House of the week
Set high, and dry, on the hills above Glanmire valley at Glynntown in a niche of individual detached homes, Riverwood House is fresh to market with agent Michael Downey of ERA Downey McCarthy, guided at €550,000, and he says it is in showhouse, turn-key, order.
Only recently finished off, it’s as good as ‘just out of the box;’ in looks terms, it’s quite classic and symmetrical to the front, almost dolls’ house-ish, and is a little bit more contemporary behind where there’s a glass screened balcony off a bedroom, and a long, high-ceilinged and high-end kitchen extension, airy to match the feel of the double height entrance hall.
But, the things new owners will also appreciate will be the coveted ‘A’ BER rating with energy saving and built-in efficiency features like solar heating, triple glazing, high levels of air tightness and insulation, a heat recovery system, condenser boiler (oil-fired), pressurised water system, central vacuum, and wood-burning stoves in the reception rooms.
Then, for peace of mind, there’s things like security and smoke alarms, and doors are fire-rated.
In terms of roominess, there’s a 16’ by 13’ living room, a huge ‘dog-leg’ 23’ by 14’ and 16’ by 16’ kitchen/dining/family space, and optional second reception or bed five, plus study, utility and guest WC with shower. Flooring on most of the ground level is porcelain tiling, which bounces light about the place.
Overhead, one of the four bedrooms is en suite, and the main family bathroom has mosaic tiling in a mount around the bath. There’s balcony access with west-facing back garden views from the master bedroom, via French doors.
There’s further stair access to the attic level, which is home to two rooms, each of which is larger than most of the bedrooms, lit with Veluxes and sky-tubes.
Scene stealing space is almost definitely the kitchen, with white painted timber units, a range cooker, a great central island in walnut with granite tops, and there’s back garden access via French doors and steps down to a gravelled space before the lawn and sheltered side patio.
Decor throughout is pale and neutral, ready for a new owner to make a stamp on it, and there’s great scope for parties and random family gatherings thanks to the ground floor’s layout and gardens access.
In addition, Riverwood House has a detached, block-built garage, plus parking around the front drive for a number of cars.
VERDICT: Glyntown’s Riverwood House is as good as new, and better than most. The owners seem to have thought of just about everything in this sizeable home, so traders up north and east of the city, as well as those moving to Cork, will find little missing from their checklists here.
