No chance of feeling cooped up in this €395k Passage West home

Self sufficiency is on the menu at 10 The Brambles in Pembroke Wood 

10 The Brambles, Pembrooke Woods, Passage West

Passage West, Cork
€395,000
Size	141 sq m (1517 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	3
BER	B3

CAN it get more wholesome than nipping out into the garden to pick up a couple of free range eggs for breakfast?

That’s what’s on the table, literally, at this Passage West home, where the key ingredient for every almost kind of egg brunch imaginable is in your own back yard.

Proponents of sustainable living will be interested to hear that there’s a chicken coop at No 10 The Brambles, in Pembroke Wood, names that in themselves conjure up idyllic lifestyles.

It’s not the countryside, (Passage West is a harbour town) but No 10 does have the advantage of a generous corner site and kudos to the owners, who are “avid gardeners” for making the very most of it. 

It’s superbly planted around the boundary walls, rich with colour during the summer months, and large enough for a garden shed, a greenhouse, a chicken coop, lawn and a multitude of trees and shrubs. That’s before we ever get to the bottom-of-the-garden patio, tucked away behind a pergola, almost hidden when everything’s in full bloom.

 It’s a sweet spot for outdoor dining when the sun is shining, particularly in the mid-to-late afternoon.

Garry O’Donnell of ERA Downey McCarthy says No 10 is in “a nice little cul de sac” in Pembroke Wood, around the corner from a green. The development itself is on the Cork side of the habour town and within walking distance of the town centre.

The current owners have lived at No 10, a 141 sq m semi-d, since 2007 and are now planning to spend their retirement in West Cork. They will leave behind what Mr O’Donnell calls “a proper four bed”.

“It’s a genuine four-bed and the market is calling out for those. And the real game changer is that there’s also an attic conversion,” the agent says.

Stairs to attic

The conversion, done by previous owners, has two large velux windows and is suitable for a multitude of uses. The attic is well-insulated and the house also has a new gas boiler, both of which feed into the favourable B3 energy rating. Buyers therefore qualify for cheaper green mortgage rates.

Built in 2000, the house has aged well, thanks to contemporary décor.

 A living room has double doors to the lounge/dining area from where there’s a sliding door to the rear garden and another, smaller, patio.

Living room 

As the kitchen can also accommodate dining, new owners might put the formal dining room to another use (home office? playroom? - although the attic could accommodate those too).

Upstairs, the main bedroom comes with en suite. The main bathroom is upstairs too and there’s a guest WC downstairs, off the hall and a utility off the kitchen.

Mr O’Donnell is seeing a nice bit of interest in No 10.

“There’s a lot of enquiries from wihin the estate, from people living in three-beds who want a proper four-bed home,” he says. First time buyers are very much in evidence too, he adds.

The guide price for No 10 is €395,000.

Passage West has plenty of schools and retail and an excellent greenway that links it back to Blackrock in Cork City. It runs to the Marina near [Supervalu] Páirc Uí Chaoimh, along the route of the old Cork to Passage West rail line.

VERDICT: Eggcellent choice for house hunters who like an element of self-sufficiency.