City to Country: What €650,000 can get you in Dublin, Waterford, Limerick and Kerry

Irish Examiner

a day ago

WHO would have thought that a dilapidated and neglected commercial property at 25 Benburb Street in the heart of Dublin 7 could be turned into an elegant, colourful two-bed home?
Almost as astonishing as the transformation is the fact that the centrally located mid-terrace house (situated a little over a km and a half from O'Connell Bridge) comes with a verdantly green back garden.
Just 11 years after the former barber's shop went on sale in a run-down state with a guide of €200,000, it's back on the market with a restored Victorian shop front, a remodelled interior and a guide price of €695,000.
'The owner has done a remarkable job turning it into a stylish and comfortable home while preserving original features,' says Orla Reddan of The Property Shop.
The barbershop on the ground floor has become a large parquet-floored living room with a stove and a coffee dock. The owner has added a traditional-style WC at the rear.
The upstairs has two bedrooms, including one with two sash windows at the front, while the attic, converted by the owners, has a modern kitchen/diner with white contemporary units as well as a modern bathroom.
The 59 sq m garden with raised beds, mature plants and shrubs, some lawn and quarry tiled patio, looks surprisingly large and green for one so close to the city centre.
VERDICT: Beautifully transformed.
Dunmore East, Co Waterford
€550,000
Size
199 sq m (2,142 sq ft)
Bedrooms
3
Bathrooms
2
BER
C1
VIEWERS of this detached dormer property at Corbally More near Dunmore East will want it for the lifestyle that comes with owning a spacious coastal home with large gardens and a polytunnel.
Built by its owners in the 1980s as a smaller three-bed bungalow, it has, as a result of an attic conversion and the addition of two sun rooms, now grown to 199 sq metres.
Seeking offers of €550,000, auctioneer Michael Griffin says it's a well-presented family home with wonderfully private gardens and scenic estuary views. 'It looks out on rolling countryside and towards the back strand at Tramore and the Comeragh mountains in the distance,'' he says, adding that Saleen Cove is within walking distance.
A sunroom extension at the rear was used to create a large, bright kitchen/dining space, while another sunroom extension at the side was used to double the size of the living area. In addition to these two large rooms, the property has a bathroom, a utility and three bedrooms, while the attic floor has two rooms and a shower room.
Mr Griffin says the gardens, bounded by mature trees, which have gravelled areas, patios, vegetable beds, fruit trees and a polytunnel, are a major attraction.
Situated in a cul-de-sac seven km from Dunmore East and 13 km from Waterford city, it's set to appeal to trade-up buyers.
VERDICT: Its coastal lifestyle might also appeal to an overseas buyer.
Clarina, Co Limerick
€670,000
Size
214 sq m ( 2,303 sq ft)
Bedrooms
4
Bathrooms
4
BER
B3
SITUATED within a 15-minute drive from Limerick city centre, Ashfort at Ballybrown near Clarina village offers all the house and garden space a trade up buyer could wish for.
'It's an impressive detached family home with half an acre of gardens, 214 sq metres of living space and a B3,'' says Sean McGinn of Sherry FitzGerald Limerick who recently listed the four- bed house with a guide of €670,000.
A large share of the ground floor accommodation is taken up by a spacious kitchen/diner which has grey fitted units with a large centre island as well as an archway connecting it to a sunroom at the rear with a vaulted ceiling and a marble fireplace There's also a front living room which has a redbrick inglenook style fireplace while other accommodation includes a guest WC, a shelved home office and a utility room. The upstairs has a bathroom and four bedrooms including two en suites.
Outside the well-kept 2002-built house, there are well laid out gardens with lawns at front and rear as well as a detached garage at the side. Outside the sunroom, at the rear, there's a sheltered sandstone patio and above it on the back lawn a large shed.
'The location is hugely convenient for anyone working in Raheen Business Park or in Castletroy,'' says Mr McGee noting that it's around nine km from the city centre and one km from Clarina village.
VERDICT: A comfortable rural option for a relocating city buyer.
Kenmare, Co Kerry
€650,000
Size
244 sq m ( 2,626 sq ft)
Bedrooms
5
Bathrooms
5
BER
B3
THE UK owners of Forgefield House at Gortagass near Kenmare have made very good use of the spacious dormer property they built in 2005.
In the beginning, it was their holiday home where they spent the summer months while operating it as a B&B, but in 2024, they turned it into a full-time home, explains John Daly of Sherry FitzGerald Kenmare, who thinks a new owner might consider similar options.
Offering scenic views of Roughty Valley countryside, it's on a site of a third of an acre, which includes a large gravel parking area at the front and a lawn and raised decking area at the rear.
Spacious with 244 sq metres of living space, the property comes with a basement used for storage.
The ground floor has two adjoining reception rooms in addition to a kitchen/diner, a utility, a study, a WC and an en suite bedroom. To the rear, there's a sunroom /dining area with double doors opening onto a large decked terrace.
On its upper level, the property has a bathroom and four bedrooms, including two with en-suites and one with a feature window at the front.
'Spacious and very well maintained Forgefield House is being sold with furniture and contents,'' says Mr Daly, quoting a guide of €650,000. He believes that its proximity to Kenmare, which is 2.7 km away, will attract both holiday-home buyers as well as ones looking for a South Kerry home.
VERDICT: Space, scenery and comfort within a few minutes of Kenmare