A four-bedroom house and cafe in a pretty Co Wicklow village is for sale for not much more than the price of a terraced cottage in Ringsend. Business executives tired of life in the fast lane could be seduced, or absolutely anyone looking for a quieter pace of life.
Nugent Auctioneers of Blessington is asking £240,000 for the 2,100 sq ft property on Main Street, Donard. This picture postcard village, popular all year round with hill-walkers, is about 30 miles from O'Connell Street and considerably less from Citywest business park and Tallaght. The house, right in the centre of Main Street and impossible to miss, has pebble-dashed walls and three smart black front doors.
It is in very good decorative order and ready to move into. The restaurant at one end of the house has been completely renovated, with three-phase electricity and seating for about 30. A separate washroom has two stainless-steel sinks. The comprehensive range of restaurant equipment can be bought for between £15,000 and £20,000, says agent Patsy Nugent.
The owners traded until September 1999, when the premises closed for refurbishment. There is no wine licence at present. The entire house could also operate as a small guesthouse or B & B. Although currently separated from the house by an internal wall, it would be a simple job to reincorporate the restaurant into the living accommodation.
Another option would be to restore the house to three small terraced cottages. The living accommodation would comfortably fit a large family. There is a diningroom to the front with a polished wood floor and a separate door to the street.
A large kitchen/breakfastroom is fitted with oak units and has a good utility room off. There is an open fireplace with a back boiler in the cosy sittingroom leading off the kitchen. Also off the kitchen and with an entrance to the street is a long narrow storage room which once traded as a hairdressing salon.
Three of the four double bedrooms upstairs have en suite bathrooms and ceilings in all four are pine panelled. The main room to the back of the house is particularly pretty, with yellow-sprigged walls and a walk-in dressing room. One of the bedrooms, currently used as a study, has a full bathroom and walk-in storage space.
The garden is disappointingly small. The paved terrace at the back of the house is long but fairly narrow. However, it is private, with a high boundary wall and a rear entrance for the restaurant.
Donard hosts an equestrian endurance festival each July, when top-class horses and riders from all over the world attempt an arduous 200 km mountain ride, starting and finishing in the village centre.
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