House of the Week: Astwood Lodge for €650,000 epitomises 20-minute Cork City living

A rear extension created an admirable living space in this Boreenmanna Road home

Fri, 30 Jan, 2026 - 07:21

Catherine Shanahan

Boreenmanna Rd, Cork City
€650,000
Size	124sq m (1,335sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	3
BER	B2

THE catastrophic trail that covid blazed caused irreparable damage to many but it was a shot in the arm for the concept of the 20-minute neighbourhood/15-minute city.

With so many travel and keep-your-distance restrictions in place, the livability of our own districts was very much under scrutiny. Short journeys to meet daily needs and access to lots of outdoor space proved paramount. If the concept of the 20-minute neighbourhood was already cottoning on ahead of the pandemic, covid dramatically accelerated its importance.

The owner of Astwood Lodge, aka No 4 Beechwood Drive, fully appreciated how quickly she could access key transport hubs (Cork Airport, Kent Station), as well as Cork city centre, and acres and acres of green space at the nearby Marina, from her immaculate home off Cork City’s Boreenmanna Rd.

Seasonal show at Marina Park, Cork city Picture: Larry Cummins

“It really fits the idea of a 20-minute city,” she says of the location, adding that she put lockdowns to good use by channeling her energy into the garden.

“It was my covid project,” she says. “The house was turnkey when I bought it in 2019, but the garden was not.”

The owner’s green-fingered mother provided guidance, and soil that had once nurtured the market gardens of Ballinlough ensured plants and shrubs thrived.

Her garden has the distinction of being home to the one remaining beech tree in Beechwood Drive, above a patio on the garden’s top tier, which catches the sun in the evening. There’s a garden shed on the same level.

Dropping down a few tiers brings you to a paved area outside the glazed back wall of extended No 4 — a move that transformed the bungalow.

Inside the glass wall is a large open-plan kitchen/dining area, where the roof has been raised into a vault.

Sitting into it is a towering apex window, flanked by full-height glazing on either side. The way it frames the ascending garden will be quite the surprise for those who come to view the property as there’s no hint from the roadside of the generous site behind. Off to the side of this crisp kitchen/dining room, through sliding pocket doors, is a cosy TV room, with Glenline cabinetry and a picture window, which also overlooks the garden.

The house is immaculately presented, just as it was when the current owner bought it after it had been remodelled to a design by OC Architects and Design. Planning files show the work involved the demolition of a garage conversion to the side and its replacement with a new single-storey extension to the side and rear.

Permission was also granted for a loft conversion, with three dormer windows and four roof lights, which was not pursued at the time. It has pushed the door open for future owners, as planners have shown they are not opposed to the idea. It leaves scope for an overhead bedroom, and more, as the loft is the width of the house. An attractive porch was added out front.

Kevin Barry, of Barry Auctioneers, is selling Astwood Lodge, a detached 124sq m three-bed tucked into a cul-de-sac, with off-street parking, gas central heating, a mechanical heat recovery system, a large utility, solid oak engineered flooring, and a solid B2 energy rating. He is guiding at €650,000.

“It’s a great home for a range of buyers, given where it is, near the city, schools, retail, and public transport,” Mr Barry says. Tennis, rugby, GAA, swimming, and pitch-and-putt are all catered for in the neighbourhood.

VERDICT: Stylish home that will appeal to different buyer types including professional couples, downsizers who want easy-to-keep convenience, and growing households who can reapply to expand upwards down the line.