
Gorman's House, Rathmoyle Road, Abbeyleix, Portlaoise, Co. LaoisR32RK71
€340,000
3 Bed~1 Bath~149 m²~BER F
What you'll like:
- Generous site size: The property sits on a substantial 0.53-acre plot, which provides immense outdoor space, privacy, and long-term versatility for future landscaping or gardening projects.
- Attached granny flat: The inclusion of an independent one-bedroom annex offers fantastic flexibility for multi-generational living, hosting guests, or generating potential rental income subject to compliance.
- Development potential: The sale includes full planning permission for three additional residential dwellings, presenting an exceptional value-add opportunity for active developers and astute property investors.
- Central town proximity: Located just a short five-minute walk from the heart of Abbeyleix town center, residents enjoy effortless access to local shops, schools, and essential everyday amenities.
- Strong commuter links: The property is conveniently positioned within a ten-minute drive of Portlaoise and the M7 motorway, making travel to major employment hubs remarkably straightforward.
- Established heritage location: Abbeyleix is a highly sought-after, picturesque heritage town renowned for its welcoming community, attractive streetscape, and excellent recreational facilities including a golf course.
- Spacious main bungalow: The primary detached residence offers a comfortable single-storey layout with three bedrooms, providing accessible living arrangements suitable for a wide demographic of buyers.
- Bright kitchen area: The open-plan kitchen and dining space benefits from large sliding patio doors that flood the room with natural light and connect directly to the outside.
- Ample parking facilities: A large private tarmacadam driveway delivers generous off-street parking capacity, easily accommodating multiple vehicles for both residents and visiting guests securely.
- Outdoor entertaining space: An elevated patio area and extensive lawned gardens offer wonderful spots for outdoor dining and recreation during warmer summer months.
- Mains utility connections: The dwelling benefits from direct connections to mains water and sewerage services, eliminating the complexities and maintenance costs associated with private septic systems.
- Vacant possession advantage: The existing main house is currently vacant, which can potentially streamline the purchase process by avoiding prolonged chains and enabling faster completion timelines.
- Customization potential: The interior offers a blank canvas for prospective buyers to completely modernize and stamp their own personal design preferences throughout the dwelling.
- Family-friendly surroundings: The neighborhood features established greenery and mature hedging, creating a pleasant residential environment ideal for raising children or enjoying peaceful retirement years.
- Stable asking price: The recorded asking price history shows the property has remained stable at €340,000, indicating a firm pricing strategy from the vendor initially.
- Dual-income capability: Investors could potentially rent out the main house and the granny flat separately to maximize rental yields from a single land holding.
- Recreational amenities: Proximity to local sporting clubs, cafes, and an 18-hole golf course ensures an active and engaging lifestyle for new occupants of the area.
- Robust folio boundaries: The inclusion of a clear Land Registry folio reference helps streamline legal title investigations and confirms the exact extent of the landholding.
- Proximity to schools: The local primary school is within easy reach of the address, making morning school runs exceptionally convenient for families with young children.
- Flexible configuration: The combination of a three-bedroom bungalow and a separate one-bedroom annex allows owners to adapt the living arrangements as their family needs evolve over time.
But keep in mind:
- Poor energy rating: The dwelling carries a weak BER rating of F, which indicates substandard thermal efficiency and suggests that substantial insulation upgrades will be necessary.
- High retrofit costs: Achieving a comfortable modern energy standard will likely require significant capital expenditure on upgraded heating systems, external wall insulation, and double-glazed windows.
- Development overheads: Capitalizing on the existing planning permission for three extra homes will require major upfront investment in infrastructure, connection fees, and construction financing.
- Planning expiration risks: Buyers must carefully verify the exact validity dates and conditions attached to the planning permission to ensure it has not lapsed or incurred restrictive clauses.
- Renovations required: The vacant interior appears dated based on typical single-storey layouts of this era, meaning buyers should budget for a comprehensive modernization program.
- Single bathroom constraint: The main three-bedroom house features only one family bathroom, which may create morning bottlenecks for a larger family or visiting guests.
- Potential boundary issues: Given the development potential on the 0.53-acre site, a detailed boundary survey should be commissioned to verify exact access corridors and utility routes.
- Construction disruption: Purchasing this site while planning permissions are active could mean living adjacent to or managing a lengthy and noisy multi-unit construction project.
- Municipal development levies: Local authorities often charge substantial development contributions for granting multi-unit residential permissions, which buyers should calculate into their feasibility studies.
- Folio verification needed: Solicitors must thoroughly inspect the folio details to confirm that all right-of-way access points and easements are properly registered and legally unencumbered.
- Grant eligibility uncertainty: While energy upgrade grants exist, older properties with an F rating may uncover hidden structural or damp issues that escalate refurbishment costs unexpectedly.
- Market liquidity considerations: Properties requiring extensive energy retrofits or development management can sometimes appeal to a narrower pool of specialist buyers and developers.
- Potential drainage surveys: Given the age of the structure and the addition of multiple units, a thorough CCTV survey of the mains drainage connections is strongly recommended.
- Traffic and access review: Buyers should assess local traffic patterns along the approach road, particularly during peak commuting hours or school opening and closing times.
- Structural survey advisable: A comprehensive pre-purchase structural engineering survey is essential to check the roof timber, foundations, and damp-proofing of the older bungalow structure.
- Insurance availability: Insurers can sometimes charge higher premiums or exclude certain water damage coverage for vacant properties with low energy ratings until upgrades are completed.
- Title conditions check: Legal advisors should check if any restrictive covenants exist on the land that might limit the design or density of the approved housing development.
- Heating system age: Older bungalows in this category often rely on outdated oil or electric heating systems that should be fully inspected or replaced prior to occupancy.
- Ventilation and mold check: Properties left vacant for extended periods can suffer from trapped moisture, making a thorough inspection for condensation and mold remediation critical.
- Future local development: Buyers should check local county development plans to see if any nearby infrastructural changes might alter the peaceful residential character of the neighborhood.
Price positioning
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- The asking price appears somewhat undervalued given that the offering includes not only a spacious detached bungalow with an attached granny flat, but also valuable full planning permission for three additional residential properties on the generous site.
- The primary valuation signals pointing toward potential underpricing include the extensive development upside and large 0.53-acre plot located within walking distance of the town centre, which typically commands a significantly higher combined market value.
- Factors that could support such an accessible asking price include the poor energy rating requiring substantial modernization and retrofitting, while factors undermining it relate to the immense underlying development and multi-family potential.
- Additional relevant considerations involve the stable asking history since initial listing, indicating a firm vendor stance that seeks to attract competitive interest from both residential buyers and commercial developers eager to capitalize on the site.
Build Analysis
What we know from similar construction types
- The property is a detached bungalow comprising a 3-bedroom main residence and an attached 1-bedroom granny flat, spanning a total floor area of approximately 148.92 square metres on a 0.53-acre site.
- The listing notes full planning permission for the development of three additional residential properties on the site (one detached and two semi-detached); a buyer should verify the current status, expiration dates, and exact conditions of this planning permission.
- Given that the existing dwelling is vacant and carries a low BER rating, a buyer should investigate potential issues related to damp, insulation levels, heating system efficiency, and general wear typical of older vacant properties.
- The presence of mains water and sewerage connections should be formally verified by a surveyor to ensure capacity for both the existing structures and any potential future development.
Retrofit Cost*
Possible renovating / insulating expenditure
- The property has a poor BER rating of F, which indicates significant thermal inefficiency and high heat loss through the walls, roof, windows, and doors.
- A comprehensive deep retrofit to bring a detached bungalow of approximately 149 square metres up to a modern B2 or A-rated standard typically requires substantial capital expenditure.
- Estimated costs range between €50,000 and €80,000, covering external wall insulation, upgraded roof insulation, replacement of windows and exterior doors, installation of an air source heat pump, and heating system upgrades, offset somewhat by available SEAI grants.
Heating cost*
Estimated expense to heat this property every year
- Estimated annual heating cost: €2,200 to €3,000.
- Explanation: The property has a low BER rating of F for a floor area of approximately 148.92 square metres, which indicates poor energy efficiency and higher thermal losses. Heating costs for a detached bungalow and attached flat with this energy rating are expected to be significantly higher than average until energy upgrade works are carried out.
Pollution Safe
9/10Environmental situation to investigate
- The property is situated in an established residential and heritage town setting with no apparent large-scale industrial facilities, active heavy manufacturing, or major waste management installations nearby.
- Any historical or legacy land uses in the broader area should be independently verified by prospective buyers through standard environmental searches, though no immediate environmental hazards are flagged in the available listing data.
Flood Safe
8/10Water overflow reports to follow up
- The property sits on Rathmoyle Road in Abbeyleix, with no local mapped flood hazards identified in the immediate surroundings.
- As a detached bungalow with a raised entrance and steps leading to the front door, the main living areas benefit from extra elevation above ground level, alongside a large tarmacadam driveway for parking.
- While general surface water pooling during extreme rainfall events is always possible across flat regional sites, standard domestic precautions are sufficient given the absence of high-risk fluvial indicators.
Recent Local Sales
Verified residential transactions published in the previous five years
Sales on the same street or estate
10 RATHMOYLE RD, ABBEYLEIX, LAOIS
- Sale date
- Declared sale price
- €165,000.00
JAMESTOWN COTTAGE, RATHMOYLE ROAD, ABBEYLEIX
- Sale date
- Declared sale price
- €411,000.00
RATHMOYLE RD, ABBEYLEIX, LAOIS
- Sale date
- Declared sale price
- €375,000.00
Recent sales in the wider Abbeyleix area
39 CARMODY WAY, THE VILLAGE, PORTLAOISE
- Sale date
- Declared sale price
- €250,000.00
127 ROSSVALE, PORTLAOISE, LAOIS
- Sale date
- Declared sale price
- €296,000.00
24 ASHEWOOD WALK, SUMMERHILL LANE, PORTLAOISE
- Sale date
- Declared sale price
- €280,000.00
3 FIELBROOK, DUBLIN ROAD, PORTLAOISE
- Sale date
- Declared sale price
- €300,000.00
THE GLEBE, CLONASLEE, PORTLAOISE
- Sale date
- Declared sale price
- €307,000.00
Source: Property Services Regulatory Authority (PSRA), Residential Property Price Register (PPR). Matching uses address information published by the PPR rather than measured map distance. It may omit nearby properties on differently named streets.
Last Sale
A confidently matched previous PPR transaction for this property
No confidently matched previous sale was found in the Property Price Register.
Buyer fees*
Associated expenses guide
- Estimated stamp duty: €3,400 — 1% of €340,000.
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Based on the asking price shown on this page, using standard residential stamp-duty rates. No adjustments are made for VAT, reliefs, mixed-use property or additional land. The final purchase price and your circumstances may change the amount payable.
- Solicitor legal fees: €1,500 to €3,500 plus VAT and outlays.
- Land registration fees: €400 to €800 depending on property value and mapping requirements.
- Property valuation fees: €150 to €350 for a standard mortgage valuation.
- Surveyor fees: €500 to €1,200 depending on the depth of the structural survey required for a detached bungalow and attached flat.
- Annual home insurance: €400 to €900 per year depending on the policy coverage and rebuilding cost estimates.
Forum Talk
What people are saying about this area
- Locals frequently discuss the charm and heritage status of Abbeyleix, highlighting its well-maintained streetscape and active community life.
- Residents often share updates regarding local infrastructure improvements, traffic management around the town centre, and proximity to the M7 motorway for commuters.
- Property development discussions in local forums often touch upon balancing new housing schemes with the preservation of the town's unique character.
- Community groups are active in promoting local amenities, including the golf course, schools, and outdoor recreational spaces such as local walks.
LifeFit Assessment
How well this property may suit your lifestyle
Family
7 areas- Young Children7/10
The property features a generous 0.53-acre site with extensive lawned gardens for children to play safely, located just a 5-minute walk from the local primary school in Abbeyleix.
- Teenagers6/10
The detached bungalow layout provides good space, and the nearby town offers local sports clubs, though teenagers might desire closer proximity to larger urban entertainment hubs.
- Multi-generational Living9/10
An exceptional fit thanks to the attached 1-bedroom granny flat complete with its own sitting room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom, making it ideal for extended family members.
- Single Buyers5/10
At an asking price of €340,000 for a 3-bedroom home with an F BER rating requiring potential upgrades, it offers plenty of space but may be large and costly for a single occupant.
- Couples7/10
Offers single-storey living with plenty of potential to put your own stamp on the home, alongside a large plot and convenient access to local amenities.
- Empty Nesters8/10
The comfortable single-storey layout avoids stairs, and the attached granny flat offers flexibility for visiting guests or future care arrangements.
- Retirees8/10
Single-storey bungalow living combined with a short 5-minute walk to the town centre makes daily errands and heritage town living very manageable.
Work
3 areas- Remote Working7/10
The flexible layout and separate granny flat provide excellent opportunities to set up a home office space, though broadband speeds should be independently verified.
- Hybrid Commuting7/10
Conveniently located approximately 10 minutes from Portlaoise with easy access to the M7 motorway, facilitating commutes to major employment hubs.
- Retired9/10
Single-level accommodation, proximity to medical and town amenities, and a quiet setting make this an ideal home for retirement.
Practical
8 areas- Ageing in Place8/10
Single-storey bungalow living removes internal stairs, though buyers should note the raised entrance with steps leading to the front door.
- Low Maintenance5/10
The property has a poor BER rating of F and is currently vacant, suggesting that energy upgrade works and general modernization will be required.
- Secure Gated Entry3/10
Features a large open tarmacadam driveway and lawned garden without explicit mention of secure automated gated entry.
- Minimalist Design4/10
Traditional bungalow architecture with a fireplace, pitched roof elements, and established character rather than ultra-minimalist modern design.
- Flexible Floor Plans10/10
Highly versatile layout featuring a main 3-bedroom house plus an attached 1-bedroom granny flat, alongside full planning permission for three additional residential properties.
- Heritage Home6/10
Located in a designated heritage town, though the existing bungalow itself appears to be a mid-20th-century build rather than a period heritage structure.
- Ecological Setup3/10
The poor F BER rating indicates that current energy efficiency is low, requiring substantial insulation and heating upgrades to achieve an eco-friendly setup.
- Outdoor areas9/10
Set on a generous 0.53-acre site featuring a spacious lawned garden, established greenery, an elevated patio area, and a large tarmacadam driveway.
Interests
9 areas- Gardening9/10
The substantial site extending to approximately 2,132 sq.m. provides ample space for enthusiastic gardeners to cultivate extensive lawns or landscaping.
- Walking8/10
The home's location in Abbeyleix offers great access to local walks around a picturesque heritage town with an attractive streetscape.
- Gym5/10
Local sporting clubs and facilities are available in the town, though specialized commercial gym facilities will likely require a trip into nearby Portlaoise.
- Cycling7/10
The quiet local roads and surrounding Laois countryside offer pleasant cycling routes, though specific dedicated cycle lanes may be limited.
- Golf8/10
Abbeyleix features its own well-regarded 18-hole golf course located within convenient reach of the property.
- Fishing6/10
County Laois offers various angling opportunities in nearby rivers and waterways, though buyers should verify specific local fishing club access.
- Horse Riding6/10
The rural and semi-rural surroundings of County Laois offer a supportive environment for equestrian pursuits and local stables.
- Water Sports2/10
Being located inland in the Midlands, water sports opportunities are minimal compared to coastal or lakeside locations.
- Entertaining8/10
The open-plan kitchen and dining area with sliding patio doors leading to an elevated patio and large garden provide a fantastic space for hosting guests.
Lifestyle
5 areas- Quiet Living7/10
Situated on a substantial 0.53-acre site offering a wonderful sense of openness on Rathmoyle Road, providing a peaceful residential environment.
- Rural Living6/10
The property provides a large garden and semi-rural feel while remaining conveniently close to town amenities rather than isolated in the countryside.
- Village Living9/10
Located just a 5-minute walk from the heart of Abbeyleix, a charming and thriving heritage town renowned for its welcoming community and local shops.
- Coastal Living1/10
Abbeyleix is an inland heritage town in County Laois with no proximity to the coast.
- Urban Living4/10
Abbeyleix is a small heritage town rather than a bustling urban centre, though Portlaoise is accessible within 10 minutes by car.
Social
6 areas- Community Involvement8/10
Abbeyleix is a thriving heritage town renowned for its active and welcoming community spirit and local clubs.
- Café Culture7/10
The town centre, a short walk away, features local cafés and restaurants contributing to a pleasant village atmosphere.
- Nightlife4/10
Nightlife is limited to traditional local pubs and restaurants within the heritage town rather than extensive clubbing venues.
- Health/Wellness groups6/10
Local sporting clubs and community groups support health and wellness initiatives in the area.
- Networking Opportunities4/10
Professional networking opportunities are relatively sparse locally, requiring travel to larger towns like Portlaoise.
- Tech-Hub Connectivity3/10
The location is primarily residential and rural-adjacent; prospective buyers should verify local fibre broadband speeds for high-tech work requirements.
Listing information
- Agent
- CBPM Estate Agents and Letting Agents
- Phone
- 057 86 35824
- Current status
- active
- Published on HouseDelve
- 2 November 2026
- Correction
- Report an issue
HD-98F582HouseDelve · Republic of IrelandReport checks
Sources used: Public marketplace, Property Price Register, and grounded web research where available.
Automated quality checks: Passed
* Estimate — not advice. Actual costs and outcomes can vary materially. Obtain current quotations and professional advice before making financial or property decisions.