Town

Address: 42 Templeroan Avenue, Knocklyon, Dublin 16 Agent: Owen Reilly

This 149sq m (1,603sq ft), four-bedroom semi-D in south Dublin has been extended into its 125ft south-facing garden and is filled with natural light. Accommodation includes a livingroom with fireplace, bay windows and double doors to the open-plan kitchen/dining room. Upstairs are four bedrooms (one en suite) and a bathroom. There’s another bedroom in the converted attic. BER: D1

Plus: The house and garden has had a thorough going over. The livingroom runs into the kitchen and diningroom, while a TV den is kept separate. Minus: Much of the interior style is neutral and the suburban location is "safe": not a house for those who like life on the edge – unless it's the edge of a city.

Country

Address: Windhoek, Baltimore, Kinish Bay, Sherkin Island, Co Cork Agent: James Lyons O'Keeffe

Across the sea from Baltimore, this home gets you away from, if not it all, then a lot of it. This detached house with annex is on an acre of land which includes a lawn running down to the water where there’s a jetty. The main house has two bedrooms, a kitchen and livingroom, and a further bedroom, kitchen and livingroom in the annex.

Plus: Gorgeous getaway – across from the mainland – and close to the water's edge. Good palette of natural materials inside (and outside).

Minus: Fairly basic accommodation and a tinge of hostel-chic: some rooms have sockets high on the wall, giving a spidery-wire aesthetic.