Olympic style in new 400 house scheme

FED up with standard house design and layout? For a blast of something fresh and different, try the Olympic, the last houses and most novel house type to go into the Pembroke Wood scheme in the harbour town of Passage West in Co Cork.

The three-storey houses are built into the top of the sloping site which dictated much of the lay-out. They have a staggered, split-level plan, and five varied internal levels, which means lots of steps, but used in such a way that they become a feature of the house rather than just a continuous stairwell.

"It would be a great party house. There's a great flow through the rooms and there's loads of space for a family," enthuses selling agent Jackie Cohalan of Cohalan Downing, acting jointly in the scheme with Keane Mahony Smith.

The Pembroke Wood development of just over 400 homes was done by Manor Park Homes and Barry Supple over the last five years, and is now in the final stages with just 15 of these houses (named after the ship, the Olympic) to be launched. They're priced at €390,000.

Vaguely US-looking, or ideal for a spot by a marina, there's a sort of 'Living over the Cars' feel to the Dennehy Architects design, with a lower level car-port by the main entrance also ideal for baby-boomers to keep boats, motorbikes or jet-skis sheltered in. Once through the front door it is straight onwards and upwards past the storage areas to the kitchen/dining room, full width of the house and L-shaped as well, and the site slope means this area has access directly to the back garden.

Then, trot up a few steps from the dining end to the equally spacious living room, with a balcony to the front of the house and.

The stairs for the next few levels now tucks into the central core of this 1,720 sq ft house, with two bedrooms a-piece on further half levels, plus a main bathroom (there's also a guest loo and utility room mid-ships).

The plentiful features include timber-frame construction, high level and wall-mounted gas fire in the living room, a zoned gas-fired central heating system, extensive sound system wiring, lots of TV and phone points, oak hand rails, downlighters in reception rooms, power showers, a large en suite in the main top floor bedroom, and a Skytube light for drawing daylight down into the top stairwell making the space a prime contender for hanging large artworks in.