Bird’s-eye over Lee River valley from top-class home

HIGH up, and highly adaptable, is Culcarraig, a large architect-designed family home on Temple Hill, up the Lee River valley from Cork city at Carrigrohane.

Just a couple of miles from the city boundary, the house is on a choice site of 2.5 acres, elevated, with a south-easterly aspect and river views: little wonder that the current owner has a telescope in pride of place at one of the first floor, floor-to-ceiling box-bay windows, for surveying the scene beneath.

This is the area where footballer Roy Keane came a-viewing three years ago when on the prowl for a quality family home, but subsequently shied away from. As a mark of the times, though, that multi-million euro home Keane was after was bought by a local mortgage broker.

Culcarraig, set into its sloping site with a relatively level plateau around the house itself, has a €850,000-plus price guide, so if you are thinking of trading up, consult your own mortgage broker. Or, ask the neighbour.

Selling agent is Con Nagle of Global Properties, who says it is nearly three years since the last good house on Temple Hill came up for sale, and as it a green-belt zone, there won’t be too many chances ever to buy here.

The house has 2,800 sq ft of space in a layout which allows for a variety of family uses and layouts, including a 450 sq ft granny flat. And, don’t be too put off by the amount of ground, the bulk of the 2.5 acre of land is for shelter and privacy, virtually too steep to landscape or use on a daily basis. Goat herd, anyone?

The property is owned by retired architect, who extended an early 1970s bungalow in the 1980s, going up for a full second storey with a concrete floor divide, and the upper floor now has a large reception/party room and four bedrooms plus bathroom, while beneath are kitchen, dining area, a large reception room, a study, two bedrooms and another bathroom.

The independent granny flay has a kitchen/dining room, an en suite bedroom and an open plan living room. New owners might want to make decorative changes, install a new all-singing, all-dancing and all-cooking kitchen, and will look at adding en suite bathrooms most likely, but the good news is that the space for all this is here: the bones are good, the location and views are great, and the price ain’t bad either for what’s on offer.