City to Country: Modernised Dublin 8 redbrick or spacious escape and mountain views at €525k Kerry cottage

YOU can walk to St Stephen’s Green in Dublin city centre in about 20 minutes from this end-of-terrace Victorian house — No 3 Brainboro Terrace.

“The location, within close proximity of the Grand Canal and within reach of the business hubs in Merrion Square and Baggot Street, is a big draw,” says Dan Reade of Mullery O’Gara auctioneers, who is seeking offers of €475,000 for the three-bed property.

Renovated by previous owners who extended and modernised, it now has 87 sq m of accommodation and includes three triangular-shaped rooms on three levels. To the front, the property has a dining/living room and, to the rear, a small triangular-shaped kitchen with modern cream units.

A spiral staircase leads to the first floor with two bedrooms and a triangular-shaped bathroom. The attic floor has a small room which is listed as a single bedroom but is used as a home office. The house is well maintained and had its roof upgraded in 2021. Although it has double-glazed windows and upgraded electric heating, the BER is G.

To the rear, there’s a communal garden which is shared with five other houses.

The Property Price Register records the house selling for €385,000 in May 2020.

VERDICT: A conveniently located and upgraded Victorian home.

WHILE many of the detached homes constructed during the Celtic Tiger era are contemporary and modern, the owners of this one at Knockaunavoddig near Charleville built theirs with Georgian features and French flair.

“It’s a classically designed four-bed house with a Georgian style entrance and timber sash windows. The owners put in an 18th century stone fireplace which came an estate in Bordeaux, added French balconets to back windows and used salvaged pine doors which came from a Dublin convent,” says Sarah O’Keeffe of O’Keeffe Residential explaining that one of the owners is French.

New to the market with a guide of €495,000, the highly distinctive property is located 6km from Charleville and 3km from Bruree village.

Situated in the centre of the house is a tiled living room with an antique stone fireplace and French doors.

Alongside it is a spacious kitchen/diner with grey shaker-style units and a French stove while the ground floor also has a WC, a utility room, a bedroom/study and a dining room.

The upstairs has a bathroom and three bedrooms including one with an en suite and two with balconies and there’s also a staircase to the attic.

VERDICT: Located within half an hour’s drive from Limerick City — it’s spacious and distinctively different.

WHEN John Joe built his cottage at Garranes on the Beara Peninsula sometime in the 19th century, it’s unlikely that the magnificently scenic setting and Caha Mountain views were a key priority for his site choice.

But they will be for the purchaser of the new improved version of his cottage which has kept much of its original appearance while acquiring an A2 BER, a smart modern interior and a flat roofed extension with large windows to frame the views.

Listed with Engel & Voelkers auctioneers, John Joe’s Cottage is a four-bed property with a guide of €525,000.

“It’s been renovated to a high standard and has triple-glazed windows, a heat pump and a high level of insulation,” says auctioneer Ron Krueger, adding that it also has traditional charm, stunning views and a site of over an acre.

With the addition of an extension and the conversion of the attic, the cottage extends to 182 sq m.

This includes three ground floor bedrooms (two en suite) and an open-plan kitchen/dining/living area. Upstairs it has bedroom and a bathroom.

Located at Lauragh 22km from both Kenmare and Eyeries — it is, despite the upgrades, a very traditional looking property.

VERDICT: Set against the rugged mountainous backdrop, this black and red roofed, white walled cottage is strikingly picturesque.

SUCH is the charm of the Old Schoolhouse in the Glen of Aherlow that a disappointed UK underbidder who missed out on the chance to buy it in 2018 has been one of the first to book a viewing this week.

Situated at the foot of the Galtees, the old sandstone schoolhouse, which dates from 1910, was renovated and extended by previous owners who added a large side extension, turning it into a 167 sq m three-bed property which can also be divided into two smaller rooms.

Quoting a guide of €350,000, Eamonn O’Brien of CCM says it has charm, character, high ceilings, exposed stone walls, and a high level of comfort as well as a quarter of an acres of mature gardens with gravelled paths and flowerbeds.

The original schoolhouse has a high ceilinged sitting room with exposed sandstone walls and a fireplace with a stove as well as a galley kitchen, a bathroom, and two bedrooms. The extension has a large open plan living/dining/kitchen space with scenic Galtee views as well as a bathroom and a bedroom.

The Old Schoolhouse is 10km from Tipperary town and 28km from Mitchelstown. The owners, who renovated at the end of 1990s, were Australians of Irish descent, the current owners are from the UK, and the underbidder now is a UK national living in France.

VERDICT: A magnet for overseas buyers.