Come home to wide open

Tommy Barker almost gets lost in all the luxury, open spaces and gorgeous views offered

HABLAS Espanol? Irish Celtic Tigers who got a taste for Spain during the good years might like to get a touch of the Iberian peninsula on home turf. If so, this Cratloe, Clare/Limerick home at just under the €1 million mark, might fit the bill.

Designed as a one-off and owned by a builder who furnished it to Hola! magazine standards, it is a recently built large family home of 4,900 sq ft, with lots of opulent features and loads of large glazed areas to catch the country views and the vista out towards Bunratty Castle and the Shannon estuary.

In many ways, it catches the Zeitgeist of the past several years of booming Irish economy, with the owners not afraid to shop and spend, evidenced in that they went right to the source for vast quantities of Spanish marble tiling for floors enough to floor several holiday apartments.

This house, Brickhill, is one of a handful of extravagantly large homes currently under construction in this rural enclave. Brickhill itself, despite the level of finish done to date, isn't a finished product: several rooms need completing.

It is not surprising that the vendors haven't got around to the final details in these after all the house is the size of four regular semi-

detacheds. What is completed "oozes luxury and opulence," sales agent Gillian Dunne of Sherry FitzGerald O'Malley says, pinning a 980,000 guide to this haven of comfort.

The house itself is on a site of over half an acre, a short drive west from the city centre of Limerick, and its new owner will probably come from this quarter, though Shannon may also supply a buyer.

Brickhill is notable for its large open spaces, like the bright gallery- style entrance hall with a wrought iron staircase, marble floors and picture which windows open on to the views.

The living room also has large windows and French doors opening to a balcony and the Clare countryside beyond. The family room, with Spanish marble floors, also has balcony access.

The kitchen is large, sleek and modern, with a large central island and stainless steel prep sink. There are granite worktops and recessed lighting, with a dining room leading off to one side. It too has marble flooring and recessed lighting as well as great countryside views.

This house has a sauna area set aside with shower and bathroom, there's a utility room with, yep, you've guessed it, marble floors and space galore, and a guest bathroom.

The house has four main bedrooms, plus a study or fifth bedroom, with cherry wood floors, and recessed lighting, and has double doors to the front of the house.

The master bedroom is palatial, a genuine suite with more toned- down dark wood furniture. It also has a walk-in dressing room with oodles of storage space and the en suite is a serious washing affair with marble floors, double sinks, Jacuzzi, power shower unit, bidet and WC.

The other three bedrooms are all en suite and two have walk in wardrobes.

Want more space? The attic is floored with about 600 sq ft of space, the size of a two-bed apartments, and has storage/office/games room with windows and is reached via a spiral staircase.