City to Country: €550,000 end-of-terrace Dublin 8 home or scenic views at renovated Kerry farmhouse

Properties across Dublin city, Laois, Waterford and Kerry prove that good things come in small packages, writes Trish Dromey

Tue, 12 Sep, 2023 - 06:00

Trish Dromey

Rialto, Dublin 8
€550,000
Size	83 sq m (893 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1
BER	C3

The attractiveness of this two-bed end-of-terrace house at 12 Reuben Avenue in Rialto, Dublin 8 has been much enhanced by its attic conversion. Alistair Hickey of Felicity Fox Auctioneers says the attic room, which is bright and modern with herringbone flooring and glass doors, adds almost 15 sq metres.

The house itself is Victorian redbrick with 83 sq metres of living space including two bedrooms.

The work on the attic, the kitchen extension and the upgrading of the BER rating to a C3 was all done before the current owners bought the house in 2021.

“It has attractive features including cornicing and plantation shutters and is a well maintained, owner-occupied property presented in walk-in condition,’’ Mr Hickey says, quoting a guide of €550,000.

Downstairs there are a pair of interconnected reception rooms with timber flooring, cornicing and dado rails, including one with a cast iron fireplace. To the rear, there’s a galley-style kitchen extension with cream units, hardwood countertops and Velux windows.

The first floor has a modern bathroom decorated in mosaic tiles as well as two timber floored bedrooms.

A white-painted staircase leads to the bright modern attic room which doubles as a home office and music room. Outside at the rear, there’s a patio garden.

Located close to Rialto and a Luas stop, Reuben Avenue is around 2km from Phoenix Park.

VERDICT: An attractively presented home.

Springhill, Co Laois
€435,000
Size	146 sq m (1,571 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	2
BER	C3

Triangular in shape and quirky, with balconies offering views of the Barrow Valley and Wicklow mountains in the distance, this property at Springhill near Carlow is one of a kind.

“It was designed in the 1980s by its owner, a draughtsman working in an architect’s office, with two balconies to make the most of the views,” says Harry Sothern of REA Sothern auctioneers, noting that it is on a site of three-quarters of an acres bounded by a stream with several small waterfalls.

The unusually-shaped four-bed house has 146 sq m of living space — in addition to a basement which has two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen, and can be used as a separate apartment.

At the entrance level, the property has a huge timber-floored living room with a timber-panelled ceiling and a fully glazed wall with doors on a decked balcony.

There’s also a kitchen/dining room with modern cream units, a bathroom, a sunroom, a utility room, and two bedrooms.

A carved spiral timber staircase leads to the top floor which has a bathroom, two bedrooms, and a door to a second balcony with even better views than the lower level one.

Set on a sloping site bounded by a hill stream, the property has mature well-planted gardens.

On the market with a guide of €435,000, it is situated close to the Laois/Carlow county bounds and is within a 10-minute drive from Carlow town.

VERDICT: Spacious, scenic and distinctively different.

Lackandarra, Co Waterford
€450,000
Size	172 sq m (1,851 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	2
BER	B3

At Comeragh View Lodge near Dungarvan the design is stylish, the views are scenic and the kitchen is high spec — possibly even high spec enough to improve the culinary skills of those who use it.

“This fabulous kitchen was designed by a well-known professional chef, who was the original owner of the property in 2008,’’ reveals Regina Mangan of Liberty Blue auctioneers, explaining that it was in fact the sleek, quartz-topped black gloss kitchen that prompted its American owners to buy it in 2017.

An architecturally striking four-bed property, it consists of two mono-roofed rectangular wings with a connecting section in the middle.

Features include a high level of glazing, solar panels, and contemporary fitting.

In the front wing of the 172 sq metre property, there’s a family room with a large corner window, a bedroom and open-plan living and dining areas.

The stylish black gloss kitchen is located in the middle section which connects the two wings.

Open plan with the living/ dining areas at the front, it has a large centre island and a picture window to frame the Comeragh views The middle section of the property also has a utility room and a bathroom with a jacuzzi bath while the second wing has three bedrooms, one en suite.

Set on a one-acre site at Lackandarra, Colligan,14 km from Dungarvan, Comeragh View Lodge has a guide of €450,000.

VERDICT: Perfect for a buyer whose idea of scenic rustic living involves a strikingly stylish home.

Tahila, Co Kerry
€550,000
Size	87 sq m (934 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	2
BER	D2

In order to fully appreciate the views from this renovated farmhouse at Tahilla in South Kerry, the owners put in a Danish glasshouse with a bar and turned it into a very stylish dining room.

Imaginatively and tastefully decorated, the old farmhouse also has a first floor decked terrace which offers scenic views of Kenmare Bay and the Caha Mountains.

Traditional and charming with thick stone walls and painted ceiling beams, the property has been a family holiday home for over ten years. “The owners gave it a high quality finish and fitted a top of the range glasshouse,’’ reveals Patrick Connor of Connor- Scarteen auctioneers who is seeking offers of €550,000.

It is of course the coastal location at Rossdohan, near Sneem that is likely to prove the biggest draw. “It’s on an elevated 0.64 acre site , has views of the Iveragh and the Beara peninsulas and is just a stone’s throw from Rossdohan Pier,’”he adds.

In the prettily renovated farmhouse there’s a sitting room and a dining room with exposed beams, a galley style kitchen with cream units, a bathroom and a bedroom. Up on the first floor the property has a spacious bedroom, a bathroom and a decking area with scenic views.

Outside in the mature lawned gardens there’s a stone outbuilding which has been turned into a home office with a bathroom. Alongside the glasshouse there’s a covered BBQ area and a large patio.