There are many so-called affordable properties on the market, but it's hard to find a cheap Irish home that's ready to move into. This pretty C1 Ber-rated stone cottage has had all the hard work done and is in walk-in condition, and has a hot tub to boot
We’ve all watched Cheap Irish Homes, and many of us have been able to get a sense of what presenter Molly Molloy sees in the properties she’s viewing.
But there is a key unknown.
The cost to the protagonists to bring the house up to a habitable state, in real-world money, from finding a reputable builder to getting real costings for those works, all of which will determine the property's real value.
Address: The Cottage, Main Street, Smithborough, Co. Monaghan, H18FF96
Price: €185,000
Agent: Sherry FitzGerald Conor McManus
Enter owner Shane O’Connor of Project Property, a consultant who has renovated some 30 properties and previously worked as an estate agent.
He has also appeared on TV shows, to give counsel, including one with Brendan Courtney.
He bought the detached stone cottage in Smithborough, Co Monaghan, and has completely refurbished it so that it is now in walk-in condition.
He's done a lovely job.
The two-bedroom, two-bathroom residence now exudes personality and is seeking €185,000 through agents Sherry FitzGerald Conor McManus.
Situated on the main street of the long linear village in north-west Monaghan, about 4.5 kilometres from the Co Fermanagh border, the double-fronted C1 Ber-rated design has an exposed stone façade with brick window surrounds.
The house has deep sill cottage-style windows; the ones in the bedrooms are on the gable ends.
It is next door to a forecourt garage and shop, where you buy all the basics, including fuel for the fire.
Eire Og GAA club and pitch is up a side street, to the back of the property.
Inside the 75 square metre space has been lovingly upgraded.
It opens into a roomy hall with a dining nook to the left.
The kitchen is to the right. At the end of the kitchen is a bathroom.
Shane dug down to the read and unearthed a lower floor level.
This allowed him to put a living room to the rear, down a set of steps.
The stairs to the bedrooms are boxed in from the hall and living room, and from the front door, there are sightlines through the property to the paved rear.
Two of the living room walls are panelled using Victorian shutters that he bought at a salvage yard and stripped back to reveal the wood.
The ceiling is also timber, tongue and groove boards that are typical of country houses.
The chimneybreast and wall have had their brick exposed, and a solid-fuel stove is set atop a plinth.
Some might prefer to paint the woodwork in the same soft chalky colours that feature in the dining area and kitchen to bring in a more Scandi aesthetic.
The kitchen is a bright contemporary space featuring solid maple units, its shaker doors painted an earthy, carmine red.
It has solid timber worktops and includes a Fisher and Paykel oven, an induction hob, and an Miele extractor.
Upstairs, there are two bedrooms.
The principal is on the same level as the family bathroom.
The second is a small double, and is up a set of stairs and under the eaves.
The accommodation has deep sill windows almost at floor level and painted tongue and groove ceilings, which give you some idea of how the same painted effect might work in the sitting room below.
There is off-street parking to the rear, and the brick patio includes a covered area that houses a large hot tub, meaning you can enjoy its benefits, even during the current heavy rain.
It’s an hour and 40-minute drive from the village to the M50, more than two hours to Dublin city centre at any time of the day.
At peak commuter times, it may take longer.
