Harbour views for homes that are above the ordinary

BLAME the telly and Grand Designs, blame Our House or House and Home and other magazines.

Whatever the cause there’s now an appetite for homes just that bit different.

Enter these two contemporary box homes except they are not yet built. That’s the buyers’ job or role.

Newly up for sale are two half acre sites, elevated above Passage West in Cork harbour, with harbour views and full planning permission via Yelland Architects for smart new 3,400 sq ft homes.

John Deady of Savills Hamilton Osborne King seeks €550,00 per site, and possibly optimistically reckons a further €350,000 or so (that’s 100 per sq ft for fairly high-end homes) could see houses like those you see here built upon them.

He reports strong initial interest off a web listing this week, given the lack of sites on which to built new homes with any sort of views.

Vendors are members of a local family, the Hanlons. “The planning has been obtained by a leading architect. It combines bold contemporary design with clever, innovative and functional layout. The properties occupy a dominant position at the top of elevated sites with panoramic views of Cork harbour,” says John Deady of SHOK. The sloping sites are off the back Rochestown/Passage West road.

Layout as envisaged in planning drawings include an upper entry level of living room with viewing deck off, kitchen/dining space at the core, family room, office/study, bedroom, guest WC and utility, along with four bedrooms (two en suite), bathroom and wine cellar underneath.