Limo-like luxury by Loughaderra Lake

Substantial, roomy East Cork home has a double garage for its limo-business vendors, says Tommy Barker.

THIS large, East Cork family home looks more normal-sized when a super-long, white stretch limousine, or a long wheel-base Daimler are parked outside.

The family that built this 3,500 sq ft home, eight years ago, have a car/limo hire business -, hence the massive double garage and car-port to the rear, on a 0.6-acre site. Set at Kilmountain, a half a mile north of the N25, as it heads from Cork/Midleton into Castlemartyr village, this stretch-sized home is getting interest from beyond its locale, says Midleton-based auctioneer, Miah McGrath, of McCarthy and McGrath.

It’s had visitors from the far side of Cork City, including employees at EMC, in Ovens and Mahon, who’d use the Jack Lynch tunnel to commute to this big spread. It’s priced at €440,000, a level more typical of smaller homes closer to the city suburbs than to a quiet, rural back road.

However, there’s a heck of a lot of above-spec home here, and it’s just a minute or two to the N25, by Loughaderra lake, perennially popular with anglers. Midleton’s only a short spin by car, as is the sea, near Garryvoe, beyond Castlemartyr and its five-star hotel.

The owners, who are set to build once more, also went for a sort of five-star standard, at least in one of the bathrooms, which is dominated by a pod-like enclosed bath, with jetted shower and steam jets.

It’s a sprawling home, with four first-floor bedrooms, plus further, multi-purpose space/rooms for office/storage uses up at the attic level, too, with two sets of feature, open-tread stairs linking the house’s three internal levels.

The master bedroom’s a good size, with its own en-suite bathroom, and walk-in wardrobe — plus a walk-out balcony — via French doors, with enough space to sit out and read a paper with a ‘cuppa’ in the mornings.

Best space is at ground level, kicking off with a lofty, marble-floored entrance hall with soaring views up the two flights of open tairs, and the back wall by the kitchen entry point is done in stone and brick.

Rooms arranged off this airy hall include a drawing room, with play room, and a living room with fireplace.

Off that is the marble-floored kitchen/dining room, with fiery-red Stanley range, and units in walnut, all topped with black granite.

Then, there’s a utility off, with niche glass-block wall feature divide, with back-up electric hobs and a Neff steam oven. There’s also a guest WC, and a sun room off the dining space, with high, wood-panelled ceilings and French doors to a gable-end patio with low, wind-sheltering wall in red brick. The adjacent double garage has a further 800 sq ft, with service pit, and the attached car-port is a whopping 40’ long.

VERDICT: A ‘Hummer-dinger’, for families.

East Cork €440,000

Sq m 327 (3,500 sq ft)

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 4

BER Rating: B3

Best Feature: Lavish