Four homes in four counties: A taste of what's on the market

City to County: A taste of the market today with homes in Co Dublin, Waterford, Cork and Kilkenny

City to County: Four homes on the market across Ireland.

Killiney, Co Dublin
€625,000
Size	91 sq m ( 980 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	2
BER	C1

Old world on the outside with Star of Jasmine trailing on a latticed porch, Woodburn Cottage on Ballinclea Road in Killiney is now surprisingly modern and stylish on the inside.

The owners have done major work to the two-bed cottage, finishing off by putting a hot tub on the garden decking which they are now willing to leave for new owners.

Selling agents Lynham auctioneers says this is a fabulous property in a sought-after location which has been redesigned with practicality and decorated with taste.

Seeking offers of €625,000, auctioneer Siobhan Lynham says the owners have made good use of space in the 91 sq m property which has been re-wired, re-plumbed and insulated. Upgrades have included fitting of stylish white kitchen units and a monochrome ground floor shower room as well as triple glazed windows, helping to bring the BER rating up to a C1.

In the centre of the cottage there’s a modern kitchen/diner with smart white units, a big red fridge, a stove and traditional timber ceiling beams. There are two sitting rooms, one at either end which each have a fireplace. Off the hallway there’s a modern shower room and upstairs there are two bedrooms, including one en suite.

Ms Lynham says the area is very popular and has a variety of amenities which are all within easy reach of Woodburn Cottage, including Killiney Golf Club, village, beach and Dart station.

VERDICT: Attractively mixes old world charm with modern style.

Piltown, Co Kilkenny
€475,000
Size	295 sq m (3,175 sq ft)
Bedrooms	5
Bathrooms	3
BER	Exempt

Neither the 21st century nor the digital age seem to have impacted very significantly on the Doctor’s House on Main Street in Piltown village.

The interior of the Victorian five-bed property has high corniced ceilings, shuttered timber sash windows, original fireplaces, and in the breakfast room meat hooks in the ceiling as well as bells once used for summoning servants.

Decorated in the style of a bygone era with chandeliers and antique furniture and fitted as unobtrusively as possible with modern plumbing and electricity, it could perhaps be used as a set for a period movie.

Called The Villa when it was built in 1873 for the village doctor, it has, according to John Stokes of REA Stokes & Quirke auctioneers, always been known locally as the Doctor’s House. Quoting a guide of €475,000, he says it’s a centrally located, well maintained property with lovely Victorian features and large walled gardens at the rear.

Accommodation includes a drawing room and dining room, both with bay windows and ornate fireplaces, as well as a book -lined study, a breakfast area with an oil-fired AGA and a kitchen with old style units and the minimum of modern appliances. There’s also a walk-in pantry where the servants would have polished the doctor’s silver, a WC and a shower room while the upper floor has five bedrooms and a bathroom with a roll top bath and a fireplace.

VERDICT: Wonderfully Victorian and old world but needs sympathetic upgrading to make it comfortable for modern living.

Ahakista, Co Cork
€475,000
Size	135 sq m
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2
BER	D2

Ahakista on the Sheep’s Head Peninsula in West Cork has over the years probably attracted more than its fair share of holiday home buyers who have included expats, artists, authors and at least one very well-known celebrity.

At Reenacapul, a townland near the village which has seen several high priced sales in recent times, Hodnett Forde auctioneers are now offering a four-bed property which, because of its scenic coastal location, has immediately attracted foreign and Irish interest.

Auctioneer Liam Hodnett says that within days of listing the 1980s bungalow with a guide of €475,000, he secured a bid of €450,000 from an overseas buyer.

“It occupies a prime coastal site in one of the most picturesque areas in West Cork and has unspoiled views of Dunmanus Bay,’’ he observes.

A yellow bungalow with blue windowsills, it is situated on an elevated one acre site and has plant filled gardens with a glass house, a polytunnel and a stream.

At one side of the property there’s a kitchen diner, a living room and a utility room, and, at the other, a bathroom and three bedrooms including one en suite.

The BER rating is a D2 and it’s likely that new owners will do some updating and upgrading.

Located a little over one kilometre from Arundel’s pub and Ahakista pier, the property is 17 km from Bantry and 18 km from the furthermost tip of the Sheep’s Head Peninsula.

VERDICT: A modern bungalow in a scenic and popular West Cork spot.

Ballyduff, Co Waterford
€395,000
Size	174 sq m ( 1,875 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	5
BER	B3

The prospect of living in a property called Beech Tree Cottage with an address on Raspberry Hill may appeal to a city buyer in search of rural tranquillity.

Donal Barry of Sherry FitzGerald O’Donovan says the house, located near Ballyduff in West Waterford, has a lot to attract this type of buyer — including scenic views of the River Blackwater at front as well as 174 sq ft of well-maintained accommodation and a site of almost three quarters of an acre.

Now a three-bed, five-bathroom detached dormer property, it started out as a small cottage but was rebuilt and extended by current owners around ten or 12 years ago.

Seeking offers of €395,000, Mr Barry says it’s modern and well maintained with double glazing, oil fired central heating and a good B3 BER.

Rooms overlooking the river at the front include a long, timber-floored living room, a spacious kitchen diner with shaker style units as well as a sunroom with double doors opening onto a front patio. The ground floor has a guest WC at the rear and the upstairs has a bathroom and three en suite bedrooms.

Situated on an elevated site at Inchinleama East, it’s a little over 5 km from Ballyduff village and 13 km from Fermoy. Mr Barry says it could be bought as a spacious family home or, because of its proximity to the River Blackwater, as a holiday home.

VERDICT: Offers rural tranquillity, river views, spacious accommodation and the possibility of going salmon fishing.