Address: 14 Belfield Park, Stillorgan, Co Dublin
Agent: O'Keeffe Estates
Beside St Helens Radisson Hotel and just a walk from UCD, this two-bed penthouse faces south. Accommodation includes an open-plan living/dining/kitchen area, a bathroom and two bedrooms: the main bedroom has a balcony off it. Storage space includes an attic. Plenty of parking and a bike shed. Management fee of €1,762.31 annually. BER D1
Plus: Glazed doors and balconies off the main bedroom and living room
Minus: Awkward shaped second bedroom because surrounding spaces have borrowed from it
Address: Ballinkillen, Bagenalstown, Co Carlow
Agent: Donohoe Town and Country
On nearly 1.5 acres, this former 19th century farmhouse has been extended and renovated but has paid respect to the period by using limestone plaster and retaining features such as granite fireplaces and sash windows. Additions include wood-burning stoves, triple glazing and a heat recovery system. At ground level is a kitchen/dining room with arched granite fireplace, two living rooms (one with glazed doors to the garden), utility and toilet. Upstairs are four bedrooms, and huge glazed doors face Mount Leinster and the Blackstairs Mountains. There are outbuildings and an artist's studio. BER: C3
Plus: Great setting with indigenous materials including granite and limestone
Minus: Kitchen could be in a brighter part of the house
