All the razzmatazz of the show house at €670,000 Bandon property

THE best was kept ’til last at the Blossom Hill development on the south-facing hill above Bandon in West Cork — but, those who like what they see at 7 The Oaks will be paying the development’s top dollar, as it’s been the showhouse for the scheme, and it’s definitely the dearest home to be had here, as well as the largest.

Set up off Kilbrogan Hill/the old Cork Road, a steep but short haul up from the town and the River Bandon bridge crossing, Blossom Hill is a 59-unit development by active home builders Castle Rock who’ve built east and west of Cork city, in the likes of Midleton, Carrigaline, Innishannon, and, more and more, in Bandon where a second, larger phase of another c 100 homes is aimed for but has faced planning hurdles so far.

The scheme, designed by Deady Gahan, shares the exact same Blossom Hill name as a completed Castle Rock development in Midleton in east Cork and its identically-named follow on in Bandon has sold with minimum fuss (and sad to say for various media, no advertising,) says Bandon selling agent Mark Kelly.

He says works have started on 16 apartments and duplexes (one- and two-beds of 785sq ft to 967sq ft, with terraces) , and the balance in The Oaks (Nos 1-16) and The Orchard (Nos 1-27 have all but sold out). Largely done and dusted are a mix of two-, three-, and four-bed homes, from terraces (starting prices were €290,000 for a two-bed) to semi-ds and detacheds, with a mix for four-bed options, both semi-ds - sizewise, from 123sq m at €415,000 - to 179sq m detached homes at €595,000, with €15,000 allowances.

Dearest? The 179sq m (1,934sq ft) four-bed detached with a whopper of a rear main kitchen/ living/ dining area, with large stone-topped kitchen island done by seasoned interior designer Jane Dennehy, and it’s ready to move clothes and personal possessions into, at €670,000.

At that, it’s clearly at the upper end of Bandon’s new home price scale, which has to be broadly competitive given there are several new developments now all out of the trap, and pretty much all of them on the shouldering hill north of the river Bandon: they are visible from many parts of the town, which is itself getting street renewal, at what seems a very slow pace.

It’s a super floor plan, one many home hunters will envy, with reception rooms left and right of the hall and then this seemingly vast open airy space.

Most likely out of the price range of nearly all first-time buyers (and beyond Help to Buy thresholds in any case) it may have most appeal to a buyer coming from overseas, as it’s such a simple move solution.

Mr Kelly says given the quality of the kitchen, and other finishes and furniture, there’s pretty much a value of the €70k price difference between the fully furnished A2 type showhome and the unfurnished one (No 8 The Oaks at €595k plus €15k allowance,) while a smaller 148sq ft four-bed detached, No 9 The Oaks, is also available, at €520,000 with €10,000 allowances.

Go down a bit to the remaining single 148sq m semi-d option, and the price comes down to €520,000 with €10k allowances.

And, handily, all roof profiles are set up for future attic conversions: every roof should be enginereed to allow this for buyers’ expansion needs into the future, surely, but unfortunately this isn’t always the case.

Getting a permanent stairs up into the attics here and replacing thepull-down option provided, is, however, easier in the larger of four-bed detached types.

VERDICT: Lucky the buyer who can afford the ‘here’s one we fully finished out earlier’ option at lucky No 7 with its knock-out, full width rear ‘great room’; all others, with lesser budgets, will have to cut their cloth according to their budget measure.