City to Country: Ingenius architecture at Dublin 8 cottage or modernised 1900s farmhouse in Dungarvan for €565,000

Go big in the country or compact cottage in the city with these range of Irish homes

Tue, 17 Dec, 2024 - 06:05

Trish Dromey

South Circular Road, Dublin 8
€432,000
Size	58 sq m (624 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1
BER	C3

Full marks for ingenuity goes to the architect owner of 24 Harty Place, South Circular Road, Dublin 8 who decided that the two-bed mid-terrace cottage would look much much better with a small internal courtyard than with a conventional backyard.

Located in the centre of the living area and fully glazed on three sides, the courtyard makes a stylish and functional feature. Both a focal point and a place to sit out, it allows in light and creates some division between the kitchen and living space.

Seeking offers of €432,000 Alistair Hickey of Felicity Fox Auctioneers says the small 58 sq metre cottage was very cleverly and stylishly redesigned and extended by the owner in 2007 and is very well maintained.

During renovations the owner dug down to create some additional ceiling height, he reveals. The long open plan kitchen/dining/ living room has hardwood flooring, white walls, an insert gas fire and at the rear, beyond the courtyard, contemporary white kitchen units with vibrant green splashbacks.

To the rear there’s a utility space and a modern tiled wetroom while the upstairs has two bedrooms. At this level the walls around the central courtyard space have also been fully glazed to let in light to the bedrooms.

Located in a cul de sac of terraced cottages at the city end of South Circular Road, the property is little more than 20 minute walk from Grafton Street and St Stephens Green.

VERDICT: Small but stylish with a cleverly designed courtyard.

Dungarvan, Co Waterford
€565,000
Size	223 sq m (2,400 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	2
BER	A3

While the façade of this four-bed property at Deelish near Dungarvan is identifiably that of a 1900s built farmhouse – almost everything else about it is up-to-date and modern including its impressive A3 BER rating.

Current owners comprehensively upgraded, modernised, redecorated and also extended and insulated, reveals auctioneer Nicholas Dwane.

“Most of the work was done in 2019 when a flat roof, single storey extension was added on to accommodate a kitchen and a utility,’’ adds Mr Dwane explaining that a first floor extension - rectangular shaped and clad in tin- was added last year to create a fourth bedroom.

On the market with a guide of €565,000, the old farmhouse has been fitted with air to water heat pump and double glazed windows including sash style ones with shutters at the front.

In the extension at the rear, it has a tiled kitchen with contemporary handleless white units and a pale blue island unit. Alongside it is a utility room and a home office and, at the front, a bathroom, a bedroom and a sitting room.

The upstairs level has a bathroom and three bedrooms – including the recently added one.

Set on a site of around a third of an acre, the old farmhouse is located around six km from Dungarvan and a little over five km from Clonea Strand.

VERDICT: Given the space, the high spec finish and the high energy rating, this could be a must see property for emigrants returning to the area.

Brannockstown, Co Kildare
€645,000
Size	115 sq m ( 1,238 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	3
BER	C3

Village life in a charmingly restored redbrick Victorian School Master’s house is on offer at Brannockstown near Naas in Kildare.

Guiding at €645,000, it’s a three-bed detached gable fronted house with a large garden. Auctioneer Ian Smyth says the renovations were carried out very sympathetically by current owners around 20 years ago.

Once the residence of the teacher at the nearby national school, it’s been extended at the rear and fitted with double glazing and now has a C3 BER as well as 115 sq metres of living space, reveals Mr Smyth.

At the front of the property has two timber floored receptions which have kept their traditional appearance and some original features. One is a living room and the other a dining room which has an archway opening into a traditional style kitchen with timber units painted green and a ceiling with exposed beams. The ground floor also has a guest WC while the upstairs has a bathroom and three bedrooms including one en suite.

Outside at the rear there’s a patio, two outbuildings and a lawned area. “The secluded gardens have been laid out by owners to resemble parkland,’’ says Mr Smyth.

Located within minutes of Brannockstown village, the Schoo Master’s house is located 12 km from Naas. “ It’s easily commutable from Dublin and is convenient to the N7, M9 and M50,’’ says Mr Smyth, noting that that the Arrow train service is available from Newbridge and Sallins.

VERDICT: Old world and charming with attractive gardens.

Clonlara, Co Clare
€575,000
Size	344 sq m (3,700 sq ft)
Bedrooms	6
Bathrooms	5
BER	B3

Trade-up buyers on the hunt for a home within commuting distance of Limerick would be hard pushed to find anything as spacious as this 2005-built six-bed dormer property at Lisduff, Clonlara in Clare.

So says John de Courcy of De Courcy auctioneers who has just listed the very sizable 344 sq metre property and its half-acre site with a guide of €575,000.

“It was built and finished to a high standard by its owners and has a modern kitchen with solid timber units as well as a solid timber curved staircase,” he says, noting that it has a B3 BER.

The ground floor has a generous sized open plan kitchen/dining/ living room with a sunroom. In the centre of this there’s a tiled kitchen/diner with hardwood and cream kitchen units with a centre island and a redbrick chimney breast with a stove. Archways at the side of the chimney open into a timber floored living space with a larger fireplace. A large archway by the dining area leads through to a sunroom/ sitting room with a vaulted ceiling.