Property 08-10-2011 by Evening Echo

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Property 08.10.2011

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& Interiors

Harbour berth

Stunning quality design cleared the coast for a new-build to replace a washed-up 1970s bungalow Photo by Denis Scannell

PLUS • MARKET MOVERS • STYLISH HOMES • GET THE LOOK • ANTIQUES • STEP BY STEP DIY

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PROPERTY

HOUSE WEEK OF THE

Tommy Barker reports

ALLED after a Dutch river, Amstel is a c showers, and even the ground floor guest WC has a 80-year-old house, about to leave its third shower. Tiles won’t date, and shower cubicles were generation of family ownership — and has fibreglassed behind them for longevity and waternever looked so good. proofing. The semi-detached house is in quiet Marble Hall The owners travelled out and brought tiles in from Park, by the start of the Douglas and Ballinlough Italy as they were doing up their own main family Roads, a 10 minute amble from Cork city centre. home at the same time, so everything has that slightly It has been handed down through the women of the refreshing, ‘not seen everywhere’ look, and interior family, and now after a major overhaul in 2005/06 is designer Fiona O’Keeffe has helped with the final ready to walk into by new decor and fabrics. owners. In its back-end of a Apart from being fully reLocation: CORK CITY cul de sac setting, Amstel plumbed, with condenser gas Price: €395,000 comes for sale with Ann boiler running across four O’Mahony of Sherry zones, the house has been reSize: 172 sq m (1,850 sq ft) FitzGerald, who guides it at wired, and most lighting is Bedrooms: 4 €395,000, and that’s for a fourvia recessed spotlights, bed 1,800 sq ft home with, bedrooms are neutrally BER rating: Pending literally, everything done to carpeted, and have built-ins, Broadband: Yes it, and done well. and a new linen press has It has been extended to the been provided, with a towel Best asset: Real quality upgrade back, for a new kitchen/diner, rad hidden inside for airing with cheerful red gloss units purposes. Floors were dug up making an assertive bid for attention, contrasting at ground level, with Kingspan insulation put in, walls with fresh creaminess of a top-to-toe paint job. have been slabbed for insulation on the inside, and That’s just to freshen the house up after a period of outside Amstel’s walls have been re-dashed. The roof, being carefully rented out, but truth be told, the meanwhile, has been re-done in slate, as has the quality of the work done indicates it was never done pitched roof over the sympathetic kitchen and utility as a fast-buck rental. room extension. All internal joinery — doors, skirting, architraves, Thanks to that latter add-on, the house now is nearly etc, is in oak, as are much of the ground floor finishes, 50’ deep, but despite growing on to the back, it doesn’t and the main, deep front bay windows are double seem to have shut off light to the middle core or hall of glazed, in teak rise and falls sashes (made by Michael this welcoming home. It’s helped by glazing, such as Coughlan in Ballydehob) to keep faith with the house’s an extra, feature circular window beside the glazed vintage. Elsewhere, for ease of keeping, glazing is front door, and internal doors to the two main ‘practical’ white PVC. reception rooms and kitchen beyond are also glazed All three bathrooms were re-done, with pumped and sandblasted, in unfussy oak frames.

CONTENTS

TRADING UP There’s feature stone used well inside and out at a Ballyferriter, Kerry home.

STARTERS A quirky house interior refurb sees mirrors in odd places, even as stair treads.

COVER STORY A bungalow was blitzed for an enviable replacement contemporary home.

10 MARKET The same €295,000 sees city and country offers for traders in, or traders up.

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IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 08.10.2011

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Pictures: Denis Scannell

Amstel seems to feel bigger than its quoted 1,800 sq ft of space, thanks to an extra wide hall and its very good ground level floor plan, and none of the four bedrooms overhead is particularly small: the en suite master bedroom is given an extra lift by its bay window bonus. The house faces south, with front garden, tiled path, and wide drive for easy parking, while there’s a sheltering screen half way back along the gable wall to give privacy to the relatively compact back garden, with storage shed. VERDICT: Amstel has been brought bang up to date, there’s nothing flashy, yet it’s all well done, a quality semi-d in a super-convenient setting.

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�� INTERIORS DIY HOME ECONOMICS GARDENING ANTIQUES

INTERIORS EDITOR Esther McCarthy, 021 4802386 interiors@examiner.ie INTERIORS ADVERTISING Ger Duggan, 021 4802192 interiorads@examiner.ie

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PROPERTY EDITOR Tommy Barker, 021 4802221 property@examiner.ie

PROPERTY ADVERTISING Marguerite Stafford, 021 4802100 marguerite.stafford@examiner.ie

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PROPERTY

HOUSE WEEK OF THE

Tommy Barker reports

CONTENTS

TRADING UP There’s feature stone used well inside and out at a Ballyferriter, Kerry home.

STARTERS A quirky house interior refurb sees mirrors in odd places, even as stair treads.

COVER STORY A bungalow was blitzed for an enviable replacement contemporary home.

10 MARKET The same €295,000 sees city and country offers for traders in, or traders up.

12 14 19 22 22

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 08.10.2011

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Pictures: Denis Scannell

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�� INTERIORS DIY HOME ECONOMICS GARDENING ANTIQUES

INTERIORS EDITOR Esther McCarthy, 021 4802386 interiors@examiner.ie INTERIORS ADVERTISING Ger Duggan, 021 4802192 interiorads@examiner.ie

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PROPERTY EDITOR Tommy Barker, 021 4802221 property@examiner.ie

PROPERTY ADVERTISING Marguerite Stafford, 021 4802100 marguerite.stafford@examiner.ie

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PROPERTY

TRADING UP

We scan a selection of trading up homes around the country Douglas

€660,000

1 Golden Grove �� Call Sheila O’Flynn or Ann O’Mahony on 086 257 4948 or 086 805 5834

BALLYFERRITER, CO KERRY TIVOLI, CORK €275,000 €420,000 Sq m: 124 (1,335sq ft) BER rating: Pending

Bedrooms: 2 Broadband: Yes

THERE’S still money around for holiday home buys in west Kerry, says Anthony FitzGerald, who’s currently offering this extended traditional cottage at Ballincolla, Ballyferriter. Just a stroll from Ballincolla boat slip and a short drive, (or brisk walk) to Béal Bán beach, the house is fresh, open plan and the sale includes all of the furniture. The house is on offer at €275,000, and while it only has two bedrooms, it has a substantial amount of space on offer — so it’s ideal as a summer or retirement home. The older part of the house, the single storey element, is part of a big, kitchen/ living/dining area, with exposed stone walls and the old fireplace at its centre. And there’s a separate living room with twin patio doors to the garden and a stone-built fireplace. The kitchen element is fitted with vanilla units and wooden worktops and has Smeg integrated appliances. The ground floor also includes a guest bathroom and utility, while heating is run on gas and there’s mains water. The upper level has two good bedrooms, one with a fireplace included, and main bathroom and the site size is 0.12 of an acre. Verdict: Ideally placed near Ballyferriter with its pubs and restaurants and close to Ceann Sibéal Golf Links.

Sq m: 148 (1,600 sq ft) BER rating: Pending

CORK CITY €310,000 Bedrooms: 4 Broadband: Yes

THE last house sale at Cork’s Tivoli Estate, of a five-bed house on a half acre was an ostensible do-er upper, but which is now set to be knocked and replaced by a new-build undertaking, after a €400-500k price buy. Next up for sale, and in far better order, in the same Montenotte estate of one-offs is Ard Mahon, a four-bed detached home, south facing, with river Lee views from its tiered and sloping site. Estate agent Conor P Flynn seeks offers around €420,000 for the distinctive and elevated family home a couple of miles from the city centre, and it is under offer now around €380,000. Dating to 1936, it now needs modernisation, but has huge potential, Mr Flynn adds. It has two ground level reception rooms, the best being the 17’ by 13’ drawing room with double aspect and east-facing bay window looking down the harbour. There’s another south-facing bay window in the slightly smaller living/ dining room, plus kitchen, utility/ pantry and a guest WC with shower off the parquet-floored hall. Overhead are four bedrooms, main bathroom, and separate WC. VERDICT: The setting is the star here, with light and views to capture in any upgraded investment.

DOUGLAS, CORK€460,000 AND €405,000/€425,000

Sq m: 168 (1,800 sq ft) BER rating: Pending

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Bedrooms: 4 Broadband: Yes

VERDICT: Great location in a cul de sac a 10 minute walk from city centre.

IT wasn’t just the novelty of a showhouse being opened on a wet weekend — there was genuine interest among many of the 125 callers to Cork’s Vicarage scheme on Carr’s Hill, Douglas, last Saturday. The completed Frinailla scheme, in receivership (and built by Bowen Construction, another casualty of the bust) has five detached houses, out of 17 built, being offered for via agents Savills. The five houses include three house types. The largest, a five-bed and which is also the showhouse of 2,174 sq ft, is being sold fully furnished, and is under offer at its guide of €460,000. The look is cool, and continental, inside, and the houses are quite deep, and tall, with one attic

€590,000

White Oaks, Ballymah � �� Call Sheila O’Flynn 086 257 4948 or 021 493 7418

CASTLETOWNSHEND, CORK €370,000

THE owner of Ellenville once won a prize from Gay Byrne for composing a song about where he lived — but, truth be told, he essentially rehashed a few lines about Dreaming of Living in Marble Halls, from the libretto The Gypsy Girl’s Dream, in the Bohemian Girl. The occupant of this detached fourbed home in Cork city’s Marble Hall Park, by the start of the Ballinlough and Douglas Road near St Finbarr’s Hospital, has lived in Ellenville for 40 years, recently graduated with a degree in geology from UCC aged in his 80s, and is making a move to family in Dublin — UCD watch out. The sizeable enough family home he is now selling (it has a double bay in front, yielding three reception rooms, plus optional study/bed four at ground level alone,) has good bones, and some finely preserved features, such as an ornately tiled hall floor, and a pristine copper canopy on the main sitting room’s cast iron fireplace. Upstairs are three bedrooms plus a bathroom and separate WC, but it’s the space at ground level that impresses most, with a side annexe making for lots of utility room potential. Estate agent Ann O’Mahnony of Sherry FitzGerald seeks €310,000.

Sq m: 220/186/191 BER rating: B3

Waterfall

Sq m: text text text BER rating: Pending

Bedrooms: 4 Broadband: Yes

MIGHT Stonehaven be The One? Set one mile from Castletownshend in west Cork, this one-off stands on one acre and is one of the better-priced market offering in the fairly sought-after coastal setting. It comes to market with not one, but two agents, Cahalane Skuse in Cork city, and with Charles P McCarthy in Skibbereen, five miles away. Though close enough to probably smell and hear the sea, the views from this decade-old stone-faced dormer home are rural rather than coastal, and the location is off a quiet road and private drive, past locally-sourced stone walls. The house’s own exterior is also stoneheavy, blending with wood-grain pvc double glazing, and the sympathetic design incorporates a sun-room to the front, with slate roof and raised pitched glass gable. Internally, there are some quarry slate floors, a central vacuum system, two large reception roms, a ground floor en suite bedroom, plus three more bedrooms overhead (one with en suite), as well as that 18’ by 10’ sun room overlooking the garden and views. There are beaches nearby at Sandy Cove, Castlehaven and Tragumna.

Model Farm Road, Shanid

For sale by Auction AMV €585,000 Public Auction (unless previously sold) 11am 26th Oct, Sherry FitzGerald, 6 Lapps Quay, Cork �� Call Sheila O’Flynn on 086 257 4948

Ovens

€325,000

Silversprings

€240,000

Thomond, 16 Firgrove Drive �� Call Johnny O’Flynn on 086 601 5560

€440,000 Ballincollig

Skehanagh House, Knockanemore �� Call Norma Healy 021 493 7406 or 086 852 5940

Bishopstown

€250,000

91 The Green, Coolroe Meadows �� Call Norma Healy on 086 852 5940

100B Ashmount Court �� Call Michael O’Donovan 021 493 7407 or 086 820 5474

Ballincollig

Maryborough Hill from €500,000 Elden �� Call Ann O’Mahony 021 427 3041 or 086 805 5834

NEW HOMES

VERDICT: Built to last, and in a favoured location where planning is hard to get, Stonehaven is ready to go for new owners.

Bedrooms: 5/4/4 Broadband: Yes level en suite bedroom in each house. Finish and specification levels are good, with slate roofs, underfloor heating at ground level, wiring for multi-audio, Jacuzzi bath, etc. Launch prices back in 2007/08 were €770,000 and €850,000 to €1.1m for a 2,350 sq ft house, with a small number of sales. Savills will also offer apartments in two blocks in Temple Grove, by the Vicarage’s entrance, very shortly, where final works are being carried out. VERDICT: There’s not much else built and available, to a good standard, within a walk of Douglas village.

SHOW HOMES OPEN THURSDAY 13TH OF OCTOBER 12 - 2PM OR BY APPOINTMENT

Thinking of buying? Call Sherry FitzGerald New Homes ��

Rochestown

from €190,000 Mount Oval Village �� Call Sheila O’Flynn or Ann O’Mahony 021 427 3041

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from €120,000 Old Quarter �� Call Sheila O’Flynn or Norma Healy 021 427 3041

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IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 08.10.2011

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PROPERTY

TRADING UP

We scan a selection of trading up homes around the country Douglas

€660,000

1 Golden Grove �� Call Sheila O’Flynn or Ann O’Mahony on 086 257 4948 or 086 805 5834

BALLYFERRITER, CO KERRY TIVOLI, CORK €275,000 €420,000 Sq m: 124 (1,335sq ft) BER rating: Pending

Bedrooms: 2 Broadband: Yes

Sq m: 148 (1,600 sq ft) BER rating: Pending

CORK CITY €310,000 Bedrooms: 4 Broadband: Yes

DOUGLAS, CORK€460,000 AND €405,000/€425,000

Sq m: 168 (1,800 sq ft) BER rating: Pending

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 08.10.2011

Bedrooms: 4 Broadband: Yes

VERDICT: Great location in a cul de sac a 10 minute walk from city centre.

€590,000

White Oaks, Ballymah � �� Call Sheila O’Flynn 086 257 4948 or 021 493 7418

CASTLETOWNSHEND, CORK €370,000

Sq m: 220/186/191 BER rating: B3

Waterfall

Sq m: text text text BER rating: Pending

Bedrooms: 4 Broadband: Yes

Model Farm Road, Shanid

For sale by Auction AMV €585,000 Public Auction (unless previously sold) 11am 26th Oct, Sherry FitzGerald, 6 Lapps Quay, Cork �� Call Sheila O’Flynn on 086 257 4948

Ovens

€325,000

Silversprings

€240,000

Thomond, 16 Firgrove Drive �� Call Johnny O’Flynn on 086 601 5560

€440,000 Ballincollig

Skehanagh House, Knockanemore �� Call Norma Healy 021 493 7406 or 086 852 5940

Bishopstown

€250,000

91 The Green, Coolroe Meadows �� Call Norma Healy on 086 852 5940

100B Ashmount Court �� Call Michael O’Donovan 021 493 7407 or 086 820 5474

Ballincollig

Maryborough Hill from €500,000 Elden �� Call Ann O’Mahony 021 427 3041 or 086 805 5834

NEW HOMES

VERDICT: Built to last, and in a favoured location where planning is hard to get, Stonehaven is ready to go for new owners.

SHOW HOMES OPEN THURSDAY 13TH OF OCTOBER 12 - 2PM OR BY APPOINTMENT

Thinking of buying? Call Sherry FitzGerald New Homes ��

Rochestown

from €190,000 Mount Oval Village �� Call Sheila O’Flynn or Ann O’Mahony 021 427 3041

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from €120,000 Old Quarter �� Call Sheila O’Flynn or Norma Healy 021 427 3041

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IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 08.10.2011

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STARTER HOMES BRANDON, KERRY €100,000 Sq m: 70 (750 sq ft) BER rating: Pending DONE up top to bottom around its 100th birthday is this spectacularly-set Dingle Peninsula home, at Upper Tier beyond Cloghane. It has views that could be breathtaking (in more ways than one) over Brandon Bay, and will suit anyone looking for a bit of solitude, yet it’s near a good village back-up. Agents Finucane Auctioneers have dropped the selling price from a high hope of €300,000 to just

Bedrooms: 3 Broadband: Yes

Bright semi-d with a modern twist

Tommy Barker is impressed by a stylish and spacious home

Location: Price: Size: Bedrooms: BER rating: Broadband:

Ballincollig, Cork €195,000 Sq. m 112 sq m (1,200 sq ft) 3 Pending Yes

€100,000, and say it was fully re-done in 2001, with new windows, oil heating, new bathroom, etc. VERDICT: Fairly remote, but very affordable now, and the work has been done.

BALLINLOUGH, CORK €215,000 Sq m: 103 (1,112 sq ft) BER rating: Pending

HE all done-up and up-graded semi-d at 22 Woodbine Lawn reflects well on its owner — he’s used mirrors, and lots of them, cleverly all around the place to make it as bright and airy as he can. And, it is no slouch in the space stakes, either, with 1,200 sq ft of space, all with a modern twist, with a very good kitchen, and lots of storage upstairs and down, and floors predominantly in oak. The vendor has a design background, and it shows: there’s an assertive use of colour, and walls of mirror in rooms like bathrooms and elsewhere, like the kitchen, but really unusual is finishing stair treads in mirror: the effect is most odd, and not conducive to skirt wearers. Estate agent Dennis Guerin of Frank V Murphy & Co guides the house in Ballincollig’s Inniscarra View

at €195,000, and has it under early offer in the early €180,000s. He says it has been very well kept and updated, with a flair for design, and the essential attributes are there too, such as a south-facing back garden, enhanced by a conservatory/glasshouse, and the back had a mature air, plus garden shed for storage. Internally, there’s a front reception room with glazed built-ins, the same storage features in the lime-coloured kitchen/diner behind which has walnut-topped Shaker style units and a double ceramic sink. The garage to the side, meanwhile, is converted to a home office, with sliding patio doors, plus there’s a store room and a utility. The main bathroom is extensively tiled, with sink set on a rich-hued marble plinth.

Bedrooms: 3 Broadband: Yes

Location: Price: Size: Bedrooms: BER rating: Broadband:

Silversprings,. Cork €235,000 Sq. m 126 (1,350 sq ft) 3 Pending Yes

Open and airy inside and out

No 8 Southridge has sun room extension that’s impressing viewers finds Tommy Barker

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 08.10.2011

each new set of occupants. A spiral stairs in the brickwalled reception hall (with solid fuel stove nearby) links all three levels of this tall dormer, and the five bedrooms (one en suite) are over the top two floors, while downstairs there’s a bit of split-

FIRST TIME BUYERS

Property

PROPERTY Location: Price: Size: Bedrooms: BER rating: Broadband: Best feature:

Glanmire, Cork €450,000 204 sq m (2,200 sq ft) 5 C1 Yes Acres of woodland ground

level layout going on as well in the main, inter-linked living spaces, and one is sort of octagonal-shaped, with easy deck access. VERDICT: If you are looking for something out of the humdrum, with space as well, this is it.

FOR SALE BY PUBLIC AUCTION ON FRIDAY, 21st OCTOBER, 2011 AT 3pm IN THE PARISH HALL, INNISHANNON, CO. CORK.

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Bedrooms: 3/4 Broadband: Yes

keep grounds outside, Bellavista’s a manageable period home buy.

AST sold in 2005 for far in excess of its mid-€500,000s asking price at the time, the distinctive and modern home Highgrove had further moneys spent on it since by its purchasers, who’ve also added to insulation levels in this architect’s former home. Set out at Glencree, by Brooklodge in Cork’s Glanmire, this woodland retreat with a €450,000 price guide via Michael O’Donovan of Sherry FitzGerald even has a river (the Glashaboy) running along much of its extensive boundaries: there’s about five acres going with this home, which must make it one of the most interesting mixes currently on the greater Cork market. The grounds at Highgrove include sallys, beech trees, furze and a whole host more, and spring bluebells are there aplenty too, while the gardens and woods beyond can be reached via special walkways from the house’s main living level and decking — one of three levels in this unusual and deceptive build. Highgrove was built in the 1980s by an architect for his own occupation and he sold on in the 1990s, and it sold again about five or six years ago — and it has proved adaptable for

Saturday, aturday, October 15

CORK CITY €285,000

VERDICT: In good nick inside, and with easy to

Five acre Glanmire woodland retreat is an interesting mix, Tommy Barker reports

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VERDICT: This older style three-bed semi needs doing up, but with certified works having been done it is a case on onwards and upwards.

PROXIMITY to UCC is a bonus with the midterraced house Bellavista, by the top of Highfield Avenue between College Road and Magazine Road, a 10 minute walk from Cork city centre. Estate Agent Matt Fallon seeks offers around €285,000 for the property aimed both at investors and private buyers.

Highgrove: A river runs through it

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LOVELY original features like a terrazzo hall floor, and fireplaces in two reception rooms and in two overhead bedrooms will appeal to viewers of 7, Belmont, on Cork’s settled Ballinlough suburb. Also appealing will be completed certs on drains replacement, etc. Estate agent Timothy Sullivan says there’s a nice bit of garden space front and back, and a great innersuburban location..

Sq m: 112 (1,200 sq ft) BER rating: Pending

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THANKS to a good rear sun room extension, this family three-bed semi-detached home fits in 1,350 sq ft of space — so it is well over the average size for its type. No 8, Southridge, up in Cork’s Silversprings off the northern ring road, is impressing in early viewings, says its selling agent Jeremy Murphy, who adds that it has views over Cork city as well, thanks to its lofty setting. On a wedge-shaped corner site with printed concrete front garden and drive, by a cul de sac, it really manages to feel open and airy, inside and out, and decor levels are very good too.

With a neat porch entrance before the main hall, No 8 has a good-sized family room at the front, a little under 17’ by 12’, and behind is a second reception room, now linked to the latterly-added sunroom extension. The kitchen is to the back, with U-shaped units laid out behind a dining area, and there’s a utility room as well. Overhead are three bedrooms, one with en suite with shower and the main bathroom has recently been upgraded. VERDICT: In immaculate condition, it’s a walk-in job.

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KILLOMINOGUE, INNISHANNON, CO. CORK. (On the instruction of the administrator, in the estate of Patrick McCarthy Deceased.)

Due to the upcoming changes to mortgage interest relief and

A single storey traditional style cottage, on c.3⁄4 acre and outbuildings. Accommodation comprises of kitchenette, dining room, living room, three bedrooms and a bathroom. Although the dwelling requires complete refurbishment, it offers excellent potential, given its large and mature site, along with its location, on the Cork side of Innishannon, plus its proximity to Kinsale etc. A superb opportunity for anyone.

better value than ever before, now is the time for first time buyers to close the deal to get their first step on the property ladder. Make sure your properties are seen by first time buyers currently looking at the options available to them by advertising in this targeted feature on Saturday, October 15.

PROPERTY

ADVERTISING CONTACT:

Property Advertising Tel: 021-4802100

Solicitors with carriage of sale: Julie Gallwey, P.J. O’Driscolls, 41 South Main Street, Bandon. Selling Agent: Sherry FitzGerald Brennan Busteed Bandon 023 8854444 Sherryfitz.ie / myhome.ie / daft.ie

ADVERTISING? LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!

Our property section is viewed every week by a huge number of readers on the lookout. Make sure your ad is in the right place to be seen by all the right people. Property Advertising Team Tel: 021-4802-100 Fax: 021-4802199

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Bedrooms: 3 Broadband: Yes

Bright semi-d with a modern twist

Tommy Barker is impressed by a stylish and spacious home

Location: Price: Size: Bedrooms: BER rating: Broadband:

Ballincollig, Cork €195,000 Sq. m 112 sq m (1,200 sq ft) 3 Pending Yes

€100,000, and say it was fully re-done in 2001, with new windows, oil heating, new bathroom, etc. VERDICT: Fairly remote, but very affordable now, and the work has been done.

BALLINLOUGH, CORK €215,000 Sq m: 103 (1,112 sq ft) BER rating: Pending

Bedrooms: 3 Broadband: Yes

Location: Price: Size: Bedrooms: BER rating: Broadband:

Silversprings,. Cork €235,000 Sq. m 126 (1,350 sq ft) 3 Pending Yes

Open and airy inside and out

No 8 Southridge has sun room extension that’s impressing viewers finds Tommy Barker

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 08.10.2011

FIRST TIME BUYERS

Property

PROPERTY Location: Price: Size: Bedrooms: BER rating: Broadband: Best feature:

Glanmire, Cork €450,000 204 sq m (2,200 sq ft) 5 C1 Yes Acres of woodland ground

FOR SALE BY PUBLIC AUCTION ON FRIDAY, 21st OCTOBER, 2011 AT 3pm IN THE PARISH HALL, INNISHANNON, CO. CORK.

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Bedrooms: 3/4 Broadband: Yes

keep grounds outside, Bellavista’s a manageable period home buy.

Saturday, aturday, October 15

CORK CITY €285,000

VERDICT: In good nick inside, and with easy to

Five acre Glanmire woodland retreat is an interesting mix, Tommy Barker reports

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VERDICT: This older style three-bed semi needs doing up, but with certified works having been done it is a case on onwards and upwards.

Highgrove: A river runs through it

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Sq m: 112 (1,200 sq ft) BER rating: Pending

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KILLOMINOGUE, INNISHANNON, CO. CORK. (On the instruction of the administrator, in the estate of Patrick McCarthy Deceased.)

Due to the upcoming changes to mortgage interest relief and

PROPERTY

ADVERTISING CONTACT:

Property Advertising Tel: 021-4802100

ADVERTISING? LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!

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COVER STORY

Ard na Greine revamp proves a work of art Constraints no impediments for reworked west Cork island property on Roaringwater Bay, Tommy Barker reports Pictures: Denis Scannell

EEPING it looking simple can be a hard job: the west Cork house called Ard na Greine in Roaringwater Bay is an example of a challenging build, where the art is and was in concealing the art. This new 3,000 sq ft home, on a spectacular island site, only came to pass because of persistence from afar on behalf of the owners, who were living in the Far East when it was being built, and their diligent Waterford-based design team, backed up with a builder who lived a mile from the site, and came garlanded with recommendations. Key, especially, to its eventual grant of permission was the fact it was going to replace or morph out of an existing dwelling. It has replaced a 1970s bungalow holiday/retirement home which, most probably, was kept modest in its own scope five decades ago because, even then, the site was seen as quite sacrosanct thanks to its visibility. But, the site deserved better than the relatively bland box allowed on it back then, and the replacement house finished a couple of years ago, and seen here in its restrained palette glories, can actually be seen as an enhancement to its setting. In fact, there’s another brand new architectural arrival to it, just over the mound of hill, and that’s fairly extraordinary with soaring monopitch roofs going all directions, so fair dues to brave planners prepared to allow exceptions for exceptional buildings and homes that intrigue the eye (but, pity we can’t all afford sites and buildings of this quality to make planning arguments for us!) The location is on an island, though with bridge access, fortunately for the sake of Ard na Greine’s house builder, the nd design-literate Mike Leonard, who has done a

number of the best one-offs in the Skibbereen area. (It’s more than a bit ironic the hoops that home-builders can be put through to get permission to build a single dwelling though, when often just up and down the road in lots of clear examples schemes of dozens of houses of little or no architectural merit get built, often for tax reasons, and lie empty for the vast majority of the year.) The Irish couple who

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 08.10.2011

purchased this two-acre, sloping site with coastline access back in 2002 had architectural ambitions for it, and retained Waterford citybased design firm dhbarchitects to design a newbuild, to emerge from the shadow and footprint of the original, far smaller dwelling. It took several goes and sketches, though. dhb architects’ director Fintan Duffy notes that they had been up against a planning

diktat of “a ban on any new house on the site, only an extension of the existing being deemed acceptable. This was difficult to understand in light of the poor qualities, both constructional and aesthetic, of this house. The design conditions were presented as restrictions, such as ‘no flat roofs’, ‘traditional materials’ and so on. We took these on board at design stage, and tried to turn them to our advantage — although it is always difficult to approach a design process in an ideal manner when there are already declared ‘no-go’ areas,” adds Mr Duffy. It took lots of sketches, stretching into two years in pre-planning before a design was approved and moved upon The new Ard na Greine keeps only a shadow of root with the original house, and is long, and in sections, with a mix of roof profiles to break up its 3,000 sq ft mass into defined, clusterlike sections. This break-up of forms and quarters into up to six linked or interwoven sections allows for lots of roof finish variations, and for huge windows /glazing options too, with low and high level windows, wide sweeps of glass, clerestory, and for a long, full width glazed roof atrium as well over the staircase and link corridor. The main living section to the front is A-roofed, holding solar panels southwards to the sun with a mono-pitch behind with high level clerestory windows, and there are several ‘extensions’ to give the impression of organic growth, with the bedrooms in the rear, long tee-d in two-storey section. Deliberately skewed angles, especially in a zinc-roofed pitched run, must have tested the competencies of the roofing carpenter, but it is all carried off with aplomb, and that surely is down to the talents of builder Mike Leonard, who has

got design training as well as a strong family building background. This meant Mike had few problems translating the highly individual design, and definitely off-standard plan with some engineering/span challenges. Despite the engineering challenges, and getting levels right on the slopes, the interior is marked out by the purity of its flooring. It is pretty much all done in the same gently striated large tile, each 60 cm by 60cm. Anyone who has ever DIY tiled a floor will know the blessed relief of being able to cover up imperfections with

door saddle boards and skirting boards: no such places to hide here. The tiles flow unobstructed, with just the slenderest of grout lines, from one room to another. It means if any room was off-square, things would go awry the further you went from the starting line. Here, all is ‘true,’ and walls internally are left without skirtings or architraves around doors, with simple ‘shadow lines’ put in to mark boundaries — it’s the hardest work of all to get right, it is utterly unforgiving. The finished look of the house, coolly white, is down to

Helsinki-based interior designer Kaisa Blomstedt, retained by the owners and asked to keep to the architectural purity of the design, with a pared-back palette. Bar blasts of colour from furniture or art, walls, doors, ceilings and the opentread cantilevered steel staircase are mostly white, spray painted for smooth finish. Plumbing is done to a high level, with Hansgrohe showers and taps, and Duravit sanitary ware, and several bathrooms have Corian sink stands. Bedrooms are in a two-storey

wing, where the master bed’s suite has vibrant red glass mosaic tiling around the bath. The house’s living/cooking/ dining space is open-plan, laid out on a grid system, with large and irregularly-shaped windows across the front stonefaced facade, placed for a mix of long views and framing of particular points of reference. A detached garage picks up the same angle as the bedroom wing to make for a figurative approach courtyard. Stout Douglas Fir timbers are used to link house and garage, for geometric pergola expressions at either end and

as brise soleil over the main living space’s large sliding doors to a decked protrusion. Here, you suddenly realise, you’ve not been led up the garden path — there is no path, the house’s lawn and natural landscaping comes right up to the limestone front wall. Finishes include breathable lime-rendered masonry and semi-drystone walls done in locally sourced field stone, topped with — for a complete change of texture — cut limestone. Other finishes include slate, standing seam zinc, and Trocal membrane roofs, >>>

“It keeps only a shadow of root with the original house”

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COVER STORY

Ard na Greine revamp proves a work of art Constraints no impediments for reworked west Cork island property on Roaringwater Bay, Tommy Barker reports Pictures: Denis Scannell

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 08.10.2011

“It keeps only a shadow of root with the original house”

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 08.10.2011

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COVER STORY

Leap cottage packed with character

GETTHELOOK

Some great ideas for you to use in your home and where to get them

1 Steel away to bed. Deviating from standard staircases can make a feature of a necessity, these treads are cantilevered, and spraypainted steel

2 Pitch perfect. Varying roof lines and adding high-up, clerestory windows make for some fascinating visuals and natural lighting

3 You don’t have to shell out for expensive bathroom accessories: these seashells speak to every child-at-heart

5 Make the most of a sloping site by going split-level — it defines areas while still keeping a flow through them

SOURCEBOOK

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 08.10.2011

Architects: dhbarchitects, Unit 1, Broad Street Centre, Waterford. 051 858121. www.dhbarchitects.com, info@dhbarchitects.com .................................................................................................. Main contractor: Michael Leonard, Reengaroga, Baltimore, Co Cork. 02820089, 086-8505693, mikeleonard@eircom.net .................................................................................................. Interior design, furniture sourcing, lights, etc: Studio Kaisa Blomstedt, Helsinki, Finland. www.kaisablomstedt.fi .................................................................................................. Quantity surveyors: Frank Grogan, 48 The Glen, Waterford. 051-871101. Info@grogansurveyors.com .................................................................................................. Solar/Underfloor heating: Alternative Heating and Cooling, Skibbereen. 02823701. info@ahac.ie .................................................................................................. Plumbing: Martin Cahalane, Castletownshend, Skibbereen, Cork. 028-36441. .................................................................................................. Tiling: Jer Buckley Skibbereen, Cork. 028-236160

MAN with great carpentry skills got his hands on Cashel Cottage — and it shows. Serious, high-level joinery and some high-level roof windows distinguish this extended west Cork cottage on an acre, kept traditional, but comfortable too. Best suited to buyers under the 6’ height mark, as ceilings in the central area are quite low, it is full of character, and extended to gain extra light.

As currently configured, it is just a two-bed, with a good, large first floor bedroom, there’s another bedroom almost remote, set across the house via the unusual sun room/dining room with solid fuel stove and this space has an overhead roof lantern. Set a couple of miles from Connonagh and Leap off the main Cork-Skibbereen road, Cashel Cottage is only a few weeks on the market with agent John Hodnett of Hodnett Forde, who seeks

City, country option going for the same price

6 Bold use of colour works as a great contrast with cool white decor schemes

High-quality carpentry is one of the attractions of this property, Tommy Barker reports

4 This sun-screen (or brise soleil) is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Why not try a pergola at home?

>>> stainless steel guttering and steel downpipes for a sense of changing textures, as well as those grid pergola outlines, which craft ever-changing shadows. Internally, the living/dining and kitchen area is open plan, down four steps on the footprint of the original bungalow from the reading room and a family room to the back, reached via sliding doors. All clean, uncluttered lines, the kitchen is pared back, with large chocolate-coloured island made from Corian, with gas hob and extract and feature light above. Appliances are the likes of Gaggenau and Miele, kept either under the island, or hidden in the glossy back wall of cupboard storage. Ard na Greine was finished 18 months ago and is itself starting to meld into its sloped and tiered site, culminating in a path down to a shingle beach: it was a place worth taking the plunge for.

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Electrical Work: Barry Bros. Electrical, Skibbereen, Cork. 028-21795. .................................................................................................. Painting (spray finishes, etc): John O’Sullivan & Sons. Glandore, Cork. 02833170. .................................................................................................. Zinc roofing: Noel Murphy Roofing, Cork city. 021-4891511. .................................................................................................. Structural engineer: Chris Chapman, Frank Fox and Associates, 7 Bank Lane, Waterford. 051-872799. .................................................................................................. Windows: Bruckner Austria, Irish agent Marlowe and Bates, Hayestown, Piercestown, Wexford. 087-672169. .................................................................................................. Stoves: Hearth and Home, Unit 2, Fonthill Retail Park, Clondalkin, Dublin 22. 01-6237848. www.hearthandhome.ie .................................................................................................. Trocal roofing: Alternative Roofing, Cork. 021-4911964. .................................................................................................. Landscaping: Mark Lee Landscaping Services. Skibbereen, Cork. 028-22444.

A suburban semi-d or rural five-bed can be yours for €295,000, Tommy Barker reports

Location: Price: Size: Bedrooms: BER rating: Broadband: Best asset:

PROPERTY Location: Price: Size: Bedrooms: BER rating: Broadband: Best feature:

offers around the €250,000 mark. There are good bathrooms off each of the two main bedrooms, and the upstairs one, reached via a real ‘away to bed’ winding stairs, also has access to a dressing room. The main living room is wholly traditional, with exposed joists, stone fireplace, etc. Apart from the main c 1,300 sq ft house, there’s a productive vegetable garden, flower garden, composting area, and a decent garage, with slate roof.

Model Farm Road, Cork €295,000 112 sq m (1,200 sq ft) 4 E1 Yes Big garden

Leap, west Cork €250,000 121 sq m (1,300 sq ft) 2 Pending Yes Quality joinery

Windows here in the garage — like in the main house — are double glazed, in mahogany frames. The rest of Cashel Cottage’s grounds include lawns, orchard and a good selection of trees scattered about, adding to the privacy of the mix. VERDICT: Lots to like here, it is indeed pretty and eye-catching as the agents say, but many buyers might want to find a third bedroom space.

Location: Price: Size: Bedrooms: BER rating: Broadband: Best asset:

Kerry Pike, Cork €295,000 175 sq m (1,880 sq ft) 5 C2 Yes Loads of family space

Left and above: Laburnum Lawn in Bishopstown. Right: Woodlands Lower, Kerry Pike.

ITY and country home options are offered by a Cork estate agent, at an identical price, guiding €295,000 apiece. First up, there’s a good suburban offering, the extended semi-d at 17 Laburnum Lawn in Bishopstown, extended into a four-bed about 20 years ago and coming on the back of a few very recent Sale Agreeds in the hinterland, says John Barry of Keane Mahony Smith, expressing confidence in No 17’s saleability. It comes up for sale after he’s agreed

a sale on a renovated and extended three-bed semi in Highfield Lawn, for just over its €325,000 guide, and it had an impressive 39 viewings. And he has also gone sale agreed around the same price level on a four-bed semi-d with huge back garden on Bishoptown’s Central Avenue also. No 17 Laburnum Lawn (near the back of the CUH) was extended 20 years ago, adding a fourth bedroom, has been recently underpinned, now has solar panels and enhanced attic insulation, but new owners might want to upgrade

the kitchen and bathroom now, or in time. “Going on our last few sales and viewings, it is offered at the sort of price buyers are comfortable to buy at, and in a location they are comfortable with too,” said John Barry. The KMS agent also has another €295,000 offering, a larger five-bed detached built in 1984, in a location of one-offs at Woodlands Lower, Kerry Pike just on the city’s northern fringes. No 30 here is timber-framed in kilndried Canadian pine and has a good C2

BER rating thank to 100mm insulation layers. It has been in the same family’s care for 27 years, and they are now downsizing. On its ground floor it has three of its five bedrooms, two reception roms, kitchen/dining room, utility and bathroom, and overhead is a home office, plus two more bedrooms and another, main bathroom. “Kerry Pike is very convenient to Ballincollig and the western suburbs on one site, and to Blarney, Tower and the Mallow Road on the other,” notes Mr Barry.