Three-bed €510,000 home by Cork's Lough has planning to double in size

Detached Locmor is a walk-in buy by magically-set Fairy Lawn

Sat, 11 Feb, 2023 - 21:01

Property Editor Tommy Barker reports on upgraded 102 sq m home

The Lough, Cork city
€510,000
Size	102 sq m (1,112sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2
BER	E1

MIND the swans – you could almost skim a stone to the waters of Cork city’s Lough from this attractively-presented compact detached home.

Bursting with ‘kerb appeal,’ the charm goes deeper than skin or facade deep in the case of the significantly upgraded house just inside the cul de sac called Fairy Lawn: it’s pretty cool inside in term of finishes, colours, comfort and contemporary character.

But, while the nearby Lough is big, at four hectares, or just shy of 10 acres, this two storey house with an assertive €510,000 asking price is just a bit over 1,110 sq ft as it currently stands: it has been upgraded, but not extended. Yet.

For those who love the location, and are in it for the long haul, the fact there is planning permission in place to double it in size to 209 sq m from 102 sq m, via a side and rear extension that goes up to attic level will engage serious thoughts

Locmor’s existing internal space has been pretty much maximised in its current ownership inside, though the side garage has remained in situ to date, set up as a utility room.

It last sold in 2009/2010 for a recorded €275,000 as a different feeling house, with bronze aluminium windows, sandy dash and dated interior when we briefly covered it here.

The woman buyer who fell for the location later fell for a landscape horticulturist and married and they continued the upgrades works outside, both front and back for a very pleasing aesthetic, adding things like a detached garden room/home office, seating spots, planting and, for a smallies a sand pit.

Nesting instinct? Front garden with bird hide.

Oh, and a front garden corner has a whimsical wooden structure that looks like a cross between a sentry box, and a bird hide to spot feathered friends by the Lough.

Locmor briefly came to market in 2019, and featured in these pages looking pretty much as it does today and when it had a €395,000 AMV and also was getting planning permission for its extension nailed down.

However, it was taken back of the market almost as quickly, as moving plans of the time apparently changed: it didn’t even get to the viewing stage.

Now, there’s a change of selling agent, different market and an upward price adjustment.

Johnny O’Flynn of Sherry FitzGerald says it got immediate interest after he listed it last week, and he has had some second viewings already. Among those looking this month are young families and more mature first-time buyers, with some financial means. He hasn’t shown to traders down yet, but they can expect to be in the queue also.

Locmor has planning to be doubled up in size

Once past the powdery orange replacement door and the steely grey painted exterior, viewers will find a smart home with interconnecting reception rooms front and back, with a stove in the living room, which also has bay windows with replacement cream coloured sash windows, while double, hardwood/glazed doors open to a full-width rear dining room with gas inset fire. There’s a kitchen behind, country style with island and cream painted units, in a single storey extension, with garden access beyond.

While there’s good ground floor space (the garage/utility has external access) the first floor is more restricted, with a double bedroom, reasonable bedroom two and a compact third bedroom, while the family bathroom is modern, fully tiled and has large shower.

VERDICT: Lovely feel and personality, the garden comes back into its own in the next few months, the garden room’s a bonus and the Lough is a delight.

Home hunters needing more space than lovely Locmor has will have to factor in the extra cost and disruption of extending. The planning grant to double it in size was granted in March 2020, and so has a little over two more years to run.