City to country: giving cottages new life

Coastal-style dwellings in urban and rural locations will attract buyers, finds Trish Dromey

Wed, 20 Jul, 2022 - 05:56

Trish Dromey

Clontarf, Dublin 3
€495,000
Size	78 sq m (840 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	1
BER	D2

An end-of-terrace Victorian redbrick property, No 15 Conquer Hill Avenue in Clontarf stands out from its single-storey neighbours by having a first floor, a bay window, a front garden and also by facing a different direction.

“It’s an 1895-built cottage style house which is full of charm and character and is located just a stroll away from Clontarf village, Clontarf Promenade, and the coast,” says Paul Menton of Quillsen auctioneers, seeking offers of €495,000.

The three-bed property – extended at the side by previous owners and well maintained by the current ones has 840 sq ft of living space.

Behind the front bay window is a lounge with storage units, original timber flooring and an archway leading into a dining room with a stove. In an extended area at the side there is a tiled kitchen with Shaker-style units and also a bathroom.

The upper floor has three bedrooms which all have distinctive arched windows- one of them is a children’s room with two built-in beds.

Fitted with gas central heating and double-glazed sash windows, the property has a D2 BER.

At the front enclosed by fence-topped walls is a garden with some decking, artificial grass, a garden shed, and a utilities shed.

Situated at the junction of Conquer Hill Avenue and Conquer Hill Road, the house is one of a small number of two-storey properties which bookend some of the terraces in the area.

VERDICT: Attractive and old world, close to the Dublin coast

With its old stonework, arched gothic windows, and attractive woodland setting The Old Schoolhouse at Corran Lake near Leap has charm enough to attract buyers from all over.

“We’ve got calls from the US, the UK, France, and a lot from Dublin — mostly from people who want to move full-time to West Cork,” says Con O’Neill of Sherry FitzGerald O’Neill who is guiding it at €435,000.

“It was built in 1820 as a one-room schoolhouse and extended in 1865,” he reveals, explaining that it became a residence in the 1990s and that his clients, who bought it 20 years ago, have renovated it charmingly

The 1820s school room is now a living room with rough plastered walls and exposed beams and the later extension is a kitchen/diner with blue units, exposed rafters and a red Stanley range. In an extension, there’s a sunroom where the floorboards have been painted red to match the windows.

There’s a ground floor WC while the first floor has two bathrooms and four bedrooms with sloping ceilings, painted floorboards, and traditional latched doors.

Although the property is very charming it has a poor G energy rating so is ripe for an energy retrofit.

Located on a wooded three-acre site, the Old Schoolhouse is quite close to Corran Lake and might have views of it but for the trees. It’s four kilometres from Leap and within a 10-minute drive from Union Hall and Glandore.

VERDICT: Quaint, charming and just a few kilometres from the West Cork coast.

Doonbeg, Co Clare
€295,000
Size	151 sq m (1,625 sq ft)
Bedrooms	5
Bathrooms	3
BER	E2

An unusual asymmetrical extension with a mono pitched roof and long narrow windows should make The Warren at Caherfenick near Doonbeg on the Clare coast an easy property to find.

Although the extension, added on to a more traditional style cottage, looks modern and interesting, it was built in the 1980s by a UK/Irish couple who renovated the old property and created a home with two kitchens, five bedrooms and a variety of options.

“There are two bedrooms in the original cottage and three in the two storey extension. The property could be split and one of them rented on Airbnb,” suggests Douglas Hurley of DNG O’Sullivan Hurley, pointing out that the location, 50 metres from the Wild Atlantic Way and close to Doughmore Beach, is hugely popular for holidays.

On the market with a guide of €295,000, The Warren has 1,625 sq ft of living space and an acre of gardens.

The cottage, in addition to having two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a living room also has a modern kitchen/diner.

In the very distinctive looking extension there’s a galley style yellow kitchen as well as a living room, a dining area, a guest WC, and three upstairs bedrooms including one which has an en suite with a Jacuzzi bath.

Located a kilometre from Doughmore Beach which is popular with surfers, The Warren is 4.5 km from the Trump hotel and golf resort.

VERDICT: A very striking property close to the Clare coast which offers a variety of options

Bawnard, west Waterford
€495,000
Size	248 sq m ( 2,670 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	3
BER	C1

From the balcony of this substantially extended cottage at Bawnard near Ardmore in west Waterford you can see the sea at Whiting Bay in the distance.

Located just four kilometres from the beach at Ardmore and two kilometres from Whiting bay, it’s a 2,670 sq ft property which selling agent Sherry FitzGerald Hennessy expect to sell to a trade-up family from Youghal or Dungarvan or possibly from Cork city or Waterford city.

“Originally a single storey cottage built in the 1900s it was fully remodelled and extended in 2017 and is now a light filled four bed family home,” says auctioneer Fiona Hennessy who recently listed it with a guide of €495,000.

The space in the original cottage has been turned into a large living area with a marble fireplace. The extension has been used to add on a spacious kitchen with red and white high gloss units and a utility room as well as a ground floor bedroom and bathroom.

The upper level has a bathroom and three bedrooms including one with an en suite and a balcony.