Schoolfield Lodge letsin the light

Distinctive features ensure Midleton property stands out from the crowd, writes Trish Dromey

WHILE many spacious, detached rural houses which went up in the early 2000s all seem to be built from near identical plans this is not the case with Schoolfield Lodge near Midleton.

Architect designed, with a high level of input from the owners, it has quite a number of distinctive features to make it stand out from typical houses in its class. The most unusual is the front entrance which has double height porch opening into a long hallway with a contemporary steel and beech staircase.

The owners’ key instruction to Carrigaline architect Eric Beamish was to let in the light. Having very definite ideas about what she wanted, the lady of the house told him that she absolutely didn’t want a small dimly lit hallway and that a staircase that was ordinary or run of the mill was totally out of the question.

Viewers who go to see this four bed east Cork property will remember the entrance and are unlikely to confuse this house with any other.

Building it on a green field site in 2001, the owners created a home that had none of the faults of the ready-built houses they had previously lived in and which provided plenty of space for family living. Eleven years on they say the only fault with this house is that it has become too large for the family’s requirements.

New to the market with Michael Russell auctioneers, Schoolfield Lodge offers an acre of gardens, 2,000 sq ft of well laid out modern accommodation as well as a self-contained 400 sq ft apartment, for a guide price of €450,000.

The curved staircase in the hallway, with a stainless steel central spine and open beech treads, is possibly the most unique feature. This was custom made by Independent Engineering Services in Midleton. While most home owners are content to have a staircase which gets them to the first floor , this one is definitely a style statement. The owners even used a ladder when they moved in while waiting to ensure the design was exactly right.

The staircases is situated in a 20 ft long hallway with a double height ceiling and glass panels which is anything but the small dark entrance that the owners didn’t want.

The kitchen/dining room is extra spacious with cream and beech units, integrated Neff appliances and granite worktops. The individualism of the owners comes through in the colour scheme and the fact that the breakfast counter is made of glass blocks. This counter brightens the room and also separates the slate-floored kitchen area from the maple floored dining room which is on a slightly lower level. The net effect is that the cook can chat to guests from the kitchen without being observed.

Aficionados of neutral colouring in houses may be taken aback by the use of orange on some of the kitchen walls, but those who aren’t afraid of vibrant colours will love it.

The large comfortable sitting room is very neutral with cream-coloured walls and carpeting, but there are splashes of colour in the wall hangings, curtains and cushions. This room has a modern insert fireplace and a small sunroom area at one end with patio doors. Other accommodation includes a utility room, a second living room and a timber-floored room which could be a bedroom but is now doubling up as a gym and an office.

Tapering on the way up and widening at the top the staircase leads upstairs to three carpeted en suite bedrooms.

The extra large master bedroom has a both an en suite and a walk in wardrobe. For a touch of extra comfort it also has a balcony with seating and countryside views.

To the rear of the detached garage is a self-contained apartment which has a large living area and an en suite bedroom. The original plans included a kitchen, something which a buyer might follow through on. This space could accommodate a granny, a teenager, or an au pair, or be turned into a work area.

Built by Sheehan Bros in Ballyduff, the house has a C2 BER rating, oil fired heating and well water with a filtration system.

Schoolfield Lodge stands on a field where a hedge school was located during Penal times. Glanmire garden designer Brian Cross transformed the field into landscaped gardens.

The design includes a 450 sq ft decked area at the back which takes advantage of distant views of the Knockmealdown and Galtee Mountains and Youghal Bay. There’s also a planted area and at a distance from the house on the lawn, a raised bed with railway sleepers. Fuchsias, r hododendrons, hydrangeas, pink roses and Exbury azaleas are likely to provide a riot of summer colour.

Schoolfield Lodge is located three miles north of Midleton on the Dungourney Road and is around 18 miles from the city. The auctioneer’s verdict is that it’s comfortable, well designed and beautifully presented. We concur.