Co Galway: €575,000:All the grandeur of a country house without the maintenance can be appreciated at The Rectory, a Georgian-style detached house on Station Road, Canrawer, about a mile from Oughterard in Co Galway.
Local agent Spencer Auctioneers is quoting €575,000 for this 198sq m (2,000sq ft) property, which has five bedrooms, sylvan surroundings and a striking, colourful interior.
The current owner is an Australian academic who is returning home for family reasons.
In impeccable decorative order, The Rectory stands on about three-eighths of an acre of thickly wooded grounds on the scenic route to Costello, with views down to the River Owenriff from the house's back garden.
The house was built in 2000 on a site adjoining a convent and church - hence the name. The owners have put an individual stamp on the interior which makes a refreshing change from the boring beige so in vogue today.
Black and white harlequin floor tiles and rich red stair treads contrast with yellow walls in the entrance hall and staircase.
The rose-coloured diningroom has a Victorian-style fireplace and rich oak flooring which continues through to a large conservatory.
A door opens from here to a French-look kitchen with deep blue cupboards and a zingy yellow five-hob cooker by Lacanche Cote d'Or.
Worktops are beech with brass mixer taps and an inset Belfast sink. The splashback is stainless steel.
Off the kitchen is a utility room with quarry-tiled floor and a range of presses.
Traditional touches continue in the formal sittingroom, where Jane Churchill cream damask curtains are part of the sale.
Oak flooring has been laid, the mantelpiece is green Connemara marble and bookshelves are floor-to-ceiling either side of the fireplace.
One of the five bedrooms is also at this level.
Upstairs, a Velux window gives good light to the staircase and entrance hall. Off the galleried landing are four double bedrooms and the family bathroom. A recess is designed to take a desk or workstation.
All bedrooms have polished oak floors and brightly-painted walls, with contrasting curtains in cottagey patterns.
Bedroom one has an entire wall of wardrobes and an en suite shower room shared with the room next door. A second double comes with Jane Churchill curtains and extensive bookshelves. Bedroom three also includes bookshelves and there is a fourth double room. The family bathroom is the size of a small double room in most modern homes.
Outside, herbaceous borders bounded by stone walls flank the drive. The lawn extends to the back, falling down to mature woodland which leads to the riverbank. A garage with up-and-over door is painted to match the house.
