Renewed Wicklow homes have large gardens and bright interiors

Aughrim/€675,000 & Newcastle/€590,000: A light-filled former stone cottage near Aughrim finds favour with Rose Doyle while an upgraded bungalow in Newcastle charms Anne Dempsey.

Craffield, a three-bedroom cottage on eight acres near Aughrim in Co Wicklow, is the bright and spacious result of what, in 1997, was a derelict farmhouse.

Architect Anthony Brabazon's design retains original stone walls and uses terracotta tiling, French oak wide plank flooring and granite finish throughout. With high ceilings and a great deal of glass allowing for light, Craffield has three en suite bedrooms, three reception rooms, fitted kitchen and wine store with space for 600 bottles. It is for sale by private treaty through McDonnell Properties which is quoting in excess of €675,000.

The high ceilings are immediately apparent in the 19ft reach of the entrance hallway which leads, via ascending steps, to the kitchen where a pitched ceiling reaches 19ft 8ins. Velux windows, along with a large picture window, make for light in what is a fully-fitted kitchen with terracotta tiled floor, double French sink and granite counter tops.

The wine store, off the utility room, could be expanded to accommodate 2,000 bottles. A guest toilet has a terracotta floor and the plumbed utility room has a door to the back garden.

Natural light is a feature, too, of the livingroom with floor-to-ceiling bow windows and double French doors to the lower patio area. The diningroom (ceiling height 19ft 4ins) has a French log burner and French double doors leading to an upper patio area.

The first floor landing has storage cupboard and a built-in wardrobe. The main bedroom has bow windows with views to the Ow river and an en suite with toilet, bath, shower attachment, wash-hand basin and heated towel rail. A second bedroom has a walk-in wardrobe and en suite with mosaic tile shower, bath, wash-hand basin and toilet. The third bedroom faces south and has a similar en suite.

Craffield is 2.5 miles north of the village of Aughrim and has south-west views over the valley down to the river Ow. It comes with eight acres of flat stud railed paddocks and gardens as well as almost 0.25-miles of frontage to the Ow river. An American barn has been fitted with four spacious, loose boxes. The entrance is gravelled, there are low maintenance shrub gardens, a small, herbaceous garden with a winding brick path and large lawn with a sheltered bench. Rose Doyle

"At Last", Killoughter, Newcastle, Co Wicklow, a bungalow on around three-quarters of an acre, has been imaginatively upgraded by its owners since they moved in eight years ago.

Picturesquely located just south of Newcastle village, Sherry Fitzgerald O'Gorman is seeking offers in the region of €590,000 in a private treaty sale. There are three reception rooms and four bedrooms. A business, which has been run from a workshop adjoining the house, has vehicular access and a good-sized yard. The original house built 70 years ago has pine panelled refectory doors, part-panelled walls and beamed ceilings giving a country feel. Extended in the 1970s to provide extra bedrooms, the present owners have unified the whole by retaining the rustic image, complemented by modern equipment.

The dining and living rooms in the original section of the house are painted a deep yellow, with timber floors and beamed ceilings. The diningroom has fitted shelving, while the livingroom features a delicate cast-iron fireplace with ornate overmantel.

The sittingroom, which opens off the kitchen, has a coal-burning stove topped with mantel and wonderful timber framed mirror. A fourth room at this end of the house could be used as a study, office, playroom or bedroom. The galley-style kitchen has part-panelled walls, a black and white check tiled floor and space for a small breakfast table.

The main bedroom is decorated in shades of beige, maroon and terracotta, and has a fitted wardrobe. A new en suite is fully tiled with a pine corner shelved unit providing a period touch. There are two further bedrooms, each with timber floor, and a small family bathroom extensively panelled in pine, with recessed cupboard space.

Electronic front gates open on to a wide gravelled area with car-parking on two sides of the house. Secure inner gates lead into yard and workshop. A side lawn is planted with a flowering border giving all year round colour. A path leads round to a large rear lawn, charmingly landscaped. The rear boundary is defined by a venerable horse chestnut with garden table and chairs sitting in its shade. Anne Dempsey