City to County: Renovated Drumcondra mid-terrace or heated pool and sauna at Bandon's Gurteen House

These homes offer a exceptional home spaces no matter the size, writes Trish Dromey

Tue, 18 Jul, 2023 - 18:50

Trish Dromey

Drumcondra, Dublin 9
€575,000
Size	63 sq m (678 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1
BER	E2

The attractions of 34 Dargle Road in Drumcondra in Dublin 9 include its location, its attractive Victorian redbrick facade, and its cleverly reconfigured interior.

The two-bed mid terrace house which offers just 63 sq m of living space was bought and renovated by an architect in the early 2000s.

Walls were knocked in the creation of modern open plan ground floor space, an extension was added on at the rear, and a mezzanine area was created upstairs.

Quoting a guide of €575,000, Martin Doyle of Sherry FitzGerald says the property is very well maintained and that the location is fabulous.

“It’s tucked away on Dargle Road [which] has long been regarded as one of the most prestigious locations in the northside suburb of Drumcondra, convenient to all the amenities of the village and within a gentle stroll of the city centre.” Inside the box bay window at the front is a high ceilinged sitting room with a cast iron fireplace. To let in light, a section of wall has been knocked between this room and the kitchen/diner behind it which is tiled and fitted with modern cream units.

Beyond this in an extension is a bathroom with a cast iron bath.

The upstairs has two bedrooms with Velux windows including one with a ladder leading up to a carpeted mezzanine area.

The property has an E2 BER which new owners will want to improve on.

VERDICT: Small but attractive and very well located.

Bandon, Co Cork
€495,000
Size	520 sq m (5,600 sq ft)
Bedrooms	5
Bathrooms	3
BER	F

House hunters would be hard pushed to find another property that’s even half as fascinating as Gurteen House near Bandon — a Victorian Gothic revival home with gargoyles on its walls and a swimming pool in its basement.

Technically the semi-detached five-bed property makes up half of Gurteen House — since it’s attached at one side to a Georgian property which makes up the other half.

In 2005, the neglected neo Gothic half of Gurteen House was rescued and renovated by a South African couple who built on a new wing for a kitchen/ diner and put in 12.5 metre long swimming pool in the basement.

Sherry FitzGerald Brennan Busteed who launched the property in April with a guide of €690,000 have now reduced the asking price to €495,000. They say it’s a one of a kind property with features which include stone and marble fireplaces, a Gothic mahogany staircase, 24 restored sash windows and carved heads of kings and queens as well as gargoyles.

In total there’s 520 sq m of living space including a library, two sitting rooms, a modern kitchen/ diner, a utility room, an office, and a ground floor bedroom. The upper level has a bathroom and four bedrooms including an exceptionally spacious en suite one while the basement has a sauna and a swimming pool.

Fitted with geothermal, hydrothermal and solid fuel heating , the house has an F energy rating.

The property’s one acre site includes woodland and lawn well as a 26-metre long greenhouse and a chicken coop.

VERDICT: Quite remarkable.

Dunmore East, Waterford
€435,000
Size	136 sq m (1,465 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	2
BER	C2

Realt na Maidine at Harristown near Dunmore East village has gardens enough to tempt a Waterford buyer to leave the city and move closer to the coast.

On a site of over half an acre, the four-bed 1990s-built bungalow offers a vast lawn for playing on as well as flower beds and a greenhouse to appeal to a buyer with horticultural inclinations.

Seeking offers of €435,000 for the 136 sq m property, Michael Coppinger of DNG Coppinger & Reid says that proximity to the beaches at Dunmore East and Woodstown, both of which are within a short drive, could also be an inducement for city buyers.

Overlooking the large expanse of gardens at the front is a timber floored living room with a fireplace and a stove.

Accommodation at the rear includes a kitchen diner with cream units as well as a separate dining room. There’s also a small utility room, a bathroom and four bedrooms, one with an en suite and one which has become a home office.

The 0.67 acre site includes lawns at the front with a hydrangea-filled circular bed and at the rear, a patio area enclosed by hedging, long colourful flower beds, and a small greenhouse.

“It’s just three km from Dunmore East village where amenities on offer include golfing, sailing, angling, boat tours, cliff, and woodland walk,’’ says Mr Coppinger, noting that Woodstown beach is within 4km while Waterford city is just 13km.

VERDICT: Has all the garden a city buyer could wish for.

Thurles, Tipperary
€495,000
Size	147 sq m (1,582 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4/5
Bathrooms	2
BER	A2

This detached five-bed house at Stranavoher is, according to selling agents Sherry FitzGerald Gleeson, the first A-rated detached house to come on the open market in Thurles town.

What’s most surprising about this is the fact that the property, Keakil, is not a new build but a 1960s-built house which has just a full energy retrofit and a complete makeover.

“Thanks to a high degree of insulation and a state of the art air-to-water heating system it now has an A2 BER,” says auctioneer Jonathan Gleeson, adding that the owners put on an extension for a new kitchen and replaced the floors, doors, sanitary ware, and windows.

Keakil now has 147 sq m of accommodation which includes a sitting room, a utility room, a modern tiled bathroom, and a groundfloor room which could be a fifth bedroom or home office. To the rear, there’s a tiled contemporary kitchen/ diner which has a mix of blue, white and black units and a large centre island. All that’s left for the purchaser is to fit appliances.

The upper floor has also been thoroughly modernised and has a tiled bathroom and four laminate floored bedrooms.