creatively decorated and conveniently located close to Rosslare Strand, Tory Cottage is the type of seaside home that many people dream of relocating to.

For sale by online auction on May 19, the thoroughly transformed 1920s-built property has over 1,700sq ft of accommodation, including four bedrooms and a detached studio/home office.

Describing it as a gem, Colm Murphy of Kehoe & Associates explains that the owners have added on a large extension, wrapped the cottage in insulation and decorated it tastefully.

“The location is superb — it’s on Strand Road adjacent to the Blue Flag beach and is 400m from Rosslare Golf Club,” Mr Murphy says.

The owners turned the rooms in the old cottage into bedrooms and added a large, highly glazed extension at the rear. Here, there is a colourfully decorated living area with high timber-panelled ceilings and a stove, as well as a sky-blue kitchen with multicoloured chequered tiles.

The bedrooms, including three en suites, have high ceilings with picture rails and corning. In the extension at the rear there’s also a guest WC/utility space.

An electric gate at the front opens on to a gravelled area for parking cars and boats and at the rear there’s a decked patio.

“It could be a holiday home or a permanent one and we are getting enquiries from retirees as well as relocators,” says Mr Murphy quoting a guide of €495,000.

VERDICT: Larger, prettier, and much better equipped than the average seaside cottage.

Curraghmore, Co Tipperary
€295,000
Size	156sq m (1,680 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	3
BER	C2

AS the crow flies, this detached dormer bungalow at Curraghmore, Coolbawn in North Tipperary is only around one kilometre from the shores of Lough Derg.

Selling agents Sherry FitzGerald Talbot believe that the distant lake views, the tranquil rural location as well as the attractively- presented accommodation will help the three-bed property attract the interest of holiday home buyers as well as ones looking to commute from cities.

“It was built in 2008 to a very high standard,’’ says auctioneer William Talbot, noting that it has 1,680 sq ft of living space as well as a site of close to three-quarters of an acre.

The front door opens into an extra-large living /dining space with high, vaulted ceiling and a red brick chimney breast with a stove. An archway at one side leads to a kitchen with modern cream units and a set of double doors at another opening into a sun lounge.

Other ground floor accommodation includes a bathroom and two bedrooms including one en suite while the first floor has a second suite bedroom Surrounded by lawned gardens, the bungalow has two patios – a paved one at the side and a decked one at the rear so that the occupants can move to catch the sun Seeking offers of €295,000, Mr Talbot says the nearest access to the lake is at Coolbawn Quay which is 3.5 km away while the lakeside village of Terryglass within a 15-minute drive.

VERDICT: The space, the tranquillity and the asking price should make this property very attractive to city dwellers.