Glass and views complement each other at this striking Aghada home. An impressive wall of glazing, in the form of what looks like one continuous, towering window, draws your eye to the front fa\u00e7ade \u2014 and in turn, to the vista beyond it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Beyond the sheets of glass is the gleaming plane of Cork Harbour, with dead centre, on the far shore, lovely East Ferry and, on the opposite bank, Marlogue Woods, where a canopy of green dips down to the sea.<\/p>\n
Separating these two scenic spots is the narrow channel that links the inner and outer harbour, a sheltered waterway, home to a marina and a safe berthing place for the many yachts that bob about at its entrance. It\u2019s as pretty a scene as you will see on a postcard.<\/p>\n
Architect Pete Sheehan, of Coastal Designs, did a very good job of centering the house on this sloping Lower Aghada site. The owner recalls that a \u201chuge amount of digging\u201d took place, prior to construction by Leahy Brothers in 2007.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe really positioned it to maximise the views,\u201d says the owner; and that he did. The second tool in his arsenal was the dramatic glass fa\u00e7ade, which projects outwards, at an angle, widening the view, and lengthening it, upwards, to an apex. An internal steel beam provides structural support.<\/p>\n
The spaces to benefit from this glazed outer skin are the downstairs living room and the main upstairs bedroom.<\/p>\n
The house prompts a string of \u2018wows\u2019 when the Irish Examiner visits, particularly the upper-floor bedroom, where a great swathe of water fills the arched glass frame and light pours in.<\/p>\n
Light, the owner says, was a major consideration and one of the few requests to the architect.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted a bright, open, spacious hallway, good light in every room and no small, pokey spaces,\u201d the owner says.<\/p>\n
The architect did exactly what the brief called for. Windows \u2014 tall and plentiful \u2014 let oodles of light in. The main daytime spaces are dual- or triple-aspect. Harbour views are there for the taking: At the kitchen table, at the breakfast counter, in the living room, in the family room, and, most especially, in the main front bedroom. It could happen that new owners jettison the main bedroom, in favour of an upstairs living room, so that every member of the household could enjoy the devilishly good panorama.<\/p>\n
The timber-frame house, with a solid \u2018B\u2019 energy rating and solar panels that heat the water, is on a generous, 0.44-acre site that slopes down towards the water. You can hear, but you can\u2019t see, the main road that runs below it. A tall garden wall acts as a screen. To enhance privacy, more screening could be deployed along the western boundary, perhaps by planting trees, which would also take the bare look off the wall and provide greater separation from a neighbouring property. Current planting is low maintenance and there is plenty of room for the large, raised deck, drenched in the evening sun, and accessed off the kitchen\/dining room via French doors. As the family has a dog \u2014 and had, at one time, small children \u2014 there are various gated access points to the decking to ensure the safety of both smallies and pets.<\/p>\n
Joint agents Shane Russell, of Russell Estate Agents, and Adrianna Hegarty, of Hegarty Properties, are looking after the sale of this well-executed, four-bed (all doubles) home and they note high levels of interest in this almost 2,500 sq ft property, which they are pricing at \u20ac680,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cArchitecturally, it\u2019s a very nice house in an area where it would be difficult to get planning now,\u201d Ms Hegarty says, adding that \u201cwe\u2019ve had a quite a lot of enquiries already\u201d.<\/p>\n
Mr Russell says the quality of the property, its location in Hillside \u2014 between the little villages of Rostellan and Lower Aghada \u2014 and its tremendous setting, meant it should be a hit among house-hunters.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the likely buyer will be someone who is working in Cork city and who doesn\u2019t mind a 30-minute commute, if it allows them to enjoy the benefits of the countryside, not to mention the views that come with this house.<\/p>\n