{"id":180234,"date":"2025-11-14T11:32:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T11:32:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/180234\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T11:32:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T11:32:15","slug":"tiny-5ft-wide-front-of-house-is-just-tip-of-the-iceberg-at-e295k-cork-city-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/180234\/","title":{"rendered":"Tiny 5ft wide front-of-house is just tip of the iceberg at \u20ac295k Cork City home\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Barrack St, Cork city<\/p>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n

\u20ac295,000<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n

Size<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

76 sq m (818 sq ft) <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n

Bedrooms<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

2<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n

Bathrooms<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

2<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n

BER<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n

C<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

BOSCO, the red-haired TV puppet best remembered for his catchphrase \u201cCome with me, through the magic door,\u201d would have had a field day at No 31 Prosperity Square, a house with the deceptive spatial properties of a Tardis.<\/p>\n

Viewed from the street, it seems as though half the house is missing \u2014 and that’s being generous. All told, the fa\u00e7ade measures less than 5ft wide.<\/p>\n

When the owner first spotted it in a property advert, he liked the look of the old stone wall that curved around the back garden but dismissed it on the basis of size. \u201cI thought it was too small and thought no more of it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"DeceptiveDeceptive facade at No 31\"ClassyClassy rear extension at No 31 Prosperity Square, Cork city.<\/p>\n

That opinion changed after viewing another house in the square that had been renovated and modernised. Seeing that the unassuming terraced homes had more to them than met the eye, he took a proper look at No 31.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe viewed it, and I thought, \u2018Definitely, this could be great\u2019,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"CityscapeCityscape near Prosperity Square<\/p>\n

On a corner site, it\u2019s one of just two homes in the square that still retain a back garden \u2014 the others have been surrendered to extensions \u2014 and it\u2019s the larger garden of the two, a delightful, south-facing nook enclosed by the old stone wall, high enough to ensure complete privacy for weekend barbecues or morning coffee.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the kind of secluded outdoor space that many city-centre dwellers can only dream of.<\/p>\n

The owner\u2019s father, a carpenter, agreed that the house had excellent potential, so he bought it in 2016 for \u20ac150,000, moving in before Christmas.<\/p>\n

\"LargestLargest garden in Prosperity Square<\/p>\n

Like any good tradesman \u2014 he\u2019s an electrician \u2014 he followed the sage advice to get to know the house before tearing any walls down or drawing up new floor plans.<\/p>\n

He and his partner (she can take credit for the d\u00e9cor) observed how the sun moved through the rooms, where the draughts came in and what spaces felt cramped or just right, before starting renovations in 2018.<\/p>\n

The house was rewired and replumbed, with much of the work done by father and son.<\/p>\n

\"AttractiveAttractive hallway tiling\"OpenOpen plan kitchen dining<\/p>\n

An architect friend translated the couple\u2019s ideas into a thoughtful design, and an existing extension \u2014 galley kitchen and downstairs loo \u2014 was flattened and replaced with a space that wouldn\u2019t look out of place on a 2025 list of clever small-home designs.<\/p>\n

New windows were fitted and engineered oak floors were laid.<\/p>\n

The house is now pretty as a picture, from the pale-pink front door and attractive tiled hallway, to the cosy living room with open fireplace, through to the smartly designed open-plan kitchen\/dining room, which feels more New York loft than historic Cork townhouse.<\/p>\n

\"CosyCosy living room\"StylishStylish kitchen<\/p>\n

Warm oak countertops and ink-black cabinetry dominate a space designed for cooking, relaxing and entertaining. The back wall is fully glazed and slides open to the garden.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a light-filled, inviting space that makes a dramatic difference to what was a two-up, two-down home where a French polisher called Lester once reared a family of five.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Upstairs, a new shower room was installed (there\u2019s also a small downstairs loo with a window the owner uncovered while scraping off plaster).<\/p>\n

When plaster was stripped back in the main bedroom, a redbrick wall and fireplace were revealed. It\u2019s distinctly country cottage.<\/p>\n

A second bedroom was for the children \u2014 they have two now \u2014 hence the move to a bigger home off College Rd, where the handy owner of Prosperity Square has converted two flats into a family home, albeit without his late father\u2019s help.<\/p>\n

\"Upstairs\"Upstairs\"Downstairs\"Downstairs<\/p>\n

The owner reckons No 31 Prosperity Square is a terrific house for a young person or couple starting out, or even a young family.<\/p>\n

The agent selling it, \u00c1ine McLoughlin of AML Property Services, says bidding has already gone well above the asking price of \u20ac295,000.<\/p>\n

\"RedbrickRedbrick revelation\"Kid'sKid’s room<\/p>\n

\u201cIt looks so dinky out front, but there is plenty going on behind,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt ticks so many boxes on so many levels. The location is fantastic: A 15-minute walk from UCC, less than 10 minutes into the city centre.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it\u2019s such a lovely house, you could literally drop your bags and move in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Its proximity to University College Cork means No 31 is attracting interest from parents of third-level students thinking of investing in accommodation close to the university.<\/p>\n

But the principal interest in this 76 sq m, 19th-century property is from would-be owner-occupiers, who love the quaint, quiet square \u2014 originally built to house workers and tradespeople in Cork\u2019s tightly knit south inner city \u2014 and its strong sense of community.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the neighbourhood is becoming a template for inner-city rejuvenation, with extensive work done on both nearby Douglas St and Barrack St, turning it into a vibrant city quarter.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n VERDICT: A dream starter home, but first-time buyers will have to contend with very competitive bidding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Barrack St, Cork city \u20ac295,000 Size 76 sq m (818 sq ft) Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms 2 BER C…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":180235,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[9,10,18,13,14,6,433,19,17,11,12,15,16,5,7,8],"class_list":{"0":"post-180234","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-breaking-news","9":"tag-breakingnews","10":"tag-eire","11":"tag-featured-news","12":"tag-featurednews","13":"tag-headlines","14":"tag-house-prices-mortgages-estate-agents-cork-munster","15":"tag-ie","16":"tag-ireland","17":"tag-latest-news","18":"tag-latestnews","19":"tag-main-news","20":"tag-mainnews","21":"tag-news","22":"tag-top-stories","23":"tag-topstories"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115547835868210339","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180234","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=180234"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180234\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/180235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=180234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=180234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=180234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}