Trading up? Check out quality Brookview House in Sallybrook

Attic conversion potential and an acre (almost) to play with makes this Glanmire property an ideal family home

Brookview House, Glanmire

Glanmire, Cork
€825,000
Size	191 sq m (2065 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	4
BER	C1

 KUDOS to the owners of Brookview House in Glanmire where various cosmetic procedures have staved off the ageing process at their home of more than 20 years.

The result of these bricks-and-mortar facelifts is a fresh, attractive-looking property, on a neat almost-acre (0.9 acres), where trees and shrubs have had two decades to mature and ensure seclusion.

Entrance hall

Brookview House has been lived in since 2000 by the people who bought the site and built their detached home on it, and even though Glanmire has developed exponentially since, the property still has a rural feel. Just beyond more built-up Glenrichmond and on the minor side of the road that forks at The Brook Inn, Brookview House is well clear of the maze of housing estates that cluster around the Crestfield Shopping Centre area off Hazelwood Road. It’s still close enough though to walk to the well-served shopping centre.

Less than 8km east of Cork City and just west of the M8 Cork-Dublin motorway, Brookview House in Sallybrook is a good location for those whose jobs involve a commute, as the Dunkettle Interchange is c5km away. It’s particularly convenient if you work in Little Island or Carrigtwohill. For those with school-going kids, there’s an abundance of schools to choose from and regular bus services to the city.

The house, with a large, flat lawn to the rear, enclosed and private, is entirely family-friendly with oceans of room for sport/trampolining/family celebrations. A circular patio at the top of the garden is the perfect sitting-out area and there’s enough space to stage a barbeque for a small army. 

Indoors, the ground floor is dominated by open-plan living. A large kitchen diner overlooks the back garden and patio, and is open to the living room. 

At the dining end of the kitchen is a large conservatory, with vaulted ceiling and double doors to the rear patio. It gets plenty of south-facing light, according to selling agent Lawrence Sweeney of Savills.

A utility and guest WC don’t quite round off the ground floor of this 2,000 plus sq ft home – there's a sitting room too, overlooking the front garden.

 Upstairs, two of the four bedrooms are ensuite and there’s a family bathroom. 

Overhead again is a 520 sq ft attic room, accessed by a full staircase, which Mr Sweeney says “could potentially be converted, with up to two large bedrooms and a bathroom, subject to planning permission”.

The options to expand the accommodation don’t end there. Adjacent to the house is a double bay garage with a functional attic level and separate stair access.

 Mr Sweeney says it’s a “huge bonus ... providing space for storage, as a workshop, or home gym or home office”, but equally with the possibility of converting it into a studio apartment, with planning permission. As the current housing crisis looks increasingly intractable, the potential for additional accommodation will appeal to some buyers, who may also look at splitting the very large site down the line.

The family that lived at Brookview House are downsizing, with kids reared, and Mr Sweeney is expecting to hear from overseas buyers as well as people living locally.

“The demographic I’ve seen over the past year when it comes to high-spec homes like this is couples in their late 30s, early 40s, in tech or pharma, or medics and academics, who aren’t necessarily as specific about the area they want to live in as we might have seen.

“Some are ex-pats or people who are not from Ireland but who have moved here and have been looking for a while. They want a private house on a good site and Brookview offers that,” says Mr Sweeney, who has set a guide price of €825,000.

VERDICT: High quality trade up home on terrific site.