HOUSE OF THE WEEK

IT’S great to be handy, and handier still if you’re talented — and the man of the house at no 6, Diamond Hill is both, able to turn his hand to building, carpentry, and gardening.

The hard-working duo at this Monkstown, Cork harbour area family home, built their bungalow base ten years ago, after they’d renovated a period home nearby in Passage West.

Now, with children suddenly grown up and flown the nest, the nicely-different, and thoughtfully-tweaked, house is just up for sale. Buy it fast, and you’ll even get your ‘five a day’ fruit and veg from the garden: it’s a masterclass in horticultural productivity, backed up by lots of nooks, seating areas and bowers.

Selling agent, Timothy Sullivan, has the surprise package on the market for its trading-down owners at €490,000, and it’s a surprise because you wouldn’t suspect it’s too out of the norm when first seen from the entrance, good and all as its flower beds are. The whole place quickly grows on you.

So, surprises include a smashing, lofty open kitchen/dining/family room at the back, with heating from solar gain, or a recently-installed solid-fuel feature stove. This room is overlooked by a glass and steel baluster balcony from the (almost hidden) two huge, well-finished and multi-use (20’ by 11’, and 32’ by 12’) attic rooms, a massive boon to the house, at least to those under 6’ tall. Think den, home cinema, games room, home office, gym, storage and overspill, all these and more, with permanent stair access.

Downstairs, quality joinery work also sets the rooms apart, with oak, birch and walnut flooring, and the main sitting room is 23’ by 21’, with raised gas fireplace, a real party room, which links both to the hall and to the inviting kitchen.

The kitchen is a bit of a cook’s paradise, with side ‘wings’ from the long run of walnut units, all topped in black granite, as is the odd-shaped kitchen island. Splash-back tiling is muted, pale blue Metro tiles, tres chic. A facing, tall wall is faced in strips of Chinese stone, but all eyes in this generous room are toward the tall gable wall of glass.

Two of the four bedrooms are en-suite, each has top-notch power showers with lots of jets and water fonts, and the master bedroom’s en suite is set, wet-room fashion, behind a curved wall of glass blocks.

There’s an unexpected but low-key air of modernity/contemporary look, especially given the fact it was all done like this ten years ago when first built — definitely ahead of the curve at the time.

No 6 was built as a one-off on a site in Monkstown’s private, elevated Diamond Hill, one of the later house arrivals here on its sloping site, with Cork harbour’s waters glimpsed via mature boundaries, views likely to open up a bit more in winter when leaves are gone.

The site’s slope, gentle enough, is used to good effect, creating special areas of interest in tiers, ranging down from the parking spot past three levels of shrubs, the house is all on the one level, and then the back garden, which is the sunniest aspect, is divided up by mass planting, hard landscaping, wending water features, pond, decking, barbecue area, creeper-clad pergola with seating for four, and raised beds for salads and vegetables, with timbers painted a trendy purple.

VERDICT: Definitely one to view, there’s a great mix of inside living space, an adaptable attic already converted, and gardens ready to enjoy, with all the hard work done.

Location: Monkstown, Cork harbour

Price: €490,000

Size: 2,002 sq ft plus 635 sq ft attic (186 sq m plus 59 sq m)

Bedrooms: 4

BER rating: Pending

Broadband: Yes

Best feature: Full of surprises