One-off wonder with attitude

Tommy Barker is impressed by this bungalow with a Continental twist.

THIS Woodstown Co Waterford home could be called a bungalow, but it is all that and more. It takes the traditional model favoured by hundreds of thousands of Irish families, makes it larger, and gives it a Continental twist and design flair into the bargain.

Set not too far from the glorious Woodstown beach, this family home which is only recently built, runs to 2,800 sq ft of space, and is on six private acres, with a curved fan of ditch and stone walls setting a naturalistic entrance boundary to its grounds.

A relocation has brought this five-bed Ballydavid, Woodstown home to the spring/summer 2008 market, and it is a new listing with Property Partners Fogarty, who seek €1.2 million for the one-off with wonders, just five miles from Waterford city.

About three years old, it was designed by local architect David Smyth and built in a post and beam structure by Griffner Coillte, a partnership which has since parted company, though Austrian firm Griffner has stayed on to build more one-offs like this in Ireland.

The bungalow with attitude, and sheltering projections, has two large reception rooms, mostly open plan with high ceilings, five bedrooms, and four bathrooms, much of it flooded with light.

It is an adaptable space, despite the necessary intrusion of the beams, and has character, thanks to the mix of natural materials and modern design. Its decor, seen in these images, shows this blend too, with antiques and old Irish pine furniture quite at home with contemporary architectural flair.

A natural slate roof caps the fairly extensive home, and heating is via geothermal sources and underfloor coils, with Austrian spruce used in the post and beam structure, along with Austrian larch in some of the external cladding.

Its intelligent layout sees smaller windows used to the north, with utilities, bedrooms and pantries mostly on this approach side by the formal front door and drive, and the larger windows, French doors and double height spaces are to the sunny south, ranging off an extensive decked patio which zig-zags between the sitting room/living room/dining room for exterior circulation.

The slate roof has a good overhang, with the wood cladding visible underneath in the eaves, and there’s a projected sheltering overhang beyond a sunny seating space by the kitchen, which allows for outdoor eating even in showery but warm weather.

This Ballydavid bungalow has five bedrooms, with the master one en suite and with a walk-in wardrobe, and there’s good utility, pantry, storage and attic space too. Not enough? Then, there’s also a well-built, heated and insulated 1,000 sq ft detached garage in matching larch-clad style, divvied up into three separate units with a bathroom provided, adaptable for home or office uses.

Eco-friendly touches include windows by Hracho Wina, which are double glazed with K glass to capture and retain the sun’s heat, thanks to the house’s passive solar gain design and southern orientation.

The walls are breathable, the geothermal heating is described as economical and environmentally-friendly with lots of hot water on tap, and the underfloor heating is thermostatically controlled.

Other features include a living room wired for home cinema, lots of garden access points and herb and flower beds in sheltered spots by the walls, plenty of capacious storage, IT provision and broadband links, and an Eircom phone watch alarm.

At just five miles from Waterford city, it is most likely going to be bought as a full-time family home by some fairly well-heeled individuals.

The beach’s proximity may well also see it bought as a holiday home.