A bundle of joy and a house deposit put down: the stars aligned in 2006 at 2 Monsfield 

Baby's arrival prompted putting down roots instinct in Cork's Rochestown

Bundle of joy: No 2 Monfield, Garryduff, is priced at €695,000 by Stuart O'Grady of Sherry FitzGerald

Rochestown, Cork
€695,000
Size	133 sq m (1,432 sq ft) excl garage
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	3
BER	C1

IF EVER there was a symbol of a new beginning, it’s the arrival of a newborn, so why not push the boat out and buy a new house while you are at it?

The owner of No 2 Monfield did just that after giving birth to her bundle of joy.

“I was literally coming home from the maternity hospital and I mentioned to my dad that a development I had been keeping an eye on was taking deposits.

“He said I should go for it, that everything had gone well with my little baby and the stars were aligned.

Even the garden's mature now at No  2 Monfield

“So we drove to Garryduff and I paid the deposit and it was one less thing to worry about,” laughs the owner.

It turned out to be a wise investment in that blessed year of 2006. They’ve had nearly two decades at Monfield, and No 2 has improved with age, thanks to various upgrades.

Of note is the rear garden, which the owner designed, before hiring professionals to implement her plan.

“I’m into design — I suppose we all are with the help of the internet — and I was going for an Italian style,” she says.

She captured the look well at the bottom of the garden where a stone seat is built into the wall of a raised flower bed. Framed by bay leaf trees, it’s especially pretty by night under recessed lighting. There are other sitting-out areas too, for dining and relaxation.

“My husband did a lot of the work in the garden and we particularly enjoy it in the evening when it gets a beautiful bit of sunshine.

“It’s nice and private too. We’re not really directly overlooked by anyone”.

Interconnections

Indoors was not neglected. “We looked after it well,” the owner says. The most recent makeover was of the playroom, now an eye-catching black home office.

“Since covid, the kids hadn’t really been using it as they’d brought the Playstation upstairs. So we decided it was time to re-design it. Everyone needs an office space these days, so that’s what we did.”

Well, somebody made themselves at home...

Although they are now selling their four-bedroom, detached home, the owners have enjoyed their time at Monfield, a compact 23-home scheme, where they reckon they may have the largest garden.

“It’s very quiet here. All of the neighbours look out for each other. And it’s great for kids.

“Ours played hockey and soccer at Garryduff Sports Centre, which is only down the road. And when they were going to primary school in Foxwood, I only had to put them across the road and they could walk the rest of the way themselves.

“And of course we had Garryduff Woods, which was great for going for walks. We were handy to everything we needed really,” the owner says.

That includes bus services to the city centre and to Douglas village, which is close by. There’s easy access too to the south ring road network.

Selling this Monfield home is Stuart O’Grady of Sherry FitzGerald and he expects good interest “given the house is in such good condition, and given it’s a detached four-bed, for which there is strong demand”.

“The house is nicely tucked away in a niche development,” Mr O’Grady says, adding the adjoining garage gives the option to extend. Excluding the garage, the house measures 133 sq m (156 sq m with the garage).

The guide price for No 2 is €695,000. To date, the highest price paid for a Monfield home was in 2019, when No 8 sold for €635,000, according to the Price Register. It was a bigger home than this one, on a corner site.

VERDICT: Likely to be a popular option for families looking for a turnkey home close to Douglas village. Bonus of an enjoyable garden.