City to Country: Modern mix of new and old in upgraded Dublin 7 red brick or island escape at €515k Valentia home

Choose between city, country or island living, writes Trish Dromey

Coarhamore Valentia

Phibsborough Dublin 7
€475,000
Size	80 sq m ( 861 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	2
BER	C3

This Victorian end-of-terrace red brick house at 8 Castle Terrace in Phibsborough stands out in its terrace by being the only one with a small paved area at the front.

New to the market with a guide of €475,000, it’s a two-bed property which had already been comprehensively upgraded when the current owners bought it in 2019.

Movehome auctioneers, who sold it to them, say that the previous owners put on an extension, upgraded the heating, modernised the bathroom and fitted sliding sash style windows as well as a modern ‘"Scavoloni" kitchen.

Period features are still in evidence especially in the high ceilinged hallway which has coving and dado rails. In all there are 80 sq metres of accommodation which includes a front sitting room also with picture rails and coving as well as a modern insert stove. To the rear, there’s an extended kitchen/diner with contemporary units and a small breakfast island.

Upstairs has bathroom and has two bedrooms including one en suite. Upgrades carried out by previous owners have brought the BER up to a C3 which the selling agent is good for a house dating from the 1890s.

Located in a cul de sac close to shops and cafes in Phibsborough village, it’s within a 20-minute walk from the Botanic Gardens and a 20-minute bus ride from the city centre.

The Property Price Register shows it selling for €452,000 in 2019.

VERDICT: Nicely modernised with an attractive mix of new and old.

Campile, Co Wexford
€495,000
Size	192 sq m ( 2,060 sq ft)
Bedrooms	5
Bathrooms	3
BER	B2

Few residential properties come with as much land as this one at Coole in south Wexford which is on a very extensive nine and a half acre site.

Selling agents Sherry FitzGerald Radford who have just put the detached five-bed dormer property back on the market with a guide of €495,000, say it has land and space enough for a variety of hobbies or home enterprises.

“The owners have kept chickens, bees and pet sheep and have also planted apple, pear and plum trees,’’ says auctioneer Louise O’Mahony adding that they also spent time in the gardens which have flower beds and mature trees.

Stone clad at the front, the property was built in 2007 and has 192 sq m of accommodation. Fitted with geothermal underflooring, it has a B2 BER.

Downstairs there's a spacious kitchen/dining/ living room with timber flooring and shaker style units as well as a utility room, a bathroom and a bedroom. The upper level has a shower room and an office as well as four more bedrooms including one en suite.

The area around the house has a gravelled parking area as well as lawned gardens bounded by trees. Beyond this there’s a huge steel shed and several fields Located within four and a half km from Campile village, it’s 20 km from New Ross and six km from Arthurstown, from where you can take a ferry across to Passage East in Waterford.

VERDICT: Offer land enough for a variety of rural pursuits.

Ryehill, Co Tipperary
€375,000
Size	160 sq m ( 1,722 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	3
BER	C1

This four-bed bungalow at Ryehill in Tipperary could tick a few boxes for city buyers who want tp escape to the country. 

Located a few kilometres from Lough Derg, it has spacious accommodation, large gardens and countryside views and includes a hot tub and furniture Seeking offers of €375,000 Selling agents Sherry FitzGerald Talbot sayit offers good value for a modern 2004- built house with 160 sq metres of living space and close to an acre of gardens.

Auctioneer Paddy Heenan says it’s a well-kept, attractively decorated property which has been used for holidays but could now be bought as a permanent home. “It’s a little over a 50 minute drive from Limerick city and could suit remote or hybrid working.’’ Accommodation includes a kitchen diner which stretches from front to rear and has cream units and archway connecting it to a timber floored living room with a stove.

The bungalow also has a utility room, a bathroom and four bedrooms including one en suite.

At the front there’s a covered porch enclosed by canvas walls which has been turned into a sitting room with a hot tub.

In the mature lawned gardens that surround the bungalow there’s an old boat which the owner had planned to turn into a playhouse.

Located three km from Kilgarvan Quay on the lake , the property is one km from Ballinderry village and a little over five km from Terryglass village and harbour.

VERDICT: Its proximity to Lough Derg is likely to prove a key selling point.

Valentia, Co. Kerry
€515,000
Size	204 sq m ( 2,200 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	3
BER	B3

The prospect of living in an island home like this one at Coarha More on Valentia might prove tempting to a buyer hoping to relocate to a scenic spot.

Auctioneer Pauline Sugrue, who recently listed the modern three -bed detached dormer bungalow with a guide of €515,000, says the property looks out on to the Portmagee channel and has sea views from almost every room.

“The owners who built it in the early 2000s had planning permission for a permanent home,’’ she reveals, adding that they fitted double glazing, dual heating and solar panels to heat the water and achieved a B3 BER.

Significantly for relocating buyers with thoughts of working remotely she says the area now has fibre broadband.

At ground floor the property has a sitting room, a bathroom, a utility room, an en suite bedroom and a kitchen/diner while the upstairs has two more bedrooms and another bathroom. From the bay window in the dining area there are views across the channel to the Portmagee harbour while the gable window upstairs looks out towards the open sea.

Outside, there is a lawned area as well as a large detached garage and a small storage shed. Located within a five minute walk from the long bridge which connects Valentia with the mainland, it’s just a little over one km from Portmagee village and 16 km from Caherciveen.

Ms Sugrue says the property has already attracted interest from returning emigrants.

VERDICT: A scenic island home with easy access to the mainland.