Head-to-toe makeover and twice its original size, buyers will be on the double for €380k Blarney home 

No 7 Assumption Terrace has a lot more going for it than appearances suggest

Seasonal shades at No 7 Assumption Terrace, Blarney

Blarney, Co Cork
€380,000
Size	145 sq m (1560 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	3
BER	C3

HAD the current owner of no 7 Assumption Terrace taken the house at face value, he might never have crossed the threshold.

“I remember when I saw it advertised that I sort of skimmed over it, because it wasn’t much to look at from the outside,” he says, “but when we went to view it, it really blew me away.”

No 7 is in a terrace of former council housing

Part of an elevated row of former local authority housing built along Blarney’s Station Rd, No 7 started life as a “two-up, two-down” house in the 1960s, but was given a new lease of life, and a big boost to the floor area, when a substantial rear extension was added back in 2001.

 The once-modest townhouse doubled in size, with the addition of a new kitchen, new dining room, a new utility and guest loo downstairs, as well as an extended hallway, while, overhead, two bedrooms became three. The third came with a touch of luxury, in the shape of a walk-in wardrobe and a stylish en suite.

En suite bedroom with walk-in wardrobe

“When we bought it, eight years ago, all we really did was add a solid-fuel stove in the living room — one of the original ‘two-down’ rooms — and install zoned heating. Everything else was pretty much done,” he says, including the handcrafted, solid-wood staircase.

The couple inherited plenty to appreciate from previous owners: A cosy, country-style kitchen, a bright dining room with vaulted ceiling and exposed wooden beams, surrounded by eight windows, a smartly tiled hallway with vintage radiator and a landscaped rear garden with patio.

Extended hallway

 A sliding door from the dining room leads to the patio, which is enclosed by a stone-clad wall.

 It’s a sunny, secure nook, at a level below the main garden, where paving cuts through lawn to a pedestrian gate. 

Parking to the rear

Beyond the gateway are two parking spaces, accessed via a private laneway to the rear.

The garden is in great shape, cared for by the owner’s wife. “My wife would have done a good bit of work in the garden,” the owner says. A Barna shed tucked into one corner is handy for storage. A fully floored attic space with Stira access and a Velux is another storage option.

While the owner can work from home — hence the use of one of the original front rooms as a home office (also a playroom as they have two children) —his wife, a teacher, has a cumbersome commute. It’s the reason they are relocating.

Tirza Hourihane, of Sherry FitzGerald, is selling no 7 and she says the 145 sq m townhouse is “beautifully presented” and within walking distance of Blarney village. The village is home to the iconic Blarney Castle and Blarney Woollen Mills, and there’s a selection of local pubs, restaurants, and shops. For public transport, there’s a bus stop within 500m of no 7, a new secondary school is about the same distance away and it’s just 1km to the nearest primary school.

Blarney is a short drive from both Cork City centre and Ballincollig.

Sitting room

The price for the three-bed townhouse- which sold eight years ago for €318,000 - is €380,000.

The energy rating is a C3.

Ms Hourihane says first-time buyers and downsizers are leading the charge at viewings of no 7.

VERDICT: Great example of what can be achieved with older council housing stock. Comes with a decent rear garden and good proximity to Blarney village.