No need for AI to enhance the garden at this €450k Church Road home

An extension to the rear of No 39 McGrath Park has opened up the main living area to the landscaped garden

Blooming lovely at No 39 McGrath Park, Church Road

Blackrock, Cork
€450,000
Size	107 sq m (1152 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	1
BER	B3

AN auctioneering firm’s recent use of AI to turn a very basic garden into a manicured slice of paradise at a Cork City northside home caused an online storm.

The matter ended up with the advertising watchdog, who ruled that the agent — Auctioneera.ie — had done no wrong, as the images were clearly flagged as digitally enhanced.

It didn’t stop Tánaiste Simon Harris — never shy of giving an opinion — from weighing in.

“I mean, you can just show us what the actual house looks like. That is a much more decent way of engaging with people,” the Tánaiste sensibly said, when the issue was raised in the Dáil.

We mention it here because the garden photographs at No 39 McGrath Park on Blackrock’s Church Rd are so vibrant that you could mistake them for fake.

 In fact it’s exactly what the garden looks like at the height of summer, with agapanthas pom-poms in full bloom.

The owners took the photographs last summer as part of the long drawn-out process of preparing to sell a home. It’s a genuine representation of what you can look forward to once the rain clouds clear. Who needs AI?

There’s much besides the garden to like about this former council house, built over half a century ago, and in private ownership now for many years, like many neighbouring homes on the terrace.

As No 39 also featured in these pages on its last market outing in 2018, our own records show that it was significantly altered in 2010, with the addition of a sizeable rear extension — an oak-floored kitchen/dining room — with access to the landscaped back garden and limestone patio via Auraplus triple-glazed large sliding doors.

Stella Troy, of Barry Auctioneers, is handling the sale of this mid-terrace townhouse, and she says the current owners carried out a series of upgrades which had a positive impact on the energy rating. Triple-glazed Rationel windows were installed out front, the gas boiler was replaced by a combi gas boiler with zoned heating, and the house was dry lined internally. They also insulated the attic. The net effect was a jump up in the BER from a C3 to a B3, which opens the door to green mortgage rates.

Ms Troy, who describes the house as “a beautifully presented, stylish, turnkey home”, says other improvements included the replacement of wardrobes in the main bedroom, new wardrobes in a second bedroom, and a new cloakroom area in the hallway.

As the vendors, with a new baby, prepare to trade up, the 107sq m, three-bed property comes to market with an AMV of €450,000.

Its location, near where Church Rd meets Skehard Rd by SuperValu, means it’s highly convenient to the myriad retail/commercial activities of Mahon Point and City Gate. Access to the South Ring road network is close too, as is Blackrock village, Marina Park and the Blackrock/Passage West Greenway.

Ms Troy points out that the landscaped driveway can accommodate two cars, adding that there’s shared rear access.

“Given the quality of the house and the location, the €450,000 price point is well worth it any day,” the agent says.

VERDICT: A very attractive option for both downsizers and first-time buyers, given turnkey condition and Church Rd address.