Fix it up: Run-down butcher’s shop and home in Mayo

A former butcher shop on Knox Street in Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, has seen better days. It comes with living accommodation to the back and upstairs.

​Tell me more about the place...

Ballyhaunis is a town with a population of just under 2,500 people and is located on the Dublin to Ballina railway line. This property is a ground-floor shop with four bedrooms overhead and accommodation totalling 1,725 sq ft.

It has a substantial yard to the year with a detached storage shed.

Inside there’s a hall, a living room, the former shop area, a dining room and kitchen on the ground floor.

Upstairs includes the four bedrooms, a bathroom and a living room. The butchers closed in the late 1960s. The building has been in the same family for four generations.

​The bad news?

The yard is badly overgrown and some visible cracks will probably require further investigation.

The interior has lain unused for some time, and as a result, there’s a fair bit of deterioration.

Ceiling plaster has fallen in many locations inside. Works will include re-wiring and re-plumbing to bring it to modern standards along with new external windows and doors and new internal doors.

A new kitchen is required along with new bathrooms and internal dry-lining throughout. No survey has been conducted on the property at this point.

​The good news?

It remains a handsome period building of note. While some improvements were carried out over the years, the building itself has never been butchered.

As result, there are quite a few antique architectural features worth keeping in a refurbishment, including original floor tiles, wainscotting on some of the walls and stairs.

​How much to buy it?

The asking price is €75,000.

​And to fix it up?

This property needs a complete overhaul. The estimated cost to carry all of this out would be in the region of €90,000 to €100,000. The property may also qualify for a vacant property refurbishment grant of up to €50,000.

​What will I end up with?

Potentially, this is a four-bedroom home with a business on the ground floor, perhaps a coffee shop, tea rooms or art gallery. Or even converted fully to a private home. Either way, there is the bones of a spacious and interesting home here, albeit with quite a meaty refurbishment project to undertake.

​Who do I talk to?

John Higgins Auctioneer (094) 963 1372 will put the meat on the bones for you regarding this refurb.