Property March 24

TERAPROOF:User:rosemartinDate:22/03/2012Time:12:38:11Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:1

Zone:XP1

Property

24.03.2012

XP1 - V1

& Interiors

Scene stealer

Killarney Aghadoe home has mountain and lake views

Photo by Denis Scannell

PLUS • TRADING UP • STYLISH HOMES • GET THE LOOK • ANTIQUES • STEP BY STEP DIY

TERAPROOF:User:noelcampionDate:22/03/2012Time:12:44:04Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:2

Zone:XP1

XP1 - V1

PROPERTY

HOUSE WEEK OF THE

Tommy Barker reports

XP1 - V1

THINKING OF SELLING?

Pictures: Denis Scannell

WE HAVE QUALITY BUYERS...

We have very strong demand from our database of almost 800 buyers for homes all across Cork City and Suburbs.

Do you live in one of the areas below or close by? If you are thinking of selling we would be delighted to offer you a free sales valuation. Contact one of our team today or call 021 4273041.

WEST CITY/SUBURBS

SOUTH CITY/SUBURBS

S

low but steady progress over nearly five years Behind there’s a private study, extensively shelved, has seen the extended family semi-d and off around again to the enlarged back is a new Carrigavon really come into its own — to the kitchen with granite tops, an embracing hearth-spot, benefit now of next owners, as it unexpectedly off a long L-shaped living/family/dining room. The comes to market. kitchen’s beyond practical, and there’s a very An impressive looking, double-fronted semi-d right serviceable deep laundry room off to the side, with on the buzzy edge of Douglas village in Cork, this midacres of storage; this annexe is home to all utilities, 1900s home has just been brought right up to speed. plus a second oven for smelly cooking or frying (now, Pristine, and brand new to market with estate agent there’s a luxury). This space is also home to the Timothy Sullivan, it’s priced central vacuum pump, and at €460,000 - which is about solar hot water system.

Location: Douglas, Cork the sum paid for it in the midThe main hall is not only Price: €460,000 2000s before hundreds of large, but it’s particularly thousands of euros, and welcoming thanks to a liquidSize: 184 sq m (2,000 sq ft) thousands of man hours were fuel wall-mounted Bedrooms: 4 lavished on it. contemporary fireplace, It’s a walk-in job in every there’s hardwood joinery in BER rating: Pending meaning of the word, with abundance, and a guest WC, Broadband: Yes Douglas’s myriad amenities plus understairs storage. literally on the doorstep: it’s Up the carpeted stairs is a Best asset: Top notch makeover just 100 metres from the main newly-minted bathroom with shopping centre. corner bath and large shower The flavour of what’s going on inside in the quality enclosure. Three of the four bedrooms are good stakes is signalled by impressive granite entrance doubles, one has stolen a bit of space from a repillars, electric gates and brick-paved drive leading up ordering of rooms (which also yielded a double to Carrigavon’s stepped entry porch. hotpress), and the master bedroom is top drawer, with The house signals; its extra presence thanks to a a bay window facing directly south to the Douglas side and rear wrap-around extension, which really Road, and it has a smart shower room en suite, plus a allowed the interior to also expand and breathe out for walk in wardrobe. comfort.

There’s attic access at two points, quality light Inside, every square inch has been upgraded, with a switches and sockets, above standard lighting, good quality 24’ by 14’ double sitting room in front off the carpets, surround sound, alarm, lots of TV points, and wide hall, a real ‘best room’ bright and comfortable bathrooms (all three) are done in neutral tiling. with an open fireplace and corner bookcase with space Outside, even though Carrigavon has been for an enormous TV (there’s satellite coverage for extensively added to on the side and back, there’s lots sports) of garden space still to the front, side and back, with a

CONTENTS 4

TRADING UP A 4,000 sq ft Tralee home has lots of brick and stone features in and out

6

STARTERS A penthouse apartment in Douglas village, Cork, is an affordable buy

7

FEATURES Period home Lotaville House has an attached tower, and a price drop

8

COVER STORY One of Killarney’s best sited quality homes is on offer at Aghadoe

newly-built craft shed, paved patio, and the whole site is walled and private.

It faces onto the main Douglas road, with just enough distance back to give it breathing space and privacy. Motorists will know it as it’s visible from the traffic lights at the ramp exit of the south ring road.

If you were curious as to how it had progressed after its years of steady, but slow work, well, here’s your answer.

VERDICT: Carrigavon’s in showhouse condition, with an unstinting specification.

Buyers won’t want to change much, if anything at all, and workmanship levels are high

19 IN THE GARDEN This week we have three pages of gardening to get you in step for spring

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

Ballinlough Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Rochestown Rochestown Douglas Douglas Douglas Douglas Douglas Douglas Douglas Douglas Douglas Douglas Douglas ��������� Grange South City South City

Halldene Melbourn Estate The Rise College Road & areas off Magazine Road Orchard Road Western Road Glasheen Road Glendale, Glasheen Summerstown, Glasheen Bishopstown Avenue �������� Laburnum Model Farm Road Wilton Gardens Earlwood Estate ��������� ������ St Josephs Park Togher City Centre west Evergreen Street Friars Street Friars Walk and surrounding areas Greenmount Hartlands Avenue Pouladuff Road The Lough Turners Cross �������� �� � ����� ���

Bishopstown Bishopstown Bishopstown College Area College Area College Area College Area Glasheen Glasheen Glasheen Model Farm Road Model Farm Road Model Farm Road Model Farm Road Model Farm Road The Lough The Lough The Lough Togher West city West city West city West city West city West city West city West city West city Wilton

NORTH CITY/SUBURBS Sundays Well Road Shanakiel Lee Road Gurranabraher Road Cathedral Road

North city North city North city North city North city

North city North city North city North city North city North city North city North city North city Glanmire Glounthaune Glanmire Ballyvolane Kilcully Dublin Pike Glanmire Glanmire Glanmire Glanmire Ballyvolane

BALLINCOLLIG & ENVIRONS Muskerry Estate Inniscarra View Rosewood Manor Hill Coolroe Meadows ��� ����� ���������� �������� ���������� ��������� ���������� Ovens Currahally Farran Killumney Waterfall Model Farm Road West Carrigrohane Temple Hill Kerry Pike Cloghroe Tower

Ballincollig Ballincollig Ballincollig Ballincollig Ballincollig Ballincollig Ballincollig Ballincollig Ovens Ovens Farran Killumney Waterfall Model Farm Road Carrigrohane Carrigrohane Kerry Pike Cloghroe Blarney

PROPERTY EDITOR Tommy Barker, 021 4802221 property@examiner.ie INTERIORS EDITOR Esther McCarthy, 021 4802386 interiors@examiner.ie INTERIORS ADVERTISING Ger Duggan, 021 4802192 interiorads@examiner.ie PROPERTY ADVERTISING Marguerite Stafford, 021 4802100 marguerite.stafford@examiner.ie

2

Ballinlough Road Ardfoyle Avenue Ashleigh Drive Ashton Park Avondale Park Barnstead Drive Barringtons Avenue Berlingford Drive Boreenmanna Road Chiplee Clanrickarde Cleve Hill Dromcora Janeville Lindville Menloe Richmond Estate Rochelle Park Rockboro Avenue Rockcliffe �������� Rochestown Road Charlemont Heights Douglas Road ��������� Knockrea Park Lake Lawn Maryborough Estate Rathmore Lawn Rhodaville Estate South Douglas Road Well Road Woodview Woolhara Park ��������� ������� Cross Douglas Road Marble Hall

Blarney St Roman Street Wellington Road St Lukes Gardiners Hill Middle Glanmire Road Montenotte Silversprings ������� Glanmire Glounthaune Rathcooney Whites Cross Kilcully Dublin Pike Sallybrook Barnavara Little Island Dunkettle Ballyvolane

Cork & Private Clients SHEILA O’FLYNN 086 257 4948

South City & Southern Suburbs ANN O’MAHONY 086 805 5834

Ballincollig & Environs NORMA HEALY 086 852 5940

������ ����������� � ������ ����� ����

North City, Northern & Eastern suburbs MICHAEL O’DONOVAN 086 820 5474 �� ��� ��� ����

West City & Western suburbs JOHNNY O’FLYNN 086 601 5560

�� ����������������� IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

3

TERAPROOF:User:noelcampionDate:22/03/2012Time:12:44:04Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:2

Zone:XP1

XP1 - V1

PROPERTY

HOUSE WEEK OF THE

Tommy Barker reports

XP1 - V1

THINKING OF SELLING?

Pictures: Denis Scannell

WE HAVE QUALITY BUYERS...

We have very strong demand from our database of almost 800 buyers for homes all across Cork City and Suburbs.

Do you live in one of the areas below or close by? If you are thinking of selling we would be delighted to offer you a free sales valuation. Contact one of our team today or call 021 4273041.

WEST CITY/SUBURBS

SOUTH CITY/SUBURBS

S

low but steady progress over nearly five years Behind there’s a private study, extensively shelved, has seen the extended family semi-d and off around again to the enlarged back is a new Carrigavon really come into its own — to the kitchen with granite tops, an embracing hearth-spot, benefit now of next owners, as it unexpectedly off a long L-shaped living/family/dining room. The comes to market. kitchen’s beyond practical, and there’s a very An impressive looking, double-fronted semi-d right serviceable deep laundry room off to the side, with on the buzzy edge of Douglas village in Cork, this midacres of storage; this annexe is home to all utilities, 1900s home has just been brought right up to speed. plus a second oven for smelly cooking or frying (now, Pristine, and brand new to market with estate agent there’s a luxury). This space is also home to the Timothy Sullivan, it’s priced central vacuum pump, and at €460,000 - which is about solar hot water system.

Location: Douglas, Cork the sum paid for it in the midThe main hall is not only Price: €460,000 2000s before hundreds of large, but it’s particularly thousands of euros, and welcoming thanks to a liquidSize: 184 sq m (2,000 sq ft) thousands of man hours were fuel wall-mounted Bedrooms: 4 lavished on it. contemporary fireplace, It’s a walk-in job in every there’s hardwood joinery in BER rating: Pending meaning of the word, with abundance, and a guest WC, Broadband: Yes Douglas’s myriad amenities plus understairs storage. literally on the doorstep: it’s Up the carpeted stairs is a Best asset: Top notch makeover just 100 metres from the main newly-minted bathroom with shopping centre. corner bath and large shower The flavour of what’s going on inside in the quality enclosure. Three of the four bedrooms are good stakes is signalled by impressive granite entrance doubles, one has stolen a bit of space from a repillars, electric gates and brick-paved drive leading up ordering of rooms (which also yielded a double to Carrigavon’s stepped entry porch. hotpress), and the master bedroom is top drawer, with The house signals; its extra presence thanks to a a bay window facing directly south to the Douglas side and rear wrap-around extension, which really Road, and it has a smart shower room en suite, plus a allowed the interior to also expand and breathe out for walk in wardrobe. comfort.

There’s attic access at two points, quality light Inside, every square inch has been upgraded, with a switches and sockets, above standard lighting, good quality 24’ by 14’ double sitting room in front off the carpets, surround sound, alarm, lots of TV points, and wide hall, a real ‘best room’ bright and comfortable bathrooms (all three) are done in neutral tiling. with an open fireplace and corner bookcase with space Outside, even though Carrigavon has been for an enormous TV (there’s satellite coverage for extensively added to on the side and back, there’s lots sports) of garden space still to the front, side and back, with a

CONTENTS 4

TRADING UP A 4,000 sq ft Tralee home has lots of brick and stone features in and out

6

STARTERS A penthouse apartment in Douglas village, Cork, is an affordable buy

7

FEATURES Period home Lotaville House has an attached tower, and a price drop

8

COVER STORY One of Killarney’s best sited quality homes is on offer at Aghadoe

newly-built craft shed, paved patio, and the whole site is walled and private.

It faces onto the main Douglas road, with just enough distance back to give it breathing space and privacy. Motorists will know it as it’s visible from the traffic lights at the ramp exit of the south ring road.

If you were curious as to how it had progressed after its years of steady, but slow work, well, here’s your answer.

VERDICT: Carrigavon’s in showhouse condition, with an unstinting specification.

Buyers won’t want to change much, if anything at all, and workmanship levels are high

19 IN THE GARDEN This week we have three pages of gardening to get you in step for spring

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

Ballinlough Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Blackrock Rochestown Rochestown Douglas Douglas Douglas Douglas Douglas Douglas Douglas Douglas Douglas Douglas Douglas ��������� Grange South City South City

Halldene Melbourn Estate The Rise College Road & areas off Magazine Road Orchard Road Western Road Glasheen Road Glendale, Glasheen Summerstown, Glasheen Bishopstown Avenue �������� Laburnum Model Farm Road Wilton Gardens Earlwood Estate ��������� ������ St Josephs Park Togher City Centre west Evergreen Street Friars Street Friars Walk and surrounding areas Greenmount Hartlands Avenue Pouladuff Road The Lough Turners Cross �������� �� � ����� ���

Bishopstown Bishopstown Bishopstown College Area College Area College Area College Area Glasheen Glasheen Glasheen Model Farm Road Model Farm Road Model Farm Road Model Farm Road Model Farm Road The Lough The Lough The Lough Togher West city West city West city West city West city West city West city West city West city Wilton

NORTH CITY/SUBURBS Sundays Well Road Shanakiel Lee Road Gurranabraher Road Cathedral Road

North city North city North city North city North city

North city North city North city North city North city North city North city North city North city Glanmire Glounthaune Glanmire Ballyvolane Kilcully Dublin Pike Glanmire Glanmire Glanmire Glanmire Ballyvolane

BALLINCOLLIG & ENVIRONS Muskerry Estate Inniscarra View Rosewood Manor Hill Coolroe Meadows ��� ����� ���������� �������� ���������� ��������� ���������� Ovens Currahally Farran Killumney Waterfall Model Farm Road West Carrigrohane Temple Hill Kerry Pike Cloghroe Tower

Ballincollig Ballincollig Ballincollig Ballincollig Ballincollig Ballincollig Ballincollig Ballincollig Ovens Ovens Farran Killumney Waterfall Model Farm Road Carrigrohane Carrigrohane Kerry Pike Cloghroe Blarney

PROPERTY EDITOR Tommy Barker, 021 4802221 property@examiner.ie INTERIORS EDITOR Esther McCarthy, 021 4802386 interiors@examiner.ie INTERIORS ADVERTISING Ger Duggan, 021 4802192 interiorads@examiner.ie PROPERTY ADVERTISING Marguerite Stafford, 021 4802100 marguerite.stafford@examiner.ie

2

Ballinlough Road Ardfoyle Avenue Ashleigh Drive Ashton Park Avondale Park Barnstead Drive Barringtons Avenue Berlingford Drive Boreenmanna Road Chiplee Clanrickarde Cleve Hill Dromcora Janeville Lindville Menloe Richmond Estate Rochelle Park Rockboro Avenue Rockcliffe �������� Rochestown Road Charlemont Heights Douglas Road ��������� Knockrea Park Lake Lawn Maryborough Estate Rathmore Lawn Rhodaville Estate South Douglas Road Well Road Woodview Woolhara Park ��������� ������� Cross Douglas Road Marble Hall

Blarney St Roman Street Wellington Road St Lukes Gardiners Hill Middle Glanmire Road Montenotte Silversprings ������� Glanmire Glounthaune Rathcooney Whites Cross Kilcully Dublin Pike Sallybrook Barnavara Little Island Dunkettle Ballyvolane

Cork & Private Clients SHEILA O’FLYNN 086 257 4948

South City & Southern Suburbs ANN O’MAHONY 086 805 5834

Ballincollig & Environs NORMA HEALY 086 852 5940

������ ����������� � ������ ����� ����

North City, Northern & Eastern suburbs MICHAEL O’DONOVAN 086 820 5474 �� ��� ��� ����

West City & Western suburbs JOHNNY O’FLYNN 086 601 5560

�� ����������������� IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

3

TERAPROOF:User:noelcampionDate:22/03/2012Time:12:49:18Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:4

Zone:XP1

XP1 - V1

XP1 - V1

PROPERTY

TRADING UP

TRALEE CO KERRY €500,000 Sq m: 400 (4,200 sq ft) BER rating: Pending

Bedrooms: 5 Broadband: Yes

This Ballyroe, Tralee home is every bit as big as it looks — a sizeable 4,000 sq ftplus, with lots of internal bespoke finishes, and comes up for sale on a half acre site with an even €500,000 asking price quoted by agents Sherry FitzGerald Stephenson Crean.

The muscular five-bed home, with distinctive roof profiles and lots of stone used inside and out, hasn’t been lived in, and needs some final finishing, plus a kitchen, before it can be moved into.

But, it’s 95% there by now, and internally there’s an above-standard input of craftwork in things like stone and brick chimney breasts, as well as similar masonry handiwork around arched windows, etc. It has a split-level layout around its kitchen space, and two other staircases, with several open-plan areas for a really airy feel.

Bathrooms have been fitted with sanitary ware and tiling, two of its five bedrooms are en suite, the master bed also has a walk-in wardrobe, and three bedrooms have built-ins. There’s three reception rooms in all.

As it stands, it is being offered for sale on a half an acre, but buyers can get more land with it if they want, says auctioneer Paul Stephenson.

VERDICT: Houses this size aren’t being built too readily anymore.

We scan a selection of trading up homes around the country

DOUGLAS CORK €275,000 Sq m: 120 (1,300 sq ft) BER rating: Pending

Bedrooms: 4 Broadband: Yes

A corner-sited four-bed home, with a wedge-shaped plot, has a €275,000 asking price in popular Ballincurrig Park, between Cork city and Douglas village.

It’s the second, sub-€300,000 market arrival in recent weeks in this cul de sac estate near the Briar Rose bar, and it has just recently been underpinned, was extended a bit a few decades ago, and has a rear sunroom added on.

However, No 9 Ballincurrig, is angled south west into the broader part of its site, meaning the rear garden is on the tight side, and while the sun room is fairly bright with lots of glass, it might not get a whole lot of direct sun light, so think of it primarily as extra space.

As part of the earlier extension, there’s now a fourth bedroom upstairs with part-sloping ceiling, and the main family bathroom with shower serves all four bedrooms, plus there’s a ground floor guest WC. Back downstairs, apart from the 12’ by 11’ sunroom with Velux in one of the sloping roof sections, there are two reception rooms, and a 16’ by 11’ kitchen with dark green Aga. VERDICT: Good for traders down, and affordable even for first-time buyers, the only downside is the tight back garden.

It is is on the market with Dennis Guerin of Frank V Murphy and Co.

Sq m: 202 (2,200 sq ft) BER rating: Pending

Sq m: 136 (1,470 sq ft) BER rating: Pending

Bedrooms: 4 Broadband: Yes

If the Queen believes the world smells of fresh paint then viewers in this market aren’t too far behind in that conviction.

Efforts are being made. Huge efforts.

Where before properties were flung onto the market like starving orphans, this time round only the really scuzzy gaffs are kept to a minimum.

Last week, this house, No 18 Daffodil Fields in Cork’s Poulevone was a hive of activity as painters and decorators plied their trade.

A new market offering, it is at the lower end of Daffodil Fields, near Ballincollig, it overlooks a green and it’s on the market at €320,000 through Norma Healy of Sherry FitzGerald.

With an enclosed and private back garden, the house has an east/west aspect and is in very good condition.

Normally, these houses don’t take long to sell. This house is unreconstructed, but there are any number of imaginative additions to the other houses in the estate — so the choice is there.

It comes with three reception rooms, a kitchen/diner, utility, guest bathroom, main bathroom, four bedrooms and master en suite.

VERDICT: It’s quite turnkey, but families with kids wanting to kick a ball around will have to play out front.

VERDICT: A walk-in job in a great location with good long-term sale value — the day you buy is the day you sell.

All set up for the view, and the light, is Sunny Heights, a four-bed family home with over 2,000 sq ft of space, on a site at Annmount, offered via Savills.

This is above Cork’s Glounthaune, a 10 or 15 minute car drive east of the city and served by a commuter rail link to at the bottom of the hill, where’s there’s a range of services.

Although dated decoratively (think late 1970s,) the house was well-oriented for the aspect and for the distant harbour views, availed of by a south-facing kitchen, a 23’ by 13’ living room, and by an en suite bedroom, one of two en suites at ground level, with the main bathroom upstairs.

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

Bedrooms: 4 Broadband: Yes

Since coming to market around the start of March, the smart four-bed detached home No 9 Coppervalley Vue in Cork’s Glanmire has been busy with viewings.

Selling agent Garry O’Donnell of ERA says he recently sold a four-bed semi in the same hinterland for around €240,000 and “so this one should move on quickly at the attractive €275,000 asking price,” he feels.

The 1,500 sq ft home, with landscaped gardens, has he says got a superb finish internally: “it’s the finished article in a quiet cul de sac within the estate.”

Rooms at No 9 include a living room with bay window, kitchen/diner, formal dining room, utility and guest WC, with one of its four overhead bedrooms en suite. For extra storage needs, there’s Stira access to a part-floored attic.

There’s a warmth to the decor and finishes, with rustic oak floors and an oak kitchen with terracotta-tiled floor.

The gardens are ready to burst into life with bamboo, tree fern and more planted around the perimeter, with a low-maintenance (ie, no lawn) rear garden accessed from either side of the detached house, with off-street parking in front.

GLOUNTHAUNE, CORK €275,000

4

BALLINCOLLIG CORK €320,000

GLANMIRE, CORK €275,000

Sq m: 140 (1,500 sq ft) BER rating: Pending

Bedrooms: 4 Broadband: Yes

Then, part of the house, at the eastern end, is two storey, so yet another first floor living room gets views, while behind it is a bathroom, den and study.

Essentially there’s a good floor plan here, four bedrooms and four bathrooms (external access only to the guest WC by the utility,) with a couple of decentsized reception rooms, plus smaller multi-use rooms, and there’s a large south-facing patio, accessed via sliding doors in the parana pine-sheeted living room.

VERDICT: Probably a candidate now for a decorative and energy efficiency overhaul, it has lots of potential.

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

5

TERAPROOF:User:noelcampionDate:22/03/2012Time:12:49:18Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:4

Zone:XP1

XP1 - V1

XP1 - V1

PROPERTY

TRADING UP

TRALEE CO KERRY €500,000 Sq m: 400 (4,200 sq ft) BER rating: Pending

Bedrooms: 5 Broadband: Yes

This Ballyroe, Tralee home is every bit as big as it looks — a sizeable 4,000 sq ftplus, with lots of internal bespoke finishes, and comes up for sale on a half acre site with an even €500,000 asking price quoted by agents Sherry FitzGerald Stephenson Crean.

The muscular five-bed home, with distinctive roof profiles and lots of stone used inside and out, hasn’t been lived in, and needs some final finishing, plus a kitchen, before it can be moved into.

But, it’s 95% there by now, and internally there’s an above-standard input of craftwork in things like stone and brick chimney breasts, as well as similar masonry handiwork around arched windows, etc. It has a split-level layout around its kitchen space, and two other staircases, with several open-plan areas for a really airy feel.

Bathrooms have been fitted with sanitary ware and tiling, two of its five bedrooms are en suite, the master bed also has a walk-in wardrobe, and three bedrooms have built-ins. There’s three reception rooms in all.

As it stands, it is being offered for sale on a half an acre, but buyers can get more land with it if they want, says auctioneer Paul Stephenson.

VERDICT: Houses this size aren’t being built too readily anymore.

We scan a selection of trading up homes around the country

DOUGLAS CORK €275,000 Sq m: 120 (1,300 sq ft) BER rating: Pending

Bedrooms: 4 Broadband: Yes

A corner-sited four-bed home, with a wedge-shaped plot, has a €275,000 asking price in popular Ballincurrig Park, between Cork city and Douglas village.

It’s the second, sub-€300,000 market arrival in recent weeks in this cul de sac estate near the Briar Rose bar, and it has just recently been underpinned, was extended a bit a few decades ago, and has a rear sunroom added on.

However, No 9 Ballincurrig, is angled south west into the broader part of its site, meaning the rear garden is on the tight side, and while the sun room is fairly bright with lots of glass, it might not get a whole lot of direct sun light, so think of it primarily as extra space.

As part of the earlier extension, there’s now a fourth bedroom upstairs with part-sloping ceiling, and the main family bathroom with shower serves all four bedrooms, plus there’s a ground floor guest WC. Back downstairs, apart from the 12’ by 11’ sunroom with Velux in one of the sloping roof sections, there are two reception rooms, and a 16’ by 11’ kitchen with dark green Aga. VERDICT: Good for traders down, and affordable even for first-time buyers, the only downside is the tight back garden.

It is is on the market with Dennis Guerin of Frank V Murphy and Co.

Sq m: 202 (2,200 sq ft) BER rating: Pending

Sq m: 136 (1,470 sq ft) BER rating: Pending

Bedrooms: 4 Broadband: Yes

If the Queen believes the world smells of fresh paint then viewers in this market aren’t too far behind in that conviction.

Efforts are being made. Huge efforts.

Where before properties were flung onto the market like starving orphans, this time round only the really scuzzy gaffs are kept to a minimum.

Last week, this house, No 18 Daffodil Fields in Cork’s Poulevone was a hive of activity as painters and decorators plied their trade.

A new market offering, it is at the lower end of Daffodil Fields, near Ballincollig, it overlooks a green and it’s on the market at €320,000 through Norma Healy of Sherry FitzGerald.

With an enclosed and private back garden, the house has an east/west aspect and is in very good condition.

Normally, these houses don’t take long to sell. This house is unreconstructed, but there are any number of imaginative additions to the other houses in the estate — so the choice is there.

It comes with three reception rooms, a kitchen/diner, utility, guest bathroom, main bathroom, four bedrooms and master en suite.

VERDICT: It’s quite turnkey, but families with kids wanting to kick a ball around will have to play out front.

VERDICT: A walk-in job in a great location with good long-term sale value — the day you buy is the day you sell.

All set up for the view, and the light, is Sunny Heights, a four-bed family home with over 2,000 sq ft of space, on a site at Annmount, offered via Savills.

This is above Cork’s Glounthaune, a 10 or 15 minute car drive east of the city and served by a commuter rail link to at the bottom of the hill, where’s there’s a range of services.

Although dated decoratively (think late 1970s,) the house was well-oriented for the aspect and for the distant harbour views, availed of by a south-facing kitchen, a 23’ by 13’ living room, and by an en suite bedroom, one of two en suites at ground level, with the main bathroom upstairs.

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

Bedrooms: 4 Broadband: Yes

Since coming to market around the start of March, the smart four-bed detached home No 9 Coppervalley Vue in Cork’s Glanmire has been busy with viewings.

Selling agent Garry O’Donnell of ERA says he recently sold a four-bed semi in the same hinterland for around €240,000 and “so this one should move on quickly at the attractive €275,000 asking price,” he feels.

The 1,500 sq ft home, with landscaped gardens, has he says got a superb finish internally: “it’s the finished article in a quiet cul de sac within the estate.”

Rooms at No 9 include a living room with bay window, kitchen/diner, formal dining room, utility and guest WC, with one of its four overhead bedrooms en suite. For extra storage needs, there’s Stira access to a part-floored attic.

There’s a warmth to the decor and finishes, with rustic oak floors and an oak kitchen with terracotta-tiled floor.

The gardens are ready to burst into life with bamboo, tree fern and more planted around the perimeter, with a low-maintenance (ie, no lawn) rear garden accessed from either side of the detached house, with off-street parking in front.

GLOUNTHAUNE, CORK €275,000

4

BALLINCOLLIG CORK €320,000

GLANMIRE, CORK €275,000

Sq m: 140 (1,500 sq ft) BER rating: Pending

Bedrooms: 4 Broadband: Yes

Then, part of the house, at the eastern end, is two storey, so yet another first floor living room gets views, while behind it is a bathroom, den and study.

Essentially there’s a good floor plan here, four bedrooms and four bathrooms (external access only to the guest WC by the utility,) with a couple of decentsized reception rooms, plus smaller multi-use rooms, and there’s a large south-facing patio, accessed via sliding doors in the parana pine-sheeted living room.

VERDICT: Probably a candidate now for a decorative and energy efficiency overhaul, it has lots of potential.

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

5

TERAPROOF:User:noelcampionDate:22/03/2012Time:12:56:03Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:6

Zone:XP1

XP1 - V1

STARTER HOMES

Thomas J O’Driscoll & Assoc.

19 South Mall, Cork. Tel:021-4270435 www.tjodriscoll.com

An apartment option for those not into gardens and commutes Douglas village is the location for a convenient penthouse, as Tommy Barker reports

XP1 - V1

Fort Hill house is light bright and easy to keep for fresh owners This is a simple, feelgood home for starters or traders down, writes Tommy Barker

1 HARRINGTON SQUARE, DILLONS CROSS, CORK

We have been instructed by the executors for The Estate of the late K Ward to offer for sale this splendid 2 Bed end ofTerrace house which has recently been completely refurnished to modern day standards. Viewing comes highly recommended.

Guide: €80,000 Solicitors having carriage of sale: Finghin O’Driscoll & Co, 1 Grand Parade, Cork

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

18 BEECHTREE AVENUE, ARD SIONNACH, SHANKIEL

We offer for sale superb 2 Bed MidTerrace residence in excellent condition in a prime location within a short distance from UCC, CUH, and Cork City Centre.

Guide: €145,000

PROPERTY WANTED

Thomas J O’Driscoll & Assoc Ltd currently require property for financed approved and cash clients in all areas of Cork City and Suburbs.

Please contact us for a free appraisal, Telephone 021 4270435

How about a penthouse, for starters? And for a mortgage, you could try asking at the Ulster Bank branch, three floors below.

Up for sale jointly with Casey and Kingston and Sherry FitzGerald with a €150,000 asking price is a top-floor apartment at 21 Watergold, in Cork’s Douglas village. It’s the mixed-use building that’s all bright and shiny at its lower levels and a bit more Gothic mansion above, with its top hat of steep-pitched slate roof bearing a touch (it’s been said) of the Addams Family.

Under that roof, and with distinctive arched dormer windows, is the two-bed penthouse at 21,

��������� �������� ������� ���� ���� �������

VERDICT: Watergold’s a bit of an oddity, but the essentials are bang on. An option for those not keen on gardens, maintenance and commutes.

Carrigaline, Cork €215,000 125 sq m (1,340 sq ft) 4 Pending Yes

����� ��� �������� ����� ��� ����

S Smart home ideal for first-time buyer Enticing price for four-bedroom Carrigaline property, Tommy Barker reports

6

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

Moneygourney, Cork €230,000 106 sq m, (1,140 sq ft) 3 Pending Yes Fresh design

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

Lota, Cork €850,000 700 sq m (7,500 sq ft) 6 Exempt Yes Genuine period home

Upstairs meanwhile, bedroom sizes drop down a bit, and the rear bedroom with Velux window has an en suite.

Externally, the front drive is all paved, and there’s side gate access to the back garden which makes the most of its space, with a decked area, small lawn, perimeter planting and a gravel path to a garden shed.

Selling agent is Ann O’Mahony of Sherry FitzGerald, guiding lucky-for-some No 13 at €230,000, and pointing to its proximity to Douglas village and Rochestown.

VERDICT: A simple feel-good home for starters, or traders down.

Substantial Georgian home has a price cut, down to €850,000, Tommy Barker reports

�� ������ ������� ������� ����

������ ����������� ��������� ���� ��� ������ ���� ���� �������� ���� ����� ����� ���� ����������� ������� �� �� �������� �� ������� ���� ����� ���� �� ������

D

escribed by its selling agents as a starter home, the three-bed semi-d at 13 Fort Hill could be more than that - it’s a nice, bright and easy to keep home in a good location, with a useful back garden too.

Fort Hill is towards the back of Cork’s Rochestown and Maryborough Hill, a scheme done in the early 2000s by Bantry builders Murnane and O’Shea, distinguished from the usual run of semis by the flattopped dormers on the front facade, above the deep living room bay window.

Internally, layout is fairly standard, with a 13’ by 11’ living room with bay window and fireplace, the kitchen/diner behind is full-width at 20’ by 12’ with utility off and guest WC behind that again.

Lotaville has plenty of potential

��� ���� �� ������

Healthy levels of employment and investment in Cork’s harbour-based companies are helping to keep interest going in good Carrigaline homes — and a likely beneficiary of the health of the local economy may well be 6 Dun Eoin Meadows.

A smart condition four-bed home of 1,340 sq ft, in a popular development on the Ballinrea Road on the edge of Carrigaline, it has a €215,000 asking price with agent Dan Howard of Dooley and Howard: this puts it within easy grasp of solidly employed firsttime buyers, at a mortgage level of around €900 a month, as well as easy reach of families trading from

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

Douglas, Cork €150,000 83 sq m (900 sq ft) 2 Pending Yes

with 900 sq ft of bright space and its main pitch a corner window-set 17’ by 19’ kitchen/living/dining room. While the top-level setting might be ‘penthouse’ the specification is a bit more prosaic, with two bedrooms and a main bathroom, plus hall, in the mix.

There’s lift access and reserved car-parking space, and as soon as you go out your ground floor doorway, you’ve got East Village, a McDonalds drive-thru, Douglas Court and the ‘real’ village on your doorstep.

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

PROPERTY

a townhouse or a smallish three bed semi.

Dan Howard says No 6 is in showhouse condition, with a 19’ by 13’ living room, an oak-floored kitchen/ diner, utility plus guest WC, and overhead one of the four bedrooms (three doubles) is en suite, so there’s three bathrooms in all. Heating is via gas, with double glazing, an alarm, pvc double glazing, and offstreet parking in front with a private back garden.

VERDICT: A walk-in job, within an easy walk of Carrigaline’s amenities, and its’s on the Cork side of Carrigaline,

omeone with flair, and funds, is needed to renew the period home Lotaville, on the edge of Cork city at Tivoli.

On and off the market for almost a decade, this is a fine large home with a price now marked down by almost 50%, from €1.6m in 2002, to now rest at €850,000.

It hasn’t changed much in the ten years it has been up for sale, a bit more tired and unloved, perhaps, but then it was dated yet sound in 2002, when it was already probably 150 years ago. Back then, this period pit stood on 3.5 acres; now the vendor is living in a new, almost circular house built on a portion of the original grounds, separately accessed, and this stands on a mature 1.6 acres, with some specimen trees and a picturesque glasshouse for the green-fingered.

The package at Lotaville includes 7,500 sq ft of solid over-basement Georgian home, with large reception rooms, and a southerly aspect, in mature wooded grounds of 1.6 acres, plus a two-bed gate lodge, a onebed mews and a hard-surface tennis court, now gone mossy. And, it’s all just three miles east of Cork city, above the Tivoli dual carriageway near Flemings restaurant and Lotamore House, some of the necklace of grand period houses along this hilly shoulder running out of Cork city towards Dunkathel and Woodville.

Selling agent for Lotaville is Dominic Daly, who says there are a number of original features here for period home admirers to work with and to be used as a guide for restoring and renewing the sizeable dwelling. It has a self-contained basement which has been used in the past for a home-based beauty business, and includes a sauna, wine cellar, stores, WCs and a wood-panelled games room.

(Also for sale close by, since last July, is Lotamore House, an even larger late 1700s mansion on 14 acres at Tivoli, floated last July with Savills at €1.3m, and currently under offer at a sub-€1m figure. (Lotamore last changed hands in the mid 2000s for €3 to €4m, with planning being sought for a 90 bed nursing home.)

Nearby Lotaville’s best prospect is being upgraded to fine family home, and it has the space, proportions and features for such a use.

It still has a fanlit entrance door by limestone steps, sash windows (some fitted with double glazed panels), quality fireplaces, and three formal reception rooms (most with southerly aspect) off its long, off-centre central hall. It’s been in the same family’s hands for over 40 years, and will freshen up once more with a bit of imagination and a budget.

VERDICT: Plenty to reward those who see potential.

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

7

TERAPROOF:User:noelcampionDate:22/03/2012Time:12:56:03Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:6

Zone:XP1

XP1 - V1

STARTER HOMES

Thomas J O’Driscoll & Assoc.

19 South Mall, Cork. Tel:021-4270435 www.tjodriscoll.com

An apartment option for those not into gardens and commutes Douglas village is the location for a convenient penthouse, as Tommy Barker reports

XP1 - V1

Fort Hill house is light bright and easy to keep for fresh owners This is a simple, feelgood home for starters or traders down, writes Tommy Barker

1 HARRINGTON SQUARE, DILLONS CROSS, CORK

We have been instructed by the executors for The Estate of the late K Ward to offer for sale this splendid 2 Bed end ofTerrace house which has recently been completely refurnished to modern day standards. Viewing comes highly recommended.

Guide: €80,000 Solicitors having carriage of sale: Finghin O’Driscoll & Co, 1 Grand Parade, Cork

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

18 BEECHTREE AVENUE, ARD SIONNACH, SHANKIEL

We offer for sale superb 2 Bed MidTerrace residence in excellent condition in a prime location within a short distance from UCC, CUH, and Cork City Centre.

Guide: €145,000

PROPERTY WANTED

Thomas J O’Driscoll & Assoc Ltd currently require property for financed approved and cash clients in all areas of Cork City and Suburbs.

Please contact us for a free appraisal, Telephone 021 4270435

How about a penthouse, for starters? And for a mortgage, you could try asking at the Ulster Bank branch, three floors below.

Up for sale jointly with Casey and Kingston and Sherry FitzGerald with a €150,000 asking price is a top-floor apartment at 21 Watergold, in Cork’s Douglas village. It’s the mixed-use building that’s all bright and shiny at its lower levels and a bit more Gothic mansion above, with its top hat of steep-pitched slate roof bearing a touch (it’s been said) of the Addams Family.

Under that roof, and with distinctive arched dormer windows, is the two-bed penthouse at 21,

��������� �������� ������� ���� ���� �������

VERDICT: Watergold’s a bit of an oddity, but the essentials are bang on. An option for those not keen on gardens, maintenance and commutes.

Carrigaline, Cork €215,000 125 sq m (1,340 sq ft) 4 Pending Yes

����� ��� �������� ����� ��� ����

S Smart home ideal for first-time buyer Enticing price for four-bedroom Carrigaline property, Tommy Barker reports

6

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

Moneygourney, Cork €230,000 106 sq m, (1,140 sq ft) 3 Pending Yes Fresh design

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

Lota, Cork €850,000 700 sq m (7,500 sq ft) 6 Exempt Yes Genuine period home

Upstairs meanwhile, bedroom sizes drop down a bit, and the rear bedroom with Velux window has an en suite.

Externally, the front drive is all paved, and there’s side gate access to the back garden which makes the most of its space, with a decked area, small lawn, perimeter planting and a gravel path to a garden shed.

Selling agent is Ann O’Mahony of Sherry FitzGerald, guiding lucky-for-some No 13 at €230,000, and pointing to its proximity to Douglas village and Rochestown.

VERDICT: A simple feel-good home for starters, or traders down.

Substantial Georgian home has a price cut, down to €850,000, Tommy Barker reports

�� ������ ������� ������� ����

������ ����������� ��������� ���� ��� ������ ���� ���� �������� ���� ����� ����� ���� ����������� ������� �� �� �������� �� ������� ���� ����� ���� �� ������

D

escribed by its selling agents as a starter home, the three-bed semi-d at 13 Fort Hill could be more than that - it’s a nice, bright and easy to keep home in a good location, with a useful back garden too.

Fort Hill is towards the back of Cork’s Rochestown and Maryborough Hill, a scheme done in the early 2000s by Bantry builders Murnane and O’Shea, distinguished from the usual run of semis by the flattopped dormers on the front facade, above the deep living room bay window.

Internally, layout is fairly standard, with a 13’ by 11’ living room with bay window and fireplace, the kitchen/diner behind is full-width at 20’ by 12’ with utility off and guest WC behind that again.

Lotaville has plenty of potential

��� ���� �� ������

Healthy levels of employment and investment in Cork’s harbour-based companies are helping to keep interest going in good Carrigaline homes — and a likely beneficiary of the health of the local economy may well be 6 Dun Eoin Meadows.

A smart condition four-bed home of 1,340 sq ft, in a popular development on the Ballinrea Road on the edge of Carrigaline, it has a €215,000 asking price with agent Dan Howard of Dooley and Howard: this puts it within easy grasp of solidly employed firsttime buyers, at a mortgage level of around €900 a month, as well as easy reach of families trading from

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

Douglas, Cork €150,000 83 sq m (900 sq ft) 2 Pending Yes

with 900 sq ft of bright space and its main pitch a corner window-set 17’ by 19’ kitchen/living/dining room. While the top-level setting might be ‘penthouse’ the specification is a bit more prosaic, with two bedrooms and a main bathroom, plus hall, in the mix.

There’s lift access and reserved car-parking space, and as soon as you go out your ground floor doorway, you’ve got East Village, a McDonalds drive-thru, Douglas Court and the ‘real’ village on your doorstep.

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

PROPERTY

a townhouse or a smallish three bed semi.

Dan Howard says No 6 is in showhouse condition, with a 19’ by 13’ living room, an oak-floored kitchen/ diner, utility plus guest WC, and overhead one of the four bedrooms (three doubles) is en suite, so there’s three bathrooms in all. Heating is via gas, with double glazing, an alarm, pvc double glazing, and offstreet parking in front with a private back garden.

VERDICT: A walk-in job, within an easy walk of Carrigaline’s amenities, and its’s on the Cork side of Carrigaline,

omeone with flair, and funds, is needed to renew the period home Lotaville, on the edge of Cork city at Tivoli.

On and off the market for almost a decade, this is a fine large home with a price now marked down by almost 50%, from €1.6m in 2002, to now rest at €850,000.

It hasn’t changed much in the ten years it has been up for sale, a bit more tired and unloved, perhaps, but then it was dated yet sound in 2002, when it was already probably 150 years ago. Back then, this period pit stood on 3.5 acres; now the vendor is living in a new, almost circular house built on a portion of the original grounds, separately accessed, and this stands on a mature 1.6 acres, with some specimen trees and a picturesque glasshouse for the green-fingered.

The package at Lotaville includes 7,500 sq ft of solid over-basement Georgian home, with large reception rooms, and a southerly aspect, in mature wooded grounds of 1.6 acres, plus a two-bed gate lodge, a onebed mews and a hard-surface tennis court, now gone mossy. And, it’s all just three miles east of Cork city, above the Tivoli dual carriageway near Flemings restaurant and Lotamore House, some of the necklace of grand period houses along this hilly shoulder running out of Cork city towards Dunkathel and Woodville.

Selling agent for Lotaville is Dominic Daly, who says there are a number of original features here for period home admirers to work with and to be used as a guide for restoring and renewing the sizeable dwelling. It has a self-contained basement which has been used in the past for a home-based beauty business, and includes a sauna, wine cellar, stores, WCs and a wood-panelled games room.

(Also for sale close by, since last July, is Lotamore House, an even larger late 1700s mansion on 14 acres at Tivoli, floated last July with Savills at €1.3m, and currently under offer at a sub-€1m figure. (Lotamore last changed hands in the mid 2000s for €3 to €4m, with planning being sought for a 90 bed nursing home.)

Nearby Lotaville’s best prospect is being upgraded to fine family home, and it has the space, proportions and features for such a use.

It still has a fanlit entrance door by limestone steps, sash windows (some fitted with double glazed panels), quality fireplaces, and three formal reception rooms (most with southerly aspect) off its long, off-centre central hall. It’s been in the same family’s hands for over 40 years, and will freshen up once more with a bit of imagination and a budget.

VERDICT: Plenty to reward those who see potential.

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

7

TERAPROOF:User:rosemartinDate:22/03/2012Time:12:36:46Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:8

Zone:XP1

XP1 - V2

XP1 - V2

COVER STORY

COVER STORY

Scenic stunner’s attractions are set in stone

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

Aghadoe, Kerry €700,000 Sq m 557 (sq ft 6,000) 5 Pending Quality build, great location

This stylish home in Aghadoe, outside Killarney, is finished to a five-star standard with space aplenty, sympathetic landscaping — and a National Park on the doorstep, writes Tommy Barker Pictures: Denis Scannell

E

VEN nonKillarneyites will have a mental image of Kerry’s Aghadoe — they’ll probably think of a certain five-star hotel, or at the very least a five-star setting, with lake views, and town proximity.

Well, this large, modern and recently-built Killarney property isn’t quite in the hotel size stakes — but it’s big in anyone else’s book for a home; big, and well-built and finished.

A spring market arrival in a niche, gated secure setting a mile and a bit from the town, it’s about the closest place you can get to live to the town centre with lake views, especially at such a low density of settlement.

So says estate agent Michael Coghlan of Sherry FitzGerald Coghlan, endorsing the exclusivity of the location here at Farraneaspig, Aghadoe, also within a short downhill trot of Killarney’s National Park, by the start of the Ring of Kerry.

There are just four houses here in this niche, which is highly prized by local business families, says the agent approvingly.

So, stellar setting and location, for starters, with views down over Ballydowney to Lough Leane, Innisfallen Island and Abbey, and the Reeks rising up beyond. Behind these few houses, landscaped gardens meld into a backdrop of gorse and ferney hills.

Now, to the low-slung house itself: architect/engineer designed, it was built in the mid to late 2000s, on a sloping half-acre site, extensively

8

landscaped, with the T-shaped house and integrated double garage taking up much of the flat section of the site — so don’t expect lots of flat lawns

here. Instead, lots of planting has gone in, designed to take care of itself for the vast majority of the year, and it runs up right to the house

It’s about the closest place you can get to live to the town centre with lake views at such a low density of settlement.

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

itself, helping to bed it down into its scenic setting. The amount of stone in the facade fulfils the same camouflaging function.

Rooms are large, for the most part, and quite open plan, and most of the accommodation is on the expansive ground level, with a spiral stairs with stainless steel fittings winding up to two first-floor bedrooms, one of which is en suite.

There are two large reception rooms — try 36’ by 25’ for size in one case, with a white marble fireplace - with southfacing windows and French doors in Nordic pine out to the gardens. Lighting is recessed — as it is in most part of the house. The second, oak-floored sitting room has an ornate, carved white marble fireplace, and corner glazing, with French doors in their midst.

Scene-stealer in this house is the hall, running from curtainswagged front door to the glistening, art-installation-like spiral staircase with its darkstained wood treads contrasting with glistening steel.

Several of the rooms off the hall/corridor have unusual splayed angles at corners, making for a slightly funky, non-standard box shape, enhanced in one case by a glass block wall in cobalt blue and clear blocks. One of the two reception rooms is open, via an arch, to the hall, corridor and feature staircase, making it in effect an extension of the hall, and vice versa.

Meanwhile, glazed double doors go from this family room back to the large kitchen/ >>>

dining room, with kitchen units in rich-hued chestnut.

Other materials include black granite worktops, and brushed steel kick-plates to pick up on the steel unit handles. The units include a breakfast bar divider, separating the creamy tiled cooking space from the

oak-floored dining room, with yet another set of French doors the gardens, and a deep bay window, dressed like so many other rooms here with roller blinds on individual windows, softened then by steel curtain rails and tall drops of rail-tofloor curtains.

Two of this house’s five bedrooms (one with shower room en suite) are up at roof level, with Velux windows only to the rear, overlooking the peagravel courtyard drive, where cars pull up and turn after wending their way up the sloping avenue.

A large, two-car garage is linked to the L-shaped rear of the house, creating a nice sense of enclosure, and again there’s lots of landscaping, with planting running up close to the back walls to soften the look and to successfully green it in.

There are three ground floor bedrooms, one next to a shower room, and the large master bedroom is carpeted, but with the space around the bed unusually demarcated in contrasting timber — so you’ll miss the wool carpet feel underfoot when hopping out of

Behind these few houses, landscaped gardens meld into a backdrop of gorse and ferney hills.

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

9

TERAPROOF:User:rosemartinDate:22/03/2012Time:12:36:46Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:8

Zone:XP1

XP1 - V2

XP1 - V2

COVER STORY

COVER STORY

Scenic stunner’s attractions are set in stone

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

Aghadoe, Kerry €700,000 Sq m 557 (sq ft 6,000) 5 Pending Quality build, great location

This stylish home in Aghadoe, outside Killarney, is finished to a five-star standard with space aplenty, sympathetic landscaping — and a National Park on the doorstep, writes Tommy Barker Pictures: Denis Scannell

E

VEN nonKillarneyites will have a mental image of Kerry’s Aghadoe — they’ll probably think of a certain five-star hotel, or at the very least a five-star setting, with lake views, and town proximity.

Well, this large, modern and recently-built Killarney property isn’t quite in the hotel size stakes — but it’s big in anyone else’s book for a home; big, and well-built and finished.

A spring market arrival in a niche, gated secure setting a mile and a bit from the town, it’s about the closest place you can get to live to the town centre with lake views, especially at such a low density of settlement.

So says estate agent Michael Coghlan of Sherry FitzGerald Coghlan, endorsing the exclusivity of the location here at Farraneaspig, Aghadoe, also within a short downhill trot of Killarney’s National Park, by the start of the Ring of Kerry.

There are just four houses here in this niche, which is highly prized by local business families, says the agent approvingly.

So, stellar setting and location, for starters, with views down over Ballydowney to Lough Leane, Innisfallen Island and Abbey, and the Reeks rising up beyond. Behind these few houses, landscaped gardens meld into a backdrop of gorse and ferney hills.

Now, to the low-slung house itself: architect/engineer designed, it was built in the mid to late 2000s, on a sloping half-acre site, extensively

8

landscaped, with the T-shaped house and integrated double garage taking up much of the flat section of the site — so don’t expect lots of flat lawns

here. Instead, lots of planting has gone in, designed to take care of itself for the vast majority of the year, and it runs up right to the house

It’s about the closest place you can get to live to the town centre with lake views at such a low density of settlement.

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

itself, helping to bed it down into its scenic setting. The amount of stone in the facade fulfils the same camouflaging function.

Rooms are large, for the most part, and quite open plan, and most of the accommodation is on the expansive ground level, with a spiral stairs with stainless steel fittings winding up to two first-floor bedrooms, one of which is en suite.

There are two large reception rooms — try 36’ by 25’ for size in one case, with a white marble fireplace - with southfacing windows and French doors in Nordic pine out to the gardens. Lighting is recessed — as it is in most part of the house. The second, oak-floored sitting room has an ornate, carved white marble fireplace, and corner glazing, with French doors in their midst.

Scene-stealer in this house is the hall, running from curtainswagged front door to the glistening, art-installation-like spiral staircase with its darkstained wood treads contrasting with glistening steel.

Several of the rooms off the hall/corridor have unusual splayed angles at corners, making for a slightly funky, non-standard box shape, enhanced in one case by a glass block wall in cobalt blue and clear blocks. One of the two reception rooms is open, via an arch, to the hall, corridor and feature staircase, making it in effect an extension of the hall, and vice versa.

Meanwhile, glazed double doors go from this family room back to the large kitchen/ >>>

dining room, with kitchen units in rich-hued chestnut.

Other materials include black granite worktops, and brushed steel kick-plates to pick up on the steel unit handles. The units include a breakfast bar divider, separating the creamy tiled cooking space from the

oak-floored dining room, with yet another set of French doors the gardens, and a deep bay window, dressed like so many other rooms here with roller blinds on individual windows, softened then by steel curtain rails and tall drops of rail-tofloor curtains.

Two of this house’s five bedrooms (one with shower room en suite) are up at roof level, with Velux windows only to the rear, overlooking the peagravel courtyard drive, where cars pull up and turn after wending their way up the sloping avenue.

A large, two-car garage is linked to the L-shaped rear of the house, creating a nice sense of enclosure, and again there’s lots of landscaping, with planting running up close to the back walls to soften the look and to successfully green it in.

There are three ground floor bedrooms, one next to a shower room, and the large master bedroom is carpeted, but with the space around the bed unusually demarcated in contrasting timber — so you’ll miss the wool carpet feel underfoot when hopping out of

Behind these few houses, landscaped gardens meld into a backdrop of gorse and ferney hills.

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

9

TERAPROOF:User:rosemartinDate:22/03/2012Time:12:23:28Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:10

Zone:XP1

XP1 - V1

XP1 - V1

COVER STORY

COVER STORY

GETTHELOOK

Some great ideas for you to use in your home and where to get them 1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Landscaping close to the walls helps settle a house into its site

2 Splash out. Screening off a wet-room area helps cut down splashes

3 Use your block: Glass blocks still make a statement, especially when coloured

4 Let’s twist again: Spiral stairs aren’t always practical, but they do have presence

5 Take hearth: chimney pieces are the centre of any room

6 Corner those views: Corner and bay windows are stand-out features

bed. This room, to the front of the house between two living rooms, has three windows to get the most of the views, and has a wall of built-ins plus an en suite wet room.

The main bathroom, meanwhile, has its own individuality, with a bells and whistles Jacuzzi bath with display screen, tiled floor and a wall of built-ins, and a wet room shower enclosure set into the units, screened by glass doors, handy to cut down on splashing and water-spills.

Other rooms in this 6,000 sq ft home include a utility, and a games room, so there’s really space for everyone, and every function plus fun, says agent Michael Coghlan.

He guides this market arrival at €700,000,

10

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

and notes that it would have made considerably more if offered even a few years ago: site value alone, even today, would be in the €250,000 region, for its half acre-plus plot, and at a basic build cost of €75 per square foot you’re already up to the €700k level with site cost, not to mind the extra cost of landscaping, finishes and above standard features, such as the Nordic pine glazing, limestone cills and the sheer amount of work in finishing all the front of the house in locally-quarried O’Connors stone.

VERDICT: It is one of the very closest elevated sites with classic mountain and lake views in Killarney, and will be seen as a bit of a trophy buy.

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

11

TERAPROOF:User:rosemartinDate:22/03/2012Time:12:23:28Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:10

Zone:XP1

XP1 - V1

XP1 - V1

COVER STORY

COVER STORY

GETTHELOOK

Some great ideas for you to use in your home and where to get them 1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Landscaping close to the walls helps settle a house into its site

2 Splash out. Screening off a wet-room area helps cut down splashes

3 Use your block: Glass blocks still make a statement, especially when coloured

4 Let’s twist again: Spiral stairs aren’t always practical, but they do have presence

5 Take hearth: chimney pieces are the centre of any room

6 Corner those views: Corner and bay windows are stand-out features

bed. This room, to the front of the house between two living rooms, has three windows to get the most of the views, and has a wall of built-ins plus an en suite wet room.

The main bathroom, meanwhile, has its own individuality, with a bells and whistles Jacuzzi bath with display screen, tiled floor and a wall of built-ins, and a wet room shower enclosure set into the units, screened by glass doors, handy to cut down on splashing and water-spills.

Other rooms in this 6,000 sq ft home include a utility, and a games room, so there’s really space for everyone, and every function plus fun, says agent Michael Coghlan.

He guides this market arrival at €700,000,

10

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

and notes that it would have made considerably more if offered even a few years ago: site value alone, even today, would be in the €250,000 region, for its half acre-plus plot, and at a basic build cost of €75 per square foot you’re already up to the €700k level with site cost, not to mind the extra cost of landscaping, finishes and above standard features, such as the Nordic pine glazing, limestone cills and the sheer amount of work in finishing all the front of the house in locally-quarried O’Connors stone.

VERDICT: It is one of the very closest elevated sites with classic mountain and lake views in Killarney, and will be seen as a bit of a trophy buy.

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

11

TERAPROOF:User:rosemartinDate:22/03/2012Time:12:35:46Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:12

Zone:XP1

XP1 - V1

XP1 - V1

INTERIORS

INTERIORS

We take a detailed look at one aspect of the home every week ...

Family first

Carol O’Callaghan says doing up a family room can be fun,

especially if you put some thought into planning

SOMETHINGEXTRA This week we love......

■ ... the Kaymed Wellbeing Contour pillow. We’ve actually tested it and found its rolled edges, top and bottom, not only offers neck support while sleeping, but if you up-end it this little beauty doubles as a back support when one’s being a sofa sloth. €45 at New Furniture Centre, Cork

Looking for an alternative to wooden floors, lino, tiles and carpet? Consider a leather textured surface for warmth underfoot and for an attractive contemporary style that is easy to maintain (Leather Mocca from the Total Design range by Pergo €34.99 p/sq/ m at Essential Bathrooms, Limerick; Regency Interiors, Cork, and JM Carpets, Waterford).

Let there be some light Don’t forget the value of good lighting from above and somewhere to put the coffee cup and paper below.

Ooh, we love clever features like the extra pull-out shelves for drinks in the Skovby coffee table (€989 from Casey’s Furniture).

A simple rectangular coffee table will echo the shape of your sofa. Try perching it on a circular or square rug for contrast (Eden from EZ Living Furniture €129).

Try a funky chandelier to brighten up your room. (Kico pendant €84.99 at Woodie’s).

Cushion comfort please We must have a little cushion comfort for weary heads and sometimes just to make the sofa look a little brighter

Blues, greys and blond woods bring unity to the room (Amis sofa €1,349, coffee table €439, bamboo and metal Kirby desk €339, side table €195, shelving unit €539, Kilm collection rug from €175 from M&S).

R

EVAMPING your family room can be enormous fun and an excuse to go shopping to create a space for every use and task.

However, passing around the colour cards while everyone is determined to have their say, might just wear you out before you’ve even started.

Remember last time when sample paint pots yielded six different streaks on the wall and as many opinions to match? Remember too, that democracy in decorating doesn’t work.

Whatever name you’ve given this space that might be the front parlour of a cottage or a sitting room or living room elsewhere, it’s a very hardworking area.

Doubling up as a place to chill with family and friends and to catch up on

12

emails, it’s also where you might stretch on the sofa in a near-moribund state, while staring glassy-eyed and wearily at the telly after a day’s labour. Normally you’re also surrounded by the debris of family activity — toys, shoes; books and homework — strewn across the floor.

So consider how you want the room to be used and what you need included in the space. Seating is the most obvious, and after that you’re likely to want to include a telly, and maybe storage for the debris mentioned earlier.

You do need a focal point of television or fireplace, or if you have a neglected wall that needs some tender loving care, large-scale art or photography could provide a far more interesting focus.

Then let yourself fall in love with a grown up wall colour, one of those

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

gorgeous sophisticated greys or a deep heritage shade that oozes sophistication and grand country living. Introduce a handsome sofa, beautifully structured and well built soit will withstand the rigours of the day-to-day life you’ll inevitably inflict upon it.

Large sofas, especially L-shaped models if you have sufficient space, are great to accommodate slouching in comfort in the manner of a chaise longue.It can face the telly or fireplace or those lovely photos you’ve framed and hung, and the shape will also help to ensure there’s no fighting for the best chairs from which to watch Saturday night telly.

If you’re stuck with your existing sofa even though it’s not quite as handsome as it was when you first bought it, and

Anchor a sofa and chair by using a rug to fill the space between. Opt for a contrasting shape rug to the coffee table, or, off-set the coffee table at an angle (Perception sofa from €5,995, Vitamine chaise €2,144, Vermet table €2,200 from Roche Bobois)

your regard for it has faded as it has, then move it around the room until you find a satisfying spot that shows it in a new light. Or if not, recover it, and it may give you quite a few more years of pleasure, comfort and support.

A coffee table is almost a prerequisite as a surface for books, newspapers, cups and wine glasses. Rugs are desirable but only become essential if you have a wooden floor or if you enjoyed a hot Mediterranean holiday romance with a tiled floor that now is too cool for comfort. But experimentation is exciting when vamping up a room.

Impulse and novelty making exciting bed-fellows.

■ Next week we’re looking up at the neglected state of the ceiling.

Left: A heritage-style colour on walls and fireplace (Dulux 70BG 28/169 unifies the look while a paler ceiling (Dulux 10BB 49/137), colour washed floor boards (Dulux 50BG 83/009) mean the wall colour doesn’t overwhelm.

(RRP €53.99 for 5 litres of paint at MD O’Sheas, T&A Building Supplies, and Co-op Superstores)

Play your cards right with the Ace cushion and inject some fun into the sofa (from Debenhams approx. €20).

Beautiful blue velvet pile is cut into retro-style patterning but without the acidic 70s colouring (Velvet cushion at Next Interiors €28).

Sophisticated grey provides a departure from white or cream, (Chemise by Farrow & Ball 2.5 ltrs €70 from Boulevard Interiors and Pat McDonnell Paints).

Your cushions don’t all need to match. Try some plain with some patterned, but have the basic colourway in common (shiny cushion €9.41, floral €14.73 at Atlantic Homecare).

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

13

TERAPROOF:User:rosemartinDate:22/03/2012Time:12:35:46Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:12

Zone:XP1

XP1 - V1

XP1 - V1

INTERIORS

INTERIORS

We take a detailed look at one aspect of the home every week ...

Family first

Carol O’Callaghan says doing up a family room can be fun,

especially if you put some thought into planning

SOMETHINGEXTRA This week we love......

■ ... the Kaymed Wellbeing Contour pillow. We’ve actually tested it and found its rolled edges, top and bottom, not only offers neck support while sleeping, but if you up-end it this little beauty doubles as a back support when one’s being a sofa sloth. €45 at New Furniture Centre, Cork

Looking for an alternative to wooden floors, lino, tiles and carpet? Consider a leather textured surface for warmth underfoot and for an attractive contemporary style that is easy to maintain (Leather Mocca from the Total Design range by Pergo €34.99 p/sq/ m at Essential Bathrooms, Limerick; Regency Interiors, Cork, and JM Carpets, Waterford).

Let there be some light Don’t forget the value of good lighting from above and somewhere to put the coffee cup and paper below.

Ooh, we love clever features like the extra pull-out shelves for drinks in the Skovby coffee table (€989 from Casey’s Furniture).

A simple rectangular coffee table will echo the shape of your sofa. Try perching it on a circular or square rug for contrast (Eden from EZ Living Furniture €129).

Try a funky chandelier to brighten up your room. (Kico pendant €84.99 at Woodie’s).

Cushion comfort please We must have a little cushion comfort for weary heads and sometimes just to make the sofa look a little brighter

Blues, greys and blond woods bring unity to the room (Amis sofa €1,349, coffee table €439, bamboo and metal Kirby desk €339, side table €195, shelving unit €539, Kilm collection rug from €175 from M&S).

R

EVAMPING your family room can be enormous fun and an excuse to go shopping to create a space for every use and task.

However, passing around the colour cards while everyone is determined to have their say, might just wear you out before you’ve even started.

Remember last time when sample paint pots yielded six different streaks on the wall and as many opinions to match? Remember too, that democracy in decorating doesn’t work.

Whatever name you’ve given this space that might be the front parlour of a cottage or a sitting room or living room elsewhere, it’s a very hardworking area.

Doubling up as a place to chill with family and friends and to catch up on

12

emails, it’s also where you might stretch on the sofa in a near-moribund state, while staring glassy-eyed and wearily at the telly after a day’s labour. Normally you’re also surrounded by the debris of family activity — toys, shoes; books and homework — strewn across the floor.

So consider how you want the room to be used and what you need included in the space. Seating is the most obvious, and after that you’re likely to want to include a telly, and maybe storage for the debris mentioned earlier.

You do need a focal point of television or fireplace, or if you have a neglected wall that needs some tender loving care, large-scale art or photography could provide a far more interesting focus.

Then let yourself fall in love with a grown up wall colour, one of those

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

gorgeous sophisticated greys or a deep heritage shade that oozes sophistication and grand country living. Introduce a handsome sofa, beautifully structured and well built soit will withstand the rigours of the day-to-day life you’ll inevitably inflict upon it.

Large sofas, especially L-shaped models if you have sufficient space, are great to accommodate slouching in comfort in the manner of a chaise longue.It can face the telly or fireplace or those lovely photos you’ve framed and hung, and the shape will also help to ensure there’s no fighting for the best chairs from which to watch Saturday night telly.

If you’re stuck with your existing sofa even though it’s not quite as handsome as it was when you first bought it, and

Anchor a sofa and chair by using a rug to fill the space between. Opt for a contrasting shape rug to the coffee table, or, off-set the coffee table at an angle (Perception sofa from €5,995, Vitamine chaise €2,144, Vermet table €2,200 from Roche Bobois)

your regard for it has faded as it has, then move it around the room until you find a satisfying spot that shows it in a new light. Or if not, recover it, and it may give you quite a few more years of pleasure, comfort and support.

A coffee table is almost a prerequisite as a surface for books, newspapers, cups and wine glasses. Rugs are desirable but only become essential if you have a wooden floor or if you enjoyed a hot Mediterranean holiday romance with a tiled floor that now is too cool for comfort. But experimentation is exciting when vamping up a room.

Impulse and novelty making exciting bed-fellows.

■ Next week we’re looking up at the neglected state of the ceiling.

Left: A heritage-style colour on walls and fireplace (Dulux 70BG 28/169 unifies the look while a paler ceiling (Dulux 10BB 49/137), colour washed floor boards (Dulux 50BG 83/009) mean the wall colour doesn’t overwhelm.

(RRP €53.99 for 5 litres of paint at MD O’Sheas, T&A Building Supplies, and Co-op Superstores)

Play your cards right with the Ace cushion and inject some fun into the sofa (from Debenhams approx. €20).

Beautiful blue velvet pile is cut into retro-style patterning but without the acidic 70s colouring (Velvet cushion at Next Interiors €28).

Sophisticated grey provides a departure from white or cream, (Chemise by Farrow & Ball 2.5 ltrs €70 from Boulevard Interiors and Pat McDonnell Paints).

Your cushions don’t all need to match. Try some plain with some patterned, but have the basic colourway in common (shiny cushion €9.41, floral €14.73 at Atlantic Homecare).

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

13

TERAPROOF:User:jaycarcioneDate:22/03/2012Time:13:07:54Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:14

Zone:XP1

XP1 - V2

XP1 - V2

DIY

DIY

WINDOWS FROM PANE TO FRAME

DIYTIPS

How to repair a weathered wooden windowsill in the home An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and if your window sills looking shabby it’s time to take action before serious rot takes hold. Pick a fine, warmish day and start in the morning to ensure good drying times.

WHAT YOU NEED: ■ A flexible filler knife ■ Wood Filler. Ronseal High Performance filler is ideal and once dry is super strong but flexible.

Wood has great character but is it time to go for double or triple-glazing, asks Kya deLongchamps

W

indows add essential character to any building.

Their shape, size, position and framing material will alter the look of the house for the better or worse, and repairing or replacing windows will have an impact inside and out. As such a highly visible part of the snug envelope that protects the house, new or replacement windows must deliver looks, economy and performance. So, is it time to replace or repair?

TIME FOR CHANGE? Well maintained, well detailed wood windows can last centuries. It’s a testament to the character and tenacity of wood, that softwood Georgian sash windows survive in many cities, hemmed in by synthetic pretenders.

Modern solid wood window frames are engineered to last, but wood for all its charm as a naturally degrading material will always demand more attention than PVCu (polyvinyl chloride- unplasticised), clad and composites.

It takes a seasoned DIY warrior to handle a seriously rotting wood window frame and it’s vital that no area of a window or a wooden sill is left open to water. To ward off rot, sanding and refinishing of a solid sill is a matter of patience and technique and within the reach of most houseowners.

Period wood windows once made sound can even be double glazed, but this is an expensive route that leads many period purists to insulate their curtains. Slimlite double-glazed units suited to wood sashes are a squeaky slim 7mm in depth and available from firms including SashWindows.ie.

A specialist firm can address just about any window frame in a state of mild collapse. Still, with modest, failing mid-century teak or early metal frames holding up draughty single glazing, the pressure to replace with the economy of PVCu and warm glazing will be hard to resist.

Before automatically going to PVCu, take the time to compare prices with solid wood, wood-clad, aluminium, and new contenders such as Marvin Architectural’s new fibreglass range.

Aluminium is a recyclable material with a strong character, but was dogged by cold bridging problems in the past.

Today’s metal lovelies shield a wood core, and are snug, efficient window choices, making them first choice for Ireland’s first certified Passive House retrofit project.

14

■ Sand paper or an orbital sander. A small mouse sander is handy for pokey corners.

■ A soft good quality bristle paint brush. 1-2” should be fine.

PLASTIC SURGERY No one can argue against the economy of PVCu. The sturdier profiles and many other aesthetic improvements and variations in the framing have kept alternative, sustainable materials on the market well in check. Many renovated period houses, boast timber windows for the street side of the house and PVCu units tucked away on the rear facing windows.

Generally speaking PVCu needs no maintenance and should last a decade without problems. In theory, certain types of PVCu can be softened and recycled, but this is not normally attempted, so it’s up to you to choose a responsible supplier.

As with any frame choice, try as far as possible to match the design of windows to the architecture of the house. If you’re living in a semidetached home, and the neighbours have a certain style of PVCu, marrying their appearance will be more harmonious to the eye. Wood clad in PVCu, allows for the option of a wood face indoors with a more weather resistant material outside, so you really can have it all.

Catches, hinges and components can be replaced by a specialist, and the worst you may have to face is getting white frames clean from time to time. If soapy water doesn’t shine them, PVC cleaner is easy to use — sprayed onto the frame and sill and wiped off with a clean rag. Plastic scratches cannot be repaired if badly gouged. Try a nonscratch kitchen cream such as Cif, gently rubbed on with a non-abrasive cloth. Twice a year, give your hinges a light spray of WD40 to keep them supple.

GLAZED AND CONFUSED Fifteen per cent of our heating can drift out badly insulated windows. BER assessors will take a keen interest in the quality of your windows’ construction, tacking those results onto your property’s overall energy rating. Glass covers a large area of our homes protective envelope and with low emissivity (low-e) glass as standard, and cold bridges designed out with clever spacer technology, we’ve come a long way in terms of performance.

Many replacement windows boast an energy rating similar to that on appliances that runs from A-G. This system was put in place by the British Fenestration Rating Council to make it easier for consumers to judge. Don’t be over excited immediately by an A

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

■ Chosen varnish or paint, plus a primer if using a painted finish. Always check the products are exterior grade.

1 2 3 4 5

Scrape the chipped and peeling paint off with a metal scraper work carefully at a shallow angle.

Fill any cracks or dings with a commercial wood filler using your flexible knife, ensuring any rotten, soft wood has been removed. These products harden quickly, so get it right in the first few minutes.

Leave the filler to harden according to the manufacturers instructions. Sand the sill with 100 grit paper.

Prime the sill with an oil based primer if you intend to paint the sill, working evenly with long strokes. Allow to dry.

Apply an exterior grade wood paint or varnish using a natural bristle brush. Don’t overload the brush and watch out for drips.

Q&A

Above: Sliding windows allow summer inside. Below left: Marvin Architectural’s fibreglass window uses wooden frames internally. Centre: Vrogum pine windows won’t need painting for 10 years.

rating. Look at the U or heat retention value which reflects the performance of the glass and frame complete (1.4 W/ m2K for an A rated window).

The building regulations demand a minimum U value of 1.6 W/m2K for all new windows. The lower the U value the better. A triple-glazed timber window will eke down to 1.2 W/m2K or better, breaking the standard A-G ratings. If you’re replacing wood sash windows with wood, specialist companies including Carey Glass Joinery offers products with all the joys plus good energy performance as

standard with the frame and glazing.

Replacement windows where needed in wood, PVCu, aluminium, or fibreglass offer more benefits than energy efficiency. It’s a lot harder to break a double or triple- glazed window.

Multiple locks pull the moving sections flat to or even inside the frame in highly secure sections difficult (but not impossible) to pry open.

With heat insulation comes sound insulation. If you live on a busy road with single pane glazing, noise pollution can be unbearable. A larger air space with an Argon or Krypton gas fill

Right: The graceful old windows of Butlerstown House show that sash windows age beautifully.

Older versions can be saved from neglect with energy, patience and a little skill.

between the panes will dull sound.

DOUBLE OR TRIPLE? So, is triple glazing just fit for Scandinavian climates?

The jury is still out in the professional building circuit, but it’s important to look ahead to energy and comfort expectations when putting any money into your home.

Apart from a better U value, the surface of the glass on the inside of a triple-glazed window is warmer than that of a double glazed window and there is a minuscule but important

difference in comfort levels (less condensation potential or cold spots).

The windows are cooler than the surrounding walls, which even in a standard build must deliver a U value of .21 W/m2K, so they are a good bit cooler.

For passive standard homes, the glass and its frame must be highly detailed with both insulated, and triple glazing is obligatory to reach the magic U value of 0.8 for heat retention on the glass and frame complete.

As we move towards passive homes as standard with little if any auxiliary heating, triple glazing makes sense.

Do you have a DIY question you would like answered?

Send it to interiors@examiner.ie

Q. I invited an agent to give me a quote on replacing my windows, but the deal keeps changing and the number going down when he calls me. I feel pressured. A. This is a common marketing device. Get at least three quotes from three reputable companies, take a deep breath and compare them on their merits. Giving a high number and then discounting with intimate ‘friends and family’ discounts is not unusual. If he puts a time limit on the offer, walk away.

afford wood, what’s the alternative?

A. Well wood is not as expensive as you might think and for standard unit sizes can even be comparable to a quality PVCu. For alternative frame options in a light, easily maintained material see what Marvin’s new fibreglass range has to offer. www.marvin-architectural.com or contact 021 4847993.

Q. My windows feel draughty but I don’t think the frames are at fault.

What should I do? A. If the perimeter of the window and the wall is failing, there could be air getting in. With the window tightly shut, try holding a lit candle carefully around the join of the window and wall, and the window and frame. If it flickers, your window may be improperly installed and need of a seal or re-install.

Q. I’m not keen on PVCu or aluminium windows but cannot

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

15

TERAPROOF:User:jaycarcioneDate:22/03/2012Time:13:07:54Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:14

Zone:XP1

XP1 - V2

XP1 - V2

DIY

DIY

WINDOWS FROM PANE TO FRAME

DIYTIPS

How to repair a weathered wooden windowsill in the home An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and if your window sills looking shabby it’s time to take action before serious rot takes hold. Pick a fine, warmish day and start in the morning to ensure good drying times.

WHAT YOU NEED: ■ A flexible filler knife ■ Wood Filler. Ronseal High Performance filler is ideal and once dry is super strong but flexible.

Wood has great character but is it time to go for double or triple-glazing, asks Kya deLongchamps

W

indows add essential character to any building.

Their shape, size, position and framing material will alter the look of the house for the better or worse, and repairing or replacing windows will have an impact inside and out. As such a highly visible part of the snug envelope that protects the house, new or replacement windows must deliver looks, economy and performance. So, is it time to replace or repair?

TIME FOR CHANGE? Well maintained, well detailed wood windows can last centuries. It’s a testament to the character and tenacity of wood, that softwood Georgian sash windows survive in many cities, hemmed in by synthetic pretenders.

Modern solid wood window frames are engineered to last, but wood for all its charm as a naturally degrading material will always demand more attention than PVCu (polyvinyl chloride- unplasticised), clad and composites.

It takes a seasoned DIY warrior to handle a seriously rotting wood window frame and it’s vital that no area of a window or a wooden sill is left open to water. To ward off rot, sanding and refinishing of a solid sill is a matter of patience and technique and within the reach of most houseowners.

Period wood windows once made sound can even be double glazed, but this is an expensive route that leads many period purists to insulate their curtains. Slimlite double-glazed units suited to wood sashes are a squeaky slim 7mm in depth and available from firms including SashWindows.ie.

A specialist firm can address just about any window frame in a state of mild collapse. Still, with modest, failing mid-century teak or early metal frames holding up draughty single glazing, the pressure to replace with the economy of PVCu and warm glazing will be hard to resist.

Before automatically going to PVCu, take the time to compare prices with solid wood, wood-clad, aluminium, and new contenders such as Marvin Architectural’s new fibreglass range.

Aluminium is a recyclable material with a strong character, but was dogged by cold bridging problems in the past.

Today’s metal lovelies shield a wood core, and are snug, efficient window choices, making them first choice for Ireland’s first certified Passive House retrofit project.

14

■ Sand paper or an orbital sander. A small mouse sander is handy for pokey corners.

■ A soft good quality bristle paint brush. 1-2” should be fine.

PLASTIC SURGERY No one can argue against the economy of PVCu. The sturdier profiles and many other aesthetic improvements and variations in the framing have kept alternative, sustainable materials on the market well in check. Many renovated period houses, boast timber windows for the street side of the house and PVCu units tucked away on the rear facing windows.

Generally speaking PVCu needs no maintenance and should last a decade without problems. In theory, certain types of PVCu can be softened and recycled, but this is not normally attempted, so it’s up to you to choose a responsible supplier.

As with any frame choice, try as far as possible to match the design of windows to the architecture of the house. If you’re living in a semidetached home, and the neighbours have a certain style of PVCu, marrying their appearance will be more harmonious to the eye. Wood clad in PVCu, allows for the option of a wood face indoors with a more weather resistant material outside, so you really can have it all.

Catches, hinges and components can be replaced by a specialist, and the worst you may have to face is getting white frames clean from time to time. If soapy water doesn’t shine them, PVC cleaner is easy to use — sprayed onto the frame and sill and wiped off with a clean rag. Plastic scratches cannot be repaired if badly gouged. Try a nonscratch kitchen cream such as Cif, gently rubbed on with a non-abrasive cloth. Twice a year, give your hinges a light spray of WD40 to keep them supple.

GLAZED AND CONFUSED Fifteen per cent of our heating can drift out badly insulated windows. BER assessors will take a keen interest in the quality of your windows’ construction, tacking those results onto your property’s overall energy rating. Glass covers a large area of our homes protective envelope and with low emissivity (low-e) glass as standard, and cold bridges designed out with clever spacer technology, we’ve come a long way in terms of performance.

Many replacement windows boast an energy rating similar to that on appliances that runs from A-G. This system was put in place by the British Fenestration Rating Council to make it easier for consumers to judge. Don’t be over excited immediately by an A

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

■ Chosen varnish or paint, plus a primer if using a painted finish. Always check the products are exterior grade.

1 2 3 4 5

Scrape the chipped and peeling paint off with a metal scraper work carefully at a shallow angle.

Fill any cracks or dings with a commercial wood filler using your flexible knife, ensuring any rotten, soft wood has been removed. These products harden quickly, so get it right in the first few minutes.

Leave the filler to harden according to the manufacturers instructions. Sand the sill with 100 grit paper.

Prime the sill with an oil based primer if you intend to paint the sill, working evenly with long strokes. Allow to dry.

Apply an exterior grade wood paint or varnish using a natural bristle brush. Don’t overload the brush and watch out for drips.

Q&A

Above: Sliding windows allow summer inside. Below left: Marvin Architectural’s fibreglass window uses wooden frames internally. Centre: Vrogum pine windows won’t need painting for 10 years.

rating. Look at the U or heat retention value which reflects the performance of the glass and frame complete (1.4 W/ m2K for an A rated window).

The building regulations demand a minimum U value of 1.6 W/m2K for all new windows. The lower the U value the better. A triple-glazed timber window will eke down to 1.2 W/m2K or better, breaking the standard A-G ratings. If you’re replacing wood sash windows with wood, specialist companies including Carey Glass Joinery offers products with all the joys plus good energy performance as

standard with the frame and glazing.

Replacement windows where needed in wood, PVCu, aluminium, or fibreglass offer more benefits than energy efficiency. It’s a lot harder to break a double or triple- glazed window.

Multiple locks pull the moving sections flat to or even inside the frame in highly secure sections difficult (but not impossible) to pry open.

With heat insulation comes sound insulation. If you live on a busy road with single pane glazing, noise pollution can be unbearable. A larger air space with an Argon or Krypton gas fill

Right: The graceful old windows of Butlerstown House show that sash windows age beautifully.

Older versions can be saved from neglect with energy, patience and a little skill.

between the panes will dull sound.

DOUBLE OR TRIPLE? So, is triple glazing just fit for Scandinavian climates?

The jury is still out in the professional building circuit, but it’s important to look ahead to energy and comfort expectations when putting any money into your home.

Apart from a better U value, the surface of the glass on the inside of a triple-glazed window is warmer than that of a double glazed window and there is a minuscule but important

difference in comfort levels (less condensation potential or cold spots).

The windows are cooler than the surrounding walls, which even in a standard build must deliver a U value of .21 W/m2K, so they are a good bit cooler.

For passive standard homes, the glass and its frame must be highly detailed with both insulated, and triple glazing is obligatory to reach the magic U value of 0.8 for heat retention on the glass and frame complete.

As we move towards passive homes as standard with little if any auxiliary heating, triple glazing makes sense.

Do you have a DIY question you would like answered?

Send it to interiors@examiner.ie

Q. I invited an agent to give me a quote on replacing my windows, but the deal keeps changing and the number going down when he calls me. I feel pressured. A. This is a common marketing device. Get at least three quotes from three reputable companies, take a deep breath and compare them on their merits. Giving a high number and then discounting with intimate ‘friends and family’ discounts is not unusual. If he puts a time limit on the offer, walk away.

afford wood, what’s the alternative?

A. Well wood is not as expensive as you might think and for standard unit sizes can even be comparable to a quality PVCu. For alternative frame options in a light, easily maintained material see what Marvin’s new fibreglass range has to offer. www.marvin-architectural.com or contact 021 4847993.

Q. My windows feel draughty but I don’t think the frames are at fault.

What should I do? A. If the perimeter of the window and the wall is failing, there could be air getting in. With the window tightly shut, try holding a lit candle carefully around the join of the window and wall, and the window and frame. If it flickers, your window may be improperly installed and need of a seal or re-install.

Q. I’m not keen on PVCu or aluminium windows but cannot

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

15

TERAPROOF:User:noelcampionDate:22/03/2012Time:13:57:44Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:16

Zone:XP1

XP1 - V2

XP1 - V2

WISH LIST Fancy a little lift indoors now that the days are getting longer? Esther N McCarthy takes a peek at what’s springing into interiors, from eye-catching cushion designs to legendary Lego shapes

Go all girlie in the bathroom with these pretty spotty pink velour towels. Available from Heatons nationwide, the hand towel costs €5, bath towel, €10 and bath sheet, €15.

Put the kettle on and bring on the biscuits. This stackable teapot with two cups is perfect for tea for two. The design by Yukari Sweeney is fun and cheerful — perfect to inject a bit of Spring into the kitchen. This costs €27, available from Debenhams nationwide

Black and Blum Spudski Slick design is expected from Black + Blum and this is no exception — a potato masher based on the ski pole, it even comes with a Swiss grandmother’s recipe for mashed potato. €16 available from Black + Blum.

Revitalise with this aloe and soft linen fragrance in a candle infused with essential oils and paraffinfree. Available from the Body Shop nationwide for €12.

Wandering around Aoki Interiors’ site, you’re guaranteed to stumble across something quirky and delightful. Case in point, this Happy Days blue paint pot table lamp. What a bright idea.

Available from aokiinteriors.ie for €24.99.

Hate limescale?

Amazing Water Softener SALE others don’t want you to find out about!

Recapture your youth with this clock with a difference. Built to resemble the world famous Lego Brick, the digital clock is displayed on an LCD screen with a backlight so you can easily see it at night, available from Next for €26

WAS €1,296

NOW €674

Voted Irish Business of the Year 2011

by Action Coach International

HURRY LIMITED OFFER! ENDS 5PM WEDNESDAY 28TH MARCH

SAVE UP TO €800 A YEAR WITH EWT SOFTENED WATER ������ �������� ��� �� ��������� �������� ����� ��� ������ ����� ��� ����� �� � ������� ���� �� ���� ���������

��� ����� ������� ��� ��� ����� �����

��������� ��� ������� ��� ��� �� ������ ��� ������������ �������� �����

��� �� ����� ������ ��� �������� �����

Cast your eye over this Jan Constantine design. Made from creambeige linen and featuring hand appliquéd eye design embellished with hand embroidery. It also comes with coordinating black piping, a pearl buttoned opening on the reverse as well as a feather pad. The price tag of € 90 may be a little eye watering but you’ve got to admit it’s a beauty. Available from French Bedroom Company, www.frenchbedroomcompany.co.uk

BONUS OFFER! Order before 5pm Wednesday 28th March & receive FREE S2000 Drinking Water System worth €190 FREE Installation worth €70

If you want to pad out your pad but don’t want to spend a fortune, Penneys has a rather nice floral cushion for the rather nice price of €8. Accessorise with the diamond print microcosy and the plain one to add pizazz to the living room or bedroom. Floral Cushion, €8, Diamond Printed Microcosy, €6, Plain Microcosy, €6.

SAVE €300+ yearly. Limefree water can reduce hot water costs by 25%

Less cleaning time on bathrooms.

Save on cleaning products and elbow grease

Cleaner clothes 50% reduction in washing powder.

Stop damage to your appliances.

Reduce shampoos, moisturisers, cleaners etc by 30%

Cleaner dishes 6 times more effective at reducing spotting and filming.

Great drinking water No need to buy expensive bottled water with an EWT S2000 Water filter!

Enjoy invigorating soft water showers.

Prevent Limescale damage to appliances.

€260 EXTRA VALUE FREE!

when you order before 5pm Wednesday 28th March

LO-CALL 1850 39 28 37

Email: info@ewtechnologies.ie / www.ewtechnologies.ie 16

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

17

TERAPROOF:User:noelcampionDate:22/03/2012Time:13:57:44Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:16

Zone:XP1

XP1 - V2

XP1 - V2

WISH LIST Fancy a little lift indoors now that the days are getting longer? Esther N McCarthy takes a peek at what’s springing into interiors, from eye-catching cushion designs to legendary Lego shapes

Go all girlie in the bathroom with these pretty spotty pink velour towels. Available from Heatons nationwide, the hand towel costs €5, bath towel, €10 and bath sheet, €15.

Put the kettle on and bring on the biscuits. This stackable teapot with two cups is perfect for tea for two. The design by Yukari Sweeney is fun and cheerful — perfect to inject a bit of Spring into the kitchen. This costs €27, available from Debenhams nationwide

Black and Blum Spudski Slick design is expected from Black + Blum and this is no exception — a potato masher based on the ski pole, it even comes with a Swiss grandmother’s recipe for mashed potato. €16 available from Black + Blum.

Revitalise with this aloe and soft linen fragrance in a candle infused with essential oils and paraffinfree. Available from the Body Shop nationwide for €12.

Wandering around Aoki Interiors’ site, you’re guaranteed to stumble across something quirky and delightful. Case in point, this Happy Days blue paint pot table lamp. What a bright idea.

Available from aokiinteriors.ie for €24.99.

Hate limescale?

Amazing Water Softener SALE others don’t want you to find out about!

Recapture your youth with this clock with a difference. Built to resemble the world famous Lego Brick, the digital clock is displayed on an LCD screen with a backlight so you can easily see it at night, available from Next for €26

WAS €1,296

NOW €674

Voted Irish Business of the Year 2011

by Action Coach International

HURRY LIMITED OFFER! ENDS 5PM WEDNESDAY 28TH MARCH

SAVE UP TO €800 A YEAR WITH EWT SOFTENED WATER ������ �������� ��� �� ��������� �������� ����� ��� ������ ����� ��� ����� �� � ������� ���� �� ���� ���������

��� ����� ������� ��� ��� ����� �����

��������� ��� ������� ��� ��� �� ������ ��� ������������ �������� �����

��� �� ����� ������ ��� �������� �����

Cast your eye over this Jan Constantine design. Made from creambeige linen and featuring hand appliquéd eye design embellished with hand embroidery. It also comes with coordinating black piping, a pearl buttoned opening on the reverse as well as a feather pad. The price tag of € 90 may be a little eye watering but you’ve got to admit it’s a beauty. Available from French Bedroom Company, www.frenchbedroomcompany.co.uk

BONUS OFFER! Order before 5pm Wednesday 28th March & receive FREE S2000 Drinking Water System worth €190 FREE Installation worth €70

If you want to pad out your pad but don’t want to spend a fortune, Penneys has a rather nice floral cushion for the rather nice price of €8. Accessorise with the diamond print microcosy and the plain one to add pizazz to the living room or bedroom. Floral Cushion, €8, Diamond Printed Microcosy, €6, Plain Microcosy, €6.

SAVE €300+ yearly. Limefree water can reduce hot water costs by 25%

Less cleaning time on bathrooms.

Save on cleaning products and elbow grease

Cleaner clothes 50% reduction in washing powder.

Stop damage to your appliances.

Reduce shampoos, moisturisers, cleaners etc by 30%

Cleaner dishes 6 times more effective at reducing spotting and filming.

Great drinking water No need to buy expensive bottled water with an EWT S2000 Water filter!

Enjoy invigorating soft water showers.

Prevent Limescale damage to appliances.

€260 EXTRA VALUE FREE!

when you order before 5pm Wednesday 28th March

LO-CALL 1850 39 28 37

Email: info@ewtechnologies.ie / www.ewtechnologies.ie 16

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

17

TERAPROOF:User:jaycarcioneDate:22/03/2012Time:12:44:13Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:18

Zone:XP1

XP1 - V1

INTERIORS

IN THE GARDEN

ASK THE

DESIGNER

Q

I’d love to try this season’s nautical trend in my living room, but am afraid it’ll end up looking a bit “Popeye”.

Any tips?

A. The key thing is not to go overboard with the maritime theme or it can end up looking contrived. The nautical of 2012 is much more laid back beach house than preppy yacht club. So draw on breezy stripes, whitewashed furniture and natural textiles to inject a little coastal chic into your living room.

Avoid flashy blue, white or red stripes in favour of chalky shades of off-white or soft yellow, weathered browns and muted turquoise blues. Go for a beautiful print of fish or antique sailing map in a natural wood frame with rich red or navy mount instead of the usual boat print. And complete the look with rope knots, lanterns or apothecary jars filled with sand or shells rather than obvious anchor cushions.

Q. With the days getting longer, how can I make my home feel a bit more bright and breezy for summer?

A. Banish the winter blues by making a few simple additions (or removals) to your home. Start by temporarily replacing dark accessories such as wool throws, velvet cushions or leather placemats with more summery ones in linen and colours like lime green or orange. Switch heavy winter drapes with thin/sheer curtains to let more light in and swap cosy flannel bed sheets for breathable cotton percale or sateen ones. Summer duvets are generally around 4.5 tog. If you’re thinking about repainting your walls,

1

18

Interior designer Deirdre Coleman (www.escaledesign.ie) answers your outdoor design queries. Email: interiors@examiner.ie

A. Bring the outdoors into your apartment with some plant life. Try an indoor container garden for growing fruit, veg and herbs, or a mobile planter that can be wheeled into your living room for a splash of green and bathroom for watering. If you’re short on floor space, try an indoor hanging basket designed to keep your carpet clean. Alternatively, go for some outdoorsy accessories such as a terracotta pot used to hold a plant, kitchen utensils or fruit.

Q. I’d love to add some colour to my all-white kitchen for spring – but where should I start?

2

Love furnishings and want to support our homegrown interiors companies? This Irish-owned and Dungarvan-based site stocks an impressive selection of products — curtains, bed linens, gorgeous Egyptian cotton towels and lots more.

There are nice ideas for baby pressies — a fun alphabet cushion may be a novel idea for mums-to-be, it’s on sale on the site for €18 at the time of typing. Also worth checking out is the custom-made curtain service; they’ll collect your fabric and there’s free delivery for orders over €49.

Fancy a burst of butterflies dancing on your bedroom wall? Who wouldn’t. This site has over 800 designs of wall art stickers, which they say are professionally computer cut using high quality adhesive vinyl.

There’s no faffing about with paint or wallpaper, just peel them off and stick them on. There are dolphins and dinosaurs for the kids’ rooms, music notes for above the piano or for the soppy sort, love quotes. If it’s vinyl graphics you’re after, look no further than this site. It is UK based, so keep in mind postage and packaging.

■ www.welovefurnishings.ie

■ www.daographics.com

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

Above: add a splash of colour to your room, below left: don’t go overboard on the maritime theme; below right: add some cheeky kitchen towels.

Every week Esther N McCarthy picks her top three interiors sites. If you have a favourite you’d like to see featured, email: interiors@examiner.ie

Dao Graphics

3

Choosing the correct tools can ease the pain of gardening, writes Kya deLongchamps

F

Q. As an apartment-dweller, I don’t have a garden. How can I bring a little of the outdoors indoors?

A. Kitchens can often become pristine all-white spaces. Consider painting any exposed wall in jewel toned red, green or blue or soft grey. You could also change the backsplash for something a little more cheerful such as a multicoloured tile. However, there are lots of colourful accessories out there to brighten up a stark kitchen on a budget.

Mix it up with bold, contrasting kitchenware, chair and towels, etc.

Watch for Kenwood’s Boutique range in bright magenta and blue and Irish company Red Dog/The Store’s cheeky range of His ‘n Hers aprons and tea towels emblazoned with slogans including ‘God Loves a Dryer’. See www.reddogthestore.com.

Don’t forget your shovel OR the donkey work in your garden a good fork, spade, hoe and a couple of rakes are absolute essentials. You really will be putting your back into often heavy thrusting, lifting and acrobatic reaches, so the wrong tool could cut a summer painfully short.

keep it light and fresh — think yellow, orange or light blue. Or consider using a white table, curtains or just flowers.

WEB WATCH We Love Furnishings

XP1 - V1

Pressed or welded designs are weaker than hot forged products.

Plastic coated heads offer rust resistance and are well priced in entry-level spades

stainless steel beauties (Atkins from €36.99) or Bulldog Evergreen (online suppliers include www.HandyHardware.ie). Woodie’s DIY do a good line in True Temper forged forks and spades from €28.

HOES AND RAKES Hoes come is a number of styles as they are a versatile tool used both in a scooping position and flipped over for dabbling through the earth. As the reaching action is so vital but the work is lighter than that of a fork or spade, the handles are longer. The Dutch hoe is ideal for slicing through weeds at the base on earth and hard standing. Draw hoes are simple blades that draw towards your body as you work and are not intended for weeding, but can be struck at the ground with considerable force.

Fiskars stainless steel spades (Atkins from €36.99).

Assume the Position: Digging Do’s and Don’ts

The Patchwork Quill

W

Belfast-based Heather McGarrigle is a freelance journalist who’s taking advantage of what she calls her work/ life imbalance to focus on things she always had an interest in but never really committed to, like knitting, customising clothes and furniture upcycling. This blog charts her journey with engaging, personal posts and pics. She loves arts, crafts, upcycling, customisation and anything that’s resourceful, creative or just a bit clever, as McGarrigle says herself.

■ www.thepatchworkquill.blogspot.com

THE BIG DIG A spade must to sharp enough to cut down through the ground and lift cleanly and comfortably. If you’re tall, you’ll need an above the average 70cm-72cm length of handle. Even an 82cm version won’t cramp your style. If you have large hands a T-shaped handle with a yielding soft-grip is more comfortable and won’t pinch the hand as you work.

There are a number or ergonomic handle designs which are slightly tilted forward to allow for the descent of the shaft of the fork or spade and if vintage looks appeal, look out for split ash shafts that divide beautifully to form the ‘Y-D’ handle. Wipe any wood handle or shaft over with boiled linseed oil once a year to nourish and protect it. Brightly coloured handles are ideal if you have the habit of dropping your tools into deep borders before snatching a tea break. Daub a little bright paint on a dark handle.

Spades and forks take a great deal of pressure on that vital join between the handle and the head, especially with rough levering. A solid forged carbon steel head and extended socket reaching further up the shaft will take the strain. Plastic coated steel is an alterative to a wood shaft and highly weather resistant. Look for hot forged steel with superb tensile strength for the head itself and a polished steel or PTF non-stick coating that will slough off wet clay like molten butter. Pressed or welded designs are inherently weaker than hot forged products. Plastic coated heads offer rust resistance and are well priced in entry-level spades. Spear & Jackson offer a ‘stirrup’ design where you put your foot in a gap under the handle, giving a much wider receiving surface, but they are heavier overall as a result.

The business end of a spade or fork includes a standard width and a border version for tighter areas where you may be working between plants. With a fork you will be bending down, lifting it to a shallow angle and fluffing the earth, a demanding position even with the right equipment, so too-wide a head will not only be heavier but will catch in small vulnerable roots and stems. Smaller individuals or anyone with less muscle will find a smaller head more manageable.

Prices for forks and spades start at around €12 rising to €35 or more for a high quality hand finished products such as Joseph Bentley (B&Q) Fiskars

Grubber designs are basically a three fingered claw on a handle, improving your reach for teasing out ground level rubbish and cuttings. If you have lawn edges to manage, a long handled edging knife can give a nice time-saving slice that won’t go too deep.

Gardena has a choice of heads with their 3-in-1 Combi system, delivering a Dutch hoe, rake and grubber in one tool on a lofty 130cm ash handle for €49 at Argos.

With rakes, the greater number of teeth you have on the rake the more ground it will cover as you pull it along. A lighter, longer (1.4m plus) handle increases your working orbit. Shallow plastic teeth on a fan shaped lawn rake spring over turf, allowing you to pull up grass cuttings without snagging the uncut grass, where sharper metal prongs with a greater ability to hook debris will grab and gather leaves more determinedly, harrowing out loose dead growth and aiding aeration of the ground.

A rake not only collects but pounds the clumps of earth, breaking them up, so again, get a good join between handle and head to ensure you can give it adequate abuse. Aluminium provides strength without being overly heavy.

Squishy Alphabet cushion from We Love Furnishings

arm up before you start digging or performing any strenuous garden activity and avoid working on an especially cold day that will chill you through ■ When lifting soil keep your back straight, and use force through the knee ■ Work slowly a little area at a time and break every 15-20 minutes to give your body a rest and stretch.

■ Break up digging work with other tasks to use different muscle groups ■ Avoiding reaching away from yourself too far or twisting while working ■ Keep the spade or forkfuls light.

Don’t overload the head ■ Ensure the handle length matches

your height. 70-72cm for a standard height, 82cm plus for taller.

■ Rakes and hoes have a relatively light head that can be matched to a longer handle ■ Too much of a good thing can be counter productive in the garden. Dig according to the garden’s needs, aerating the soil and introducing organic matter without disturbing its structure unnecessarily.

■ Explore no-dig methods of gardening that reduce your need for digging.

Manure, mulch and fertiliser are spread over the beds to reduce weeding. Worms will drag the material down into the soil for you. The ‘lazy bed’ has returned a popular approach for growing vegetables such as potatoes

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

19

TERAPROOF:User:jaycarcioneDate:22/03/2012Time:12:44:13Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:18

Zone:XP1

XP1 - V1

INTERIORS

IN THE GARDEN

ASK THE

DESIGNER

Q

I’d love to try this season’s nautical trend in my living room, but am afraid it’ll end up looking a bit “Popeye”.

Any tips?

A. The key thing is not to go overboard with the maritime theme or it can end up looking contrived. The nautical of 2012 is much more laid back beach house than preppy yacht club. So draw on breezy stripes, whitewashed furniture and natural textiles to inject a little coastal chic into your living room.

Avoid flashy blue, white or red stripes in favour of chalky shades of off-white or soft yellow, weathered browns and muted turquoise blues. Go for a beautiful print of fish or antique sailing map in a natural wood frame with rich red or navy mount instead of the usual boat print. And complete the look with rope knots, lanterns or apothecary jars filled with sand or shells rather than obvious anchor cushions.

Q. With the days getting longer, how can I make my home feel a bit more bright and breezy for summer?

A. Banish the winter blues by making a few simple additions (or removals) to your home. Start by temporarily replacing dark accessories such as wool throws, velvet cushions or leather placemats with more summery ones in linen and colours like lime green or orange. Switch heavy winter drapes with thin/sheer curtains to let more light in and swap cosy flannel bed sheets for breathable cotton percale or sateen ones. Summer duvets are generally around 4.5 tog. If you’re thinking about repainting your walls,

1

18

Interior designer Deirdre Coleman (www.escaledesign.ie) answers your outdoor design queries. Email: interiors@examiner.ie

A. Bring the outdoors into your apartment with some plant life. Try an indoor container garden for growing fruit, veg and herbs, or a mobile planter that can be wheeled into your living room for a splash of green and bathroom for watering. If you’re short on floor space, try an indoor hanging basket designed to keep your carpet clean. Alternatively, go for some outdoorsy accessories such as a terracotta pot used to hold a plant, kitchen utensils or fruit.

Q. I’d love to add some colour to my all-white kitchen for spring – but where should I start?

2

Love furnishings and want to support our homegrown interiors companies? This Irish-owned and Dungarvan-based site stocks an impressive selection of products — curtains, bed linens, gorgeous Egyptian cotton towels and lots more.

There are nice ideas for baby pressies — a fun alphabet cushion may be a novel idea for mums-to-be, it’s on sale on the site for €18 at the time of typing. Also worth checking out is the custom-made curtain service; they’ll collect your fabric and there’s free delivery for orders over €49.

Fancy a burst of butterflies dancing on your bedroom wall? Who wouldn’t. This site has over 800 designs of wall art stickers, which they say are professionally computer cut using high quality adhesive vinyl.

There’s no faffing about with paint or wallpaper, just peel them off and stick them on. There are dolphins and dinosaurs for the kids’ rooms, music notes for above the piano or for the soppy sort, love quotes. If it’s vinyl graphics you’re after, look no further than this site. It is UK based, so keep in mind postage and packaging.

■ www.welovefurnishings.ie

■ www.daographics.com

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

Above: add a splash of colour to your room, below left: don’t go overboard on the maritime theme; below right: add some cheeky kitchen towels.

Every week Esther N McCarthy picks her top three interiors sites. If you have a favourite you’d like to see featured, email: interiors@examiner.ie

Dao Graphics

3

Choosing the correct tools can ease the pain of gardening, writes Kya deLongchamps

F

Q. As an apartment-dweller, I don’t have a garden. How can I bring a little of the outdoors indoors?

A. Kitchens can often become pristine all-white spaces. Consider painting any exposed wall in jewel toned red, green or blue or soft grey. You could also change the backsplash for something a little more cheerful such as a multicoloured tile. However, there are lots of colourful accessories out there to brighten up a stark kitchen on a budget.

Mix it up with bold, contrasting kitchenware, chair and towels, etc.

Watch for Kenwood’s Boutique range in bright magenta and blue and Irish company Red Dog/The Store’s cheeky range of His ‘n Hers aprons and tea towels emblazoned with slogans including ‘God Loves a Dryer’. See www.reddogthestore.com.

Don’t forget your shovel OR the donkey work in your garden a good fork, spade, hoe and a couple of rakes are absolute essentials. You really will be putting your back into often heavy thrusting, lifting and acrobatic reaches, so the wrong tool could cut a summer painfully short.

keep it light and fresh — think yellow, orange or light blue. Or consider using a white table, curtains or just flowers.

WEB WATCH We Love Furnishings

XP1 - V1

Pressed or welded designs are weaker than hot forged products.

Plastic coated heads offer rust resistance and are well priced in entry-level spades

stainless steel beauties (Atkins from €36.99) or Bulldog Evergreen (online suppliers include www.HandyHardware.ie). Woodie’s DIY do a good line in True Temper forged forks and spades from €28.

HOES AND RAKES Hoes come is a number of styles as they are a versatile tool used both in a scooping position and flipped over for dabbling through the earth. As the reaching action is so vital but the work is lighter than that of a fork or spade, the handles are longer. The Dutch hoe is ideal for slicing through weeds at the base on earth and hard standing. Draw hoes are simple blades that draw towards your body as you work and are not intended for weeding, but can be struck at the ground with considerable force.

Fiskars stainless steel spades (Atkins from €36.99).

Assume the Position: Digging Do’s and Don’ts

The Patchwork Quill

W

Belfast-based Heather McGarrigle is a freelance journalist who’s taking advantage of what she calls her work/ life imbalance to focus on things she always had an interest in but never really committed to, like knitting, customising clothes and furniture upcycling. This blog charts her journey with engaging, personal posts and pics. She loves arts, crafts, upcycling, customisation and anything that’s resourceful, creative or just a bit clever, as McGarrigle says herself.

■ www.thepatchworkquill.blogspot.com

THE BIG DIG A spade must to sharp enough to cut down through the ground and lift cleanly and comfortably. If you’re tall, you’ll need an above the average 70cm-72cm length of handle. Even an 82cm version won’t cramp your style. If you have large hands a T-shaped handle with a yielding soft-grip is more comfortable and won’t pinch the hand as you work.

There are a number or ergonomic handle designs which are slightly tilted forward to allow for the descent of the shaft of the fork or spade and if vintage looks appeal, look out for split ash shafts that divide beautifully to form the ‘Y-D’ handle. Wipe any wood handle or shaft over with boiled linseed oil once a year to nourish and protect it. Brightly coloured handles are ideal if you have the habit of dropping your tools into deep borders before snatching a tea break. Daub a little bright paint on a dark handle.

Spades and forks take a great deal of pressure on that vital join between the handle and the head, especially with rough levering. A solid forged carbon steel head and extended socket reaching further up the shaft will take the strain. Plastic coated steel is an alterative to a wood shaft and highly weather resistant. Look for hot forged steel with superb tensile strength for the head itself and a polished steel or PTF non-stick coating that will slough off wet clay like molten butter. Pressed or welded designs are inherently weaker than hot forged products. Plastic coated heads offer rust resistance and are well priced in entry-level spades. Spear & Jackson offer a ‘stirrup’ design where you put your foot in a gap under the handle, giving a much wider receiving surface, but they are heavier overall as a result.

The business end of a spade or fork includes a standard width and a border version for tighter areas where you may be working between plants. With a fork you will be bending down, lifting it to a shallow angle and fluffing the earth, a demanding position even with the right equipment, so too-wide a head will not only be heavier but will catch in small vulnerable roots and stems. Smaller individuals or anyone with less muscle will find a smaller head more manageable.

Prices for forks and spades start at around €12 rising to €35 or more for a high quality hand finished products such as Joseph Bentley (B&Q) Fiskars

Grubber designs are basically a three fingered claw on a handle, improving your reach for teasing out ground level rubbish and cuttings. If you have lawn edges to manage, a long handled edging knife can give a nice time-saving slice that won’t go too deep.

Gardena has a choice of heads with their 3-in-1 Combi system, delivering a Dutch hoe, rake and grubber in one tool on a lofty 130cm ash handle for €49 at Argos.

With rakes, the greater number of teeth you have on the rake the more ground it will cover as you pull it along. A lighter, longer (1.4m plus) handle increases your working orbit. Shallow plastic teeth on a fan shaped lawn rake spring over turf, allowing you to pull up grass cuttings without snagging the uncut grass, where sharper metal prongs with a greater ability to hook debris will grab and gather leaves more determinedly, harrowing out loose dead growth and aiding aeration of the ground.

A rake not only collects but pounds the clumps of earth, breaking them up, so again, get a good join between handle and head to ensure you can give it adequate abuse. Aluminium provides strength without being overly heavy.

Squishy Alphabet cushion from We Love Furnishings

arm up before you start digging or performing any strenuous garden activity and avoid working on an especially cold day that will chill you through ■ When lifting soil keep your back straight, and use force through the knee ■ Work slowly a little area at a time and break every 15-20 minutes to give your body a rest and stretch.

■ Break up digging work with other tasks to use different muscle groups ■ Avoiding reaching away from yourself too far or twisting while working ■ Keep the spade or forkfuls light.

Don’t overload the head ■ Ensure the handle length matches

your height. 70-72cm for a standard height, 82cm plus for taller.

■ Rakes and hoes have a relatively light head that can be matched to a longer handle ■ Too much of a good thing can be counter productive in the garden. Dig according to the garden’s needs, aerating the soil and introducing organic matter without disturbing its structure unnecessarily.

■ Explore no-dig methods of gardening that reduce your need for digging.

Manure, mulch and fertiliser are spread over the beds to reduce weeding. Worms will drag the material down into the soil for you. The ‘lazy bed’ has returned a popular approach for growing vegetables such as potatoes

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

19

TERAPROOF:User:jaycarcioneDate:22/03/2012Time:12:44:32Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:20

Zone:XP1

XP1 - V1

XP1 - V1

IN THE GARDEN

IN THE GARDEN

Fota fair is a showcase for the south

by Charlie Wilkins

MAGNOLIAS: It surprises me every year that I do not have a magnolia tree. Gardening is like that though. I write about the best varieties and admire them from afar, but because of perceived space limitations the acquisition, the dream; the expectation, is never fulfilled. Am I too content to watch spring after spring pass from youthfulness to maturity without the delight of purple chalices under-planted with blue Muscari outside the bedroom window? Perhaps, before my weekly writing and very active gardening ceases I should invest in that tidy-sized variety called liliiflora nigra, for in a nearby garden it blooms stunningly.

The effect is breathtaking. Then again it may be the case that one admires more what one does not have.

What a funny lot we gardeners are.

LAMBS: Nearby fields are now dotted with tiny lambs, which show up clearly against the pale green of the new grass. Most are like fluffy white dots but among them are a few black ones. Rarely does one see a fully grown black sheep; their fleeces I suspect are not marketable, and so, such tiny creatures must go to the butcher. Lambs to the slaughter.

Visitors enjoy last year’s Fota House and Gardens Fair. Note the extremely attractive seat for positioning around the trunk of your favourite tree!

suggest is your chance to get a specimen of that recently featured Corydalis ‘Beth Evans’, a scented, miniature daphne perhaps, or indeed, some new varieties of erythroniums, trilliums, and blue anemone. The specialists at Fota cater for all tastes. Retailers

providing garden furniture, pots, sculptures, ornaments and tools have also been invited to attend, thus enabling the visitor to buy everything needed for the season ahead.

Catering facilities will be available in Fota House (and on site throughout the day) and parking in

the adjacent grounds is included in the admission price of €8, half of which will go directly to the Friends of Marymount Hospice.

There will also be an opportunity for those attending to walk around the beautiful gardens and arboretum at Fota and to visit the newly renovated

Fota House to see the recently hung collection of pictures which represents the third most significant public collection of Irish art in the State.

This southern affair comforts me in its ability to provide an annual first-class fair for gardeners countrywide.

BOOK REVIEW: VEGETABLES FOR THE POLYTUNNEL AND GREENHOUSE

T

here is no doubt that more and more people are interested in growing their own fruit and vegetables. Nowadays more vegetable seeds than flower seeds are sold in garden centres and there has been a rash of new urban and rural allotments. But there’s also no doubt that many newcomers to the pastime have found that growing food in our fickle climate and northern latitude isn’t that straightforward.

I’ve had a vegetable garden most of my life and discovered long ago that to make it work properly in this country it needs to be augmented by a greenhouse, polytunnel or conservatory. This lengthens the growing season by weeks or even months. It means that seeds can be

20

L

ate March through to mid April is a wonderful time to go walking in beech and broadleaf woodland for it is still pellucid and mysterious. Later, when the leaves are fully expanded it will become enclosed, curtained off and darkened from the outside world. Until then, we can admire wood anemones and bluebells, essential constituents (along with primroses) of the spring tapestry now showing in all shady places. Those anemones in white and pink move and wander about at will, sometimes emerging between massed tree trunks where little else seems to grow while others move further to where the light catches their nodding blooms. In light or shade they love to dance in the March wind, harmonising with everything, and clashing with nothing. Take a walk on the wild side this weekend.

T

he season of open gardens and plant fairs is upon us. These are merry events, packed with garden enthusiasts; plant collectors, would-be specialists, old-timers and the young, all eager to see and purchase the very best that horticulture has to offer.

My abiding memories of these are many, mainly the ache in my feet and the search for somewhere to sit down. And yet I plod on, finding that the more you attend the more fun it becomes. I have yet to meet a gardener who did not enjoy attending one of these great events even among the few who complain about the inadequacies of the site, the layout of the event, parking, or the lack or otherwise of facilities. A great passion keeps them interested and this matures and grows with the years despite economic restrictions and age limitations.

Of course, the premier event of spring here in the south is, and always will be, the Fota House and Gardens Fair which this year takes place on Sunday, April 22, from 11am to 4pm. This is now recognised as the biggest plant and garden fair in the country, excepting the hugely sponsored ‘Bloom’.

This year, the Fota event expects 70 to 80 specialist nurseries to attend, each of which will have for sale rare and unusual trees, shrubs, alpines, herbaceous and water plants at very reasonable prices. Now I

WORK FOR THE WEEK

germinated earlier in the spring and tender crops like tomatoes, peppers or aubergines can ripen late in the autumn and it eliminates the common problem of wind damage. It’s possible to produce things like salad leaves and scallions in every month of the year under cover, but not outdoors.

Klaus Laitenberger learned his gardening skills in Germany but for many years now he has been applying them in north Leitrim. He has already written a general book on vegetable gardening and started a seed company.

Now he’s produced a new book called Vegetables for the Polytunnel and Greenhouse. What makes it unusual, if not unique, is that it’s firmly based on hands-on experience gained in one of the more difficult parts of the country

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

for growing things.

The approach is strictly organic, although most of the information is also relevant to gardeners who are not as purist. It’s self-published but excellently laid out and beautifully illustrated. And, although it’s aimed at beginners I learnt a lot from it, and I’m hardly a beginner at this stage.

Fifty-six different crops each have an individual section which tells you everything you need to know from sowing to harvesting and suggests varieties that perform well in Irish conditions. This includes all the common vegetables and a few weird ones like oca, stevia and yacon. The book is worth buying just for the evaluation of tomato varieties that perform well in Irish conditions, taste

It’s the pinnacle of late spring gardening events here in the south, a celebration of the spirit of horticulture, and the triumph of enthusiasm over indifference and hard times. For those with an interest in gardening and the great outdoors this is an event not to be missed.

SWEET PEA: If you sowed sweet peas under glass late last year or earlier this spring then they’ll soon need planting out. They can still be sown outdoors now that we are into March, putting them directly where they’re to flower. Push the fairly large seeds about an inch deep into the soil. It would be wise to enrich the medium beforehand for these only give a

by Charlie Wilkins good return when fed properly and watered freely.

DAFFODILS: If your daffodil blooms are being eaten despite the laying of slug and snail bait then blame earwigs. Like molluscs, these feed by night and sleep by day. They leave no slime trail and require neither leaf litter nor humus material in which to hide during the hours of daylight. Cracks, crevices and holes in walls are their favoured hiding places and unless the weather is extremely cold they’ll remain active every month. Just now their favourite food is daffodil blooms. Not the leaves mind you, but the opened and sometimes not so opened blooms. A few puffs of Kill-Ant powder (or any ant-killing product) sprinkled around the base of daffodils will settle the problem for good.

JAPANESE ANEMONES: The flowers of Japanese anemones are undeniably exquisite — in glistening white or many shades of pink — and last through several weeks in autumn, unblemished, defying even the early frosts. Clumps are best divided not in autumn but in spring, and late spring at that. In spite of the plant’s vigour (some would say invasiveness), divisions frequently die if taken at any other time. Garden centre plants can be put in now (if you have never had them), taking advantage of the increasing light and rising temperatures to quickly establish.

LOVE IN A MIST: As suggested last year, the sowing of a tiny area with an annual called Nigella brought joy to numerous gardeners. Try to do similar this spring. Commonly referred to as ‘Love in a Mist’, it aptly describes the misty-blue flowers which lie half-hidden within the plant’s finely-cut foliage. It has been grown by generations of gardeners, although nowadays multi-coloured forms are grown as well as the traditional cornflower blue.

Nigella is very easily grown, but for fine bushy plants you should dig in compost or manure before sowing the seeds. The dried seed-heads are also widely used by flower arrangers and anyone can copy their harvesting methods. Simply wait until these are well developed then cut with fine long stems and hang upside down in an outhouse or airy room to dry. They’ll be fully aired in a fortnight or so. Left on the plants, the seed heads will eventually open to scatter their contents about the garden so that you’ll never be without them again.

GARDENNOTES

■ Come Flower With Me is the title of a spring flower demonstration by Robin Waistell in The Maryborough Hotel and Spa on Thursday next at 8pm. Creative and inspirational, he will deliver a fast-paced demonstration designed to encourage and enthuse his audience. Wine reception at 7.30pm, tickets €20. All welcome with proceeds to Cork ARC Cancer Support House. For enquiries, please call Karen or Hilary on 021 4276688.

■ Carrigtwohill Flower and Garden club will host Spring Baskets and Container Gardening at 8pm on Wednesday next in Ballyseedy Garden Centre.

■ Ladysbridge and District Flower and Garden Club meet on Monday next at 8pm in the Garryvoe Hotel. Beatrice Hartog from Conna Flower Club will demonstrate Easter Flowers. Competition arrangement, Spring is Here.

■ The Pavilion Garden Centre, Ballygarvan, continues its free weekly leisure learning programme on Wednesday next at 10.30am. Topic: Herbs in your Kitchen...its Medicine by Margie Lynch, Herbalist. Contact 021 4888134 www.thepavilion.ie ■ Ardfield/ Rathbarry Gardening Club will host John Conway from The Hollies, Enniskeane on Monday next at 8pm in the Parish Hall. His topic is Small ecological Gardens. Vegetable and flower seeds will be swapped on the night. All welcome.

■ Glenville Flower and Garden Club will meet on Tuesday next at 8.30pm in Kades Kounty, Glenville for an Easter demonstration by Bernadette Scanlon. Non-members welcome.

■ The Greenbarn Garden and Lifestyle Centre Killeagh, has been granted the Bord Bia 4 Star QualityAward.

■ Lismore Castle Arts presents a talk by William Burlington (whose family has presided over Lismore Castle for 14 generations) on April 3rd at 7pm in Lismore Castle, Co Waterford on the past, present and future of his family’s Irish home. The talk will be a personal insight into the history of the castle and the families who have lived within its ancient walls. Tickets cost €15 (€10 members of the Friends Scheme) which includes a glass of wine or soft drink. Drinks will be served from 6.30pm.

■ The Owenabue Garden and Flower club, Carrigaline will hold their annual Spring Show on Monday next at 8pm in the C of I school hall. All are welcome.

■ Join Brian Cross for a spring garden morning at Lakemount Gardens on April 14 for all you need to know about spring gardening. All proceeds to Cork Simon. Limited spaces so booking is essential.

Contact sarah@corksimon.ie or 0214929416

by Dick Warner

■ Griffins free talks on Monday, Wednesday and Friday next are on Your Irish Vegetable Garden even without a garden. Gourmet lunches €10.

good and respond to the organic approach. The second section tells you how to choose a greenhouse or polytunnel, where to put it and how to manage it. There is also a month-bymonth guide to tell you what you should be doing and a number of charts explaining things like crop rotation and transplanting regimes. The well-written glossary will be useful to people new to vegetable gardening.

■ Open Garden at Cedarlodge, Baneshane, Midleton, today and tomorrow from 11am to 5pm.

No. 1 Lawnmower Man

• • • • • • •

■ Vegetables for the Polytunnel and Greenhouse by Klaus Laitenberger is available to buy from the author’s website, www.milkwoodfarm.com. It costs €14.95 plus €3.50 postage and packing.

Craftsman Sit-On Mowers 14.5 h/p to 23 h/p Twin-Cut Sit-On Mowers 10.5 h/p to 17/.5 h/p Stiga Articulator Out Front Dedicated Mulching Mowers Push and Self-Propelled Mowers Honda Lawnmowers, Oleo-Mac Strimmers & Hedge Cutters Grasshopper Zero Turn Mowers Lawn, Landscaping, Golf and Sportsfield machinery also available

PAT G E A N E Y

Brooklodge, Glanmire, Co. Cork Tel. 021-4822465 or 021-4821409 West St., Tallow, Co. Waterford Tel. 058-55970 OPEN 6 DAYS • Mon-Thurs 9am-8pm • Fri-Sat 9am-6pm Bluebells in full bloom in Muckross Estate, Killarney, Co, Kerry

www.thelawnmowerman.ie

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

21

TERAPROOF:User:jaycarcioneDate:22/03/2012Time:12:44:32Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:20

Zone:XP1

XP1 - V1

XP1 - V1

IN THE GARDEN

IN THE GARDEN

Fota fair is a showcase for the south

by Charlie Wilkins

MAGNOLIAS: It surprises me every year that I do not have a magnolia tree. Gardening is like that though. I write about the best varieties and admire them from afar, but because of perceived space limitations the acquisition, the dream; the expectation, is never fulfilled. Am I too content to watch spring after spring pass from youthfulness to maturity without the delight of purple chalices under-planted with blue Muscari outside the bedroom window? Perhaps, before my weekly writing and very active gardening ceases I should invest in that tidy-sized variety called liliiflora nigra, for in a nearby garden it blooms stunningly.

The effect is breathtaking. Then again it may be the case that one admires more what one does not have.

What a funny lot we gardeners are.

LAMBS: Nearby fields are now dotted with tiny lambs, which show up clearly against the pale green of the new grass. Most are like fluffy white dots but among them are a few black ones. Rarely does one see a fully grown black sheep; their fleeces I suspect are not marketable, and so, such tiny creatures must go to the butcher. Lambs to the slaughter.

Visitors enjoy last year’s Fota House and Gardens Fair. Note the extremely attractive seat for positioning around the trunk of your favourite tree!

suggest is your chance to get a specimen of that recently featured Corydalis ‘Beth Evans’, a scented, miniature daphne perhaps, or indeed, some new varieties of erythroniums, trilliums, and blue anemone. The specialists at Fota cater for all tastes. Retailers

providing garden furniture, pots, sculptures, ornaments and tools have also been invited to attend, thus enabling the visitor to buy everything needed for the season ahead.

Catering facilities will be available in Fota House (and on site throughout the day) and parking in

the adjacent grounds is included in the admission price of €8, half of which will go directly to the Friends of Marymount Hospice.

There will also be an opportunity for those attending to walk around the beautiful gardens and arboretum at Fota and to visit the newly renovated

Fota House to see the recently hung collection of pictures which represents the third most significant public collection of Irish art in the State.

This southern affair comforts me in its ability to provide an annual first-class fair for gardeners countrywide.

BOOK REVIEW: VEGETABLES FOR THE POLYTUNNEL AND GREENHOUSE

T

here is no doubt that more and more people are interested in growing their own fruit and vegetables. Nowadays more vegetable seeds than flower seeds are sold in garden centres and there has been a rash of new urban and rural allotments. But there’s also no doubt that many newcomers to the pastime have found that growing food in our fickle climate and northern latitude isn’t that straightforward.

I’ve had a vegetable garden most of my life and discovered long ago that to make it work properly in this country it needs to be augmented by a greenhouse, polytunnel or conservatory. This lengthens the growing season by weeks or even months. It means that seeds can be

20

L

ate March through to mid April is a wonderful time to go walking in beech and broadleaf woodland for it is still pellucid and mysterious. Later, when the leaves are fully expanded it will become enclosed, curtained off and darkened from the outside world. Until then, we can admire wood anemones and bluebells, essential constituents (along with primroses) of the spring tapestry now showing in all shady places. Those anemones in white and pink move and wander about at will, sometimes emerging between massed tree trunks where little else seems to grow while others move further to where the light catches their nodding blooms. In light or shade they love to dance in the March wind, harmonising with everything, and clashing with nothing. Take a walk on the wild side this weekend.

T

he season of open gardens and plant fairs is upon us. These are merry events, packed with garden enthusiasts; plant collectors, would-be specialists, old-timers and the young, all eager to see and purchase the very best that horticulture has to offer.

My abiding memories of these are many, mainly the ache in my feet and the search for somewhere to sit down. And yet I plod on, finding that the more you attend the more fun it becomes. I have yet to meet a gardener who did not enjoy attending one of these great events even among the few who complain about the inadequacies of the site, the layout of the event, parking, or the lack or otherwise of facilities. A great passion keeps them interested and this matures and grows with the years despite economic restrictions and age limitations.

Of course, the premier event of spring here in the south is, and always will be, the Fota House and Gardens Fair which this year takes place on Sunday, April 22, from 11am to 4pm. This is now recognised as the biggest plant and garden fair in the country, excepting the hugely sponsored ‘Bloom’.

This year, the Fota event expects 70 to 80 specialist nurseries to attend, each of which will have for sale rare and unusual trees, shrubs, alpines, herbaceous and water plants at very reasonable prices. Now I

WORK FOR THE WEEK

germinated earlier in the spring and tender crops like tomatoes, peppers or aubergines can ripen late in the autumn and it eliminates the common problem of wind damage. It’s possible to produce things like salad leaves and scallions in every month of the year under cover, but not outdoors.

Klaus Laitenberger learned his gardening skills in Germany but for many years now he has been applying them in north Leitrim. He has already written a general book on vegetable gardening and started a seed company.

Now he’s produced a new book called Vegetables for the Polytunnel and Greenhouse. What makes it unusual, if not unique, is that it’s firmly based on hands-on experience gained in one of the more difficult parts of the country

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

for growing things.

The approach is strictly organic, although most of the information is also relevant to gardeners who are not as purist. It’s self-published but excellently laid out and beautifully illustrated. And, although it’s aimed at beginners I learnt a lot from it, and I’m hardly a beginner at this stage.

Fifty-six different crops each have an individual section which tells you everything you need to know from sowing to harvesting and suggests varieties that perform well in Irish conditions. This includes all the common vegetables and a few weird ones like oca, stevia and yacon. The book is worth buying just for the evaluation of tomato varieties that perform well in Irish conditions, taste

It’s the pinnacle of late spring gardening events here in the south, a celebration of the spirit of horticulture, and the triumph of enthusiasm over indifference and hard times. For those with an interest in gardening and the great outdoors this is an event not to be missed.

SWEET PEA: If you sowed sweet peas under glass late last year or earlier this spring then they’ll soon need planting out. They can still be sown outdoors now that we are into March, putting them directly where they’re to flower. Push the fairly large seeds about an inch deep into the soil. It would be wise to enrich the medium beforehand for these only give a

by Charlie Wilkins good return when fed properly and watered freely.

DAFFODILS: If your daffodil blooms are being eaten despite the laying of slug and snail bait then blame earwigs. Like molluscs, these feed by night and sleep by day. They leave no slime trail and require neither leaf litter nor humus material in which to hide during the hours of daylight. Cracks, crevices and holes in walls are their favoured hiding places and unless the weather is extremely cold they’ll remain active every month. Just now their favourite food is daffodil blooms. Not the leaves mind you, but the opened and sometimes not so opened blooms. A few puffs of Kill-Ant powder (or any ant-killing product) sprinkled around the base of daffodils will settle the problem for good.

JAPANESE ANEMONES: The flowers of Japanese anemones are undeniably exquisite — in glistening white or many shades of pink — and last through several weeks in autumn, unblemished, defying even the early frosts. Clumps are best divided not in autumn but in spring, and late spring at that. In spite of the plant’s vigour (some would say invasiveness), divisions frequently die if taken at any other time. Garden centre plants can be put in now (if you have never had them), taking advantage of the increasing light and rising temperatures to quickly establish.

LOVE IN A MIST: As suggested last year, the sowing of a tiny area with an annual called Nigella brought joy to numerous gardeners. Try to do similar this spring. Commonly referred to as ‘Love in a Mist’, it aptly describes the misty-blue flowers which lie half-hidden within the plant’s finely-cut foliage. It has been grown by generations of gardeners, although nowadays multi-coloured forms are grown as well as the traditional cornflower blue.

Nigella is very easily grown, but for fine bushy plants you should dig in compost or manure before sowing the seeds. The dried seed-heads are also widely used by flower arrangers and anyone can copy their harvesting methods. Simply wait until these are well developed then cut with fine long stems and hang upside down in an outhouse or airy room to dry. They’ll be fully aired in a fortnight or so. Left on the plants, the seed heads will eventually open to scatter their contents about the garden so that you’ll never be without them again.

GARDENNOTES

■ Come Flower With Me is the title of a spring flower demonstration by Robin Waistell in The Maryborough Hotel and Spa on Thursday next at 8pm. Creative and inspirational, he will deliver a fast-paced demonstration designed to encourage and enthuse his audience. Wine reception at 7.30pm, tickets €20. All welcome with proceeds to Cork ARC Cancer Support House. For enquiries, please call Karen or Hilary on 021 4276688.

■ Carrigtwohill Flower and Garden club will host Spring Baskets and Container Gardening at 8pm on Wednesday next in Ballyseedy Garden Centre.

■ Ladysbridge and District Flower and Garden Club meet on Monday next at 8pm in the Garryvoe Hotel. Beatrice Hartog from Conna Flower Club will demonstrate Easter Flowers. Competition arrangement, Spring is Here.

■ The Pavilion Garden Centre, Ballygarvan, continues its free weekly leisure learning programme on Wednesday next at 10.30am. Topic: Herbs in your Kitchen...its Medicine by Margie Lynch, Herbalist. Contact 021 4888134 www.thepavilion.ie ■ Ardfield/ Rathbarry Gardening Club will host John Conway from The Hollies, Enniskeane on Monday next at 8pm in the Parish Hall. His topic is Small ecological Gardens. Vegetable and flower seeds will be swapped on the night. All welcome.

■ Glenville Flower and Garden Club will meet on Tuesday next at 8.30pm in Kades Kounty, Glenville for an Easter demonstration by Bernadette Scanlon. Non-members welcome.

■ The Greenbarn Garden and Lifestyle Centre Killeagh, has been granted the Bord Bia 4 Star QualityAward.

■ Lismore Castle Arts presents a talk by William Burlington (whose family has presided over Lismore Castle for 14 generations) on April 3rd at 7pm in Lismore Castle, Co Waterford on the past, present and future of his family’s Irish home. The talk will be a personal insight into the history of the castle and the families who have lived within its ancient walls. Tickets cost €15 (€10 members of the Friends Scheme) which includes a glass of wine or soft drink. Drinks will be served from 6.30pm.

■ The Owenabue Garden and Flower club, Carrigaline will hold their annual Spring Show on Monday next at 8pm in the C of I school hall. All are welcome.

■ Join Brian Cross for a spring garden morning at Lakemount Gardens on April 14 for all you need to know about spring gardening. All proceeds to Cork Simon. Limited spaces so booking is essential.

Contact sarah@corksimon.ie or 0214929416

by Dick Warner

■ Griffins free talks on Monday, Wednesday and Friday next are on Your Irish Vegetable Garden even without a garden. Gourmet lunches €10.

good and respond to the organic approach. The second section tells you how to choose a greenhouse or polytunnel, where to put it and how to manage it. There is also a month-bymonth guide to tell you what you should be doing and a number of charts explaining things like crop rotation and transplanting regimes. The well-written glossary will be useful to people new to vegetable gardening.

■ Open Garden at Cedarlodge, Baneshane, Midleton, today and tomorrow from 11am to 5pm.

No. 1 Lawnmower Man

• • • • • • •

■ Vegetables for the Polytunnel and Greenhouse by Klaus Laitenberger is available to buy from the author’s website, www.milkwoodfarm.com. It costs €14.95 plus €3.50 postage and packing.

Craftsman Sit-On Mowers 14.5 h/p to 23 h/p Twin-Cut Sit-On Mowers 10.5 h/p to 17/.5 h/p Stiga Articulator Out Front Dedicated Mulching Mowers Push and Self-Propelled Mowers Honda Lawnmowers, Oleo-Mac Strimmers & Hedge Cutters Grasshopper Zero Turn Mowers Lawn, Landscaping, Golf and Sportsfield machinery also available

PAT G E A N E Y

Brooklodge, Glanmire, Co. Cork Tel. 021-4822465 or 021-4821409 West St., Tallow, Co. Waterford Tel. 058-55970 OPEN 6 DAYS • Mon-Thurs 9am-8pm • Fri-Sat 9am-6pm Bluebells in full bloom in Muckross Estate, Killarney, Co, Kerry

www.thelawnmowerman.ie

IRISH EXAMINER Property&Interiors | 24.03.2012

21

TERAPROOF:User:noelcampionDate:22/03/2012Time:12:51:19Edition:24/03/2012PropertyXP2403Page:24

Zone:XP1

XP1 - V1

������� ����

��� ��� ���� ���������������

����������

��� �� ������

��� �� ������

��� ������� ������� ����

��� �������� ����������

������������ ������

�� ��������� ����� ����� ����������

���������� � ��� �������� ������ ���� Æ ������� ��� ������� ���� ����� Æ ����������� ���������� ������� ���� ��������� ������ Æ ����������� ������ ����� Æ ����������� �������� Æ �������� ����������� Æ ������� ����� �� � ������ �� ���

�������� � ��� ������ ������� ����� ���� ��������� �������� Æ �������� ���� ��������� ����� ���� Æ ���� ���� �� ���� Æ ������� Æ ����� �� ������� Æ �� ������� ���� �������� �� ������ �� ���� ����� ��������� Æ ���� ����� ������ Æ ������� ��� �� � ������ �� ���

��� ��� ������ ����� �� � � ��� �������� ������ ��������� Æ ���������� ����������� ����� Æ �������� ��������� �� � ���� �������� Æ ���� �������� �������� �������� Æ ������� ��� �� � ������ �� ���

���������� � ��� �������� ������ ���� Æ ������� ����������� Æ ������ ���������� ����� Æ ������������ ������� ��� ������ ����� Æ ����������� ���������� ������� Æ ������� �������� Æ ��� �� � ������ �� ���

����� ��������

����� ���������� ����� �� �����������

����� ���������� ����� ��������

��� �� ������

��� �� ������

��������� ��������� ����� ��������

����� �����

����� ����������

����� �����

��������� ���� ��������������������� ���������� ���� ����� ��������

�� ��������� ����� ����� ����������� ������� ����� �����������

�������� ��������� � ��� ���� Æ ���� �� ������ ����� Æ ������� ��� ������� ����� ����� Æ �������� ������ Æ �������� �� ����� ������ Æ �� ���� ����� ���������� Æ ������� ����� �� � ������ �� ���

����������� ������ � ��� ������������� Æ ������� � ������������ ����� Æ ����������� ������ ����� Æ ���� �������� �� ������ ���� Æ ���� ������� ����������� ���������� ������� Æ ����������� ����� Æ ������� ����� �� � ������ �� ���

����� ��������

�������� � ��� �������� ���� Æ �������� �� ������� ��� ������� �� ����� Æ ������ ������� �������� ������ ������� Æ ������ ����� ��������� �� �������� ���� ������ Æ ��������� ��������� �� ���� Æ ������� ������ �� � ������ �� ��� ��������� ������

����� ���������� ����� ��������

���� ���� ����� ��� ���� �����

����� ���������� ����� ��������

���� ���� ����� ��� ���� �����

����������� �� �������� � ��� �������� �������� ���� ����� ����� ��� ����������� Æ ���������� ������� �� ������� ��� ���� Æ �������� ����� Æ ���� ������� �� ����������� ������� Æ ���� Æ ������� ��� �� � ������ �� ���

����� ���������� ����� ��������

����� ����������

���� ���� ����� ���� ���� �����

��� �������� ���������� �������� ��������� ������� �������

������� ����� ������

����� ���� ����

� ������� ������� �� ����������� ������������� ��� �������� ����� Æ ������� �� � ���� ���� �������� �� ������������ ��� ������������ Æ �������� �� ���� Æ ��� ���� ���� ���� ���� ��� ���� ���� ��� ���� ����� ������

������ �� � ��� ���� ��� � ��� �������� ����� Æ ������������ �������� Æ ��� ������ ������ ������� Æ ���� Æ �� ���� ��� �������� �������� ��� �������� Æ ���� ���� �� ���� ���� Æ ����� �� ��� Æ ���� �� �� ��

������������ ������ ����� ����� ������� ������� �������� ������ ����� ��� ����� �� ���

������ ���� ��������

������ �� � ��� ��������� ��� ������������� Æ ������� �������� ������� ������� Æ ��� ������ ������ ������� Æ ���� Æ �� ���� ��� �������� �������� ��� �������� Æ ���� ���� � ���� ����� Æ ������� ������ �� � ������ �� ���

����� �� �������� ������ ���� ��������

��������� ��������� ������ ���� ��������

��������� ��������� �������� ����

������� ���� ����������� �� ��� ���� �� ������ ������ �� ���� ���� �� ����� ���� �� �������