Life will be a beach after boathouse buy

IT is downhill all the way to the beach, but in the best possible way, at this Roberts Cove home.

A former coastguard boathouse, it guards a steep private slipway to an almost private section of beach, protectively placed at the top of the stone incline/decline, and in the past played an important role in protecting this south Co Cork section of coastline.

Renovated 11 years ago by a man in the building line and used as a holiday home in this popular beach community with good pub/restaurants, it is just up for sale and will make a seaside trophy purchase.

The old coastguard station/boathouse dates back to the 1820s, and was built by the British government, under Admiralty and Customs requests to ensure the coastline was securely watched, says estate agent Carol Harris of Property Choice, who puts a modern-day valuation of €460,000 on the one-off buy.

"The Napoleonic wars and fears of invasion, plus the widespread smuggling along the along the Irish coastline, had convinced the British Establishment that the coast of Ireland was most vulnerable to sea invasion - so this building was as a direct result of these fears," she notes.

Location is as you'd expect, at the closest safe proximity to the sea at pretty Roberts Cove, near Minane Bridge, south of Carrigaline on the rocky, cliffed section of Cork coastline half an hour from the city.

It has been done in sympathetic materials to its origins: pointed stone, slate roof, wood window frames, and hardwood double doors seal off the space whence boats once slid down to the water. There's an overhead supported glazed sun-room extension - surely it earns the 'bay' window title, while other windows on the side are cantilevered or stepped out from the wall to open up views all the more.

There's about 800 sq ft of space, so it is a case of the better goods coming in small parcel: the point is, this type of structure in such a setting will never again be built.

The living space is quite open plan, just beyond the limestone entrance steps, and has living, kitchen and dining with sun room beyond.

The main bedroom is at the upper level, with jutting out box windows, and a bathroom next to it has a Velux roof light. There's a second bedroom underneath, with full length windows allowing access to the front patio area.

The boat house is lower again, via steps, used as a storage/utility room with a shower.

"It is an ideal hermit's retreat," says the selling agent, and aspiring hermits may be comforted by double glazing, and solid fuel and electric storage heating.