City to Country: €550k 2-bed mid-terrace or holiday home heaven on the Ring of Kerry

Options on the market include mid-terrace and seaside homes, writes Trish Dromey

Tue, 15 Aug, 2023 - 17:57

Trish Dromey

Harold's Cross, Dublin
€550,000
Size	78 sq m (840 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1
BER	D1

The owners of 168 Harold’s Cross Road in Dublin 6W have added a few unusual features to maximise space and comfort in their two-bed villa-style 19th-century home.

While putting in modern grey kitchen units they came up with the idea of adding a breakfast counter which could be folded away when not in use and they also built a roof-level terrace in the back garden.

They use the decked roof terrace in summer and spring and the patio area underneath in the autumn and winter, reveals Kate Mullery of Mullery O’Gara.

Guiding at €550,000, the property is charming and old-world with a good number of original features including window shutters, a cast iron fireplace and a stained-glass window.

During renovations in 2017 the owners used reclaimed redbrick from a demolished 19th-century building in Poland to create a feature wall.

At entrance level, the mid-terrace house has two bedrooms with ceiling coving and window shutters. A staircase at the rear leads down to an open plan kitchen living space with modern kitchen units and a seating area with a stove, engineered oak flooring and exposed redbrick. A sliding barn door opens into a small study and there’s also a bathroom with a vintage-style bath.

Ms Mullery says the location is both convenient and popular. “It offers quick and easy access to the city centre and also to Portobello, Terenure, Kimmage, and Rathmines and is well served by public transport.”

VERDICT: A cleverly renovated property in a sought-after suburb.

Courtmacsherry, Co Cork
€500,000
Size	234 sq m (2,515 sq ft)
Bedrooms	5
Bathrooms	4
BER	B3

Lomond House near Courtmacsherry village in West Cork has the space, the energy efficiency, and the comfort level you would look for in a trade-up property, as well as a few unexpected extras.

A modern five-bed home with 234 sq m of living space and over an acre and a quarter of gardens, it comes with a small orchard, two stables, and a rather unique playhouse which has been built on a Monterey pine tree.

Guiding the 2007-built property at €500,000, auctioneer Martin Kelleher says this is a wonderful family home with a good B3 BER. “It offers a luxurious coastal lifestyle just over three kms from Courtmacsherry village and beach.’’ Accommodation includes a sitting room with a fireplace in addition to spacious modern kitchen/dining room with cream units, and a marble-topped island, as well as a sunroom, a utility room, a guest WC, and an en suite ground-floor bedroom.

Upstairs has a bathroom and four bedrooms — one en suite, and one which could be used as an office.

Accessed by electric gates, Lomond House has lawned gardens with mature trees, a children’s wooded play area and a detached garage/workshop with adjoining stables.

Located at Curraheen, a little less than an hour’s drive from Cork City, it’s going to appeal to both commuters and hybrid workers. “For buyers looking to work from home it has fibre broadband,’’ reveals Mr Kelleher.

VERDICT: Spacious and modern with ample play space for children.

Killaloe, Co Clare
€525,000
Size	163 sq m (1,750 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	2
BER	A3

Modern and detached with a coveted A3 BER and an attractive well laid out garden, No 45 Arda na Deirge in Killaloe could tempt a Limerick city family to up sticks and move to Clare.

John Phelan of Harry Brann auctioneers thinks the four-bed property — located within a 10-minute walk from shops and amenities in Killaloe and the River Shannon — will also appeal to local buyers returning both from Dublin and from overseas.

Situated in a row of detached houses at the end of the Arda na Deirge estate, it was built in 2018, has 163 sq metres of living space and a garden with a lily pond with a waterfall, a patio and a gazebo.

Quoting a guide of €525,000 Mr Phelan says It’s an impressive house which has parquet oak flooring and a modern kitchen with quartz worktops as well as solar panels.

“It has views of Tipperary hills and, in winter, when the trees are bare in winter you can see Lough Derg from the upstairs,’’ he reveals.

To the front it has a spacious lounge with a stove and at the rear a kitchen/diner with grey units as well as a utility room and a guest WC.

The upper floor has four bedrooms and a large bathroom with both a shower and a standalone bath. A new owner might want to reconfigure to create space to put in an en suite.

VERDICT: Energy efficiency and modern, it’s just half an hour’s commute from Limerick City.

Castlecove, Co Kerry
€525,000
Size	100 sq m (1,076 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	1
BER	D1

On the waterfront at Castlecove on the Ring of Kerry, The Wood at Liss offers views of Kenmare Bay and the Caha Mountains and an opportunity to go swimming, boating, kayaking and paddleboarding.

Elaine Daly of Sherry FitzGerald Daly says it’s exceptionally rare to find a property in Castlecove with bay views and gardens which run right down to the water’s edge.

A three-bed bungalow with almost three quarters of an acre of woodland gardens, it was built in the 1970s and redecorated by current owners in recent years.

Divided into two wings connected by a glass walled hallway — it’s quite an unusual property which is modern and well maintained and has floor-to-ceiling windows and patio doors to frame the scenic views.

On the market with a guide of €525,000, it has 100 sq m of accommodation including open plan kitchen/dining/living area which has white modern units and a green oil-fired Aga in the kitchen and full height patio doors and a stove in the living space. In the second wing on the other side of the bungalow there’s a bathroom, three bedrooms and a utility room.

Accessed by a tree-lined avenue, The Wood has gardens with shrubs, a detached garage and a pathway leading down to a patio by the water’s edge and a boat house at the boundary near the shore.