From porch to Porsche in Glanmire
looks at a large luxurious house which could provide a great home for a big family (and its sporty cars).
A lot of money was spent on building 6 The Hermitage, back in 1998.
Then, probably as much again was expended on it in 2006, when the owners decided to extend and upgrade, and the bobs weren’t spared in things like the new lofty sun room, the counter-current swimming pool, the marble and limestone trimmed hotel-like leisure suite that accompanies it, the bold-hued Scavolini kitchen, the enormous southerly-aspected and sun-soaking patio, and, finally, in the chalet-like car port for a classic Porsche convertible.
Now, having pushed their home’s size up to an estimated and surprising 4,700 sq ft, they’re ready to downsize, to drain the pool, electronically wind down the blinds, pack up the family and the fleet, pull down the roller shutters on the garage, and build or buy again, only smaller.
Not only is the floor area considerable, there’s internal volume too, especially in the very large, extended main family living/sun room, whose ceiling reaches up to about 16’ with exposed ceiling beams, LED downlighting, and cinema-style large TV screen and sound set-up.
This room has patio access by the back apex glazed wall, plus a raised wood-burning stove on a marble glazed plinth: it gets so bright, and so warm, that blinds have to be pulled on most bright days, where electrically-operated and expertly fittedSanderson blinds do the trick.
It’s a sign of the attention to detail and investment at No 6, The Hermitage, one of about a dozen or so one-off homes in this cul de sac built on serviced sites above Cork’s Riverstown and Glanmire a one minute fast car drive away from the M8 access link point.
Resales within the Hermitage are few and far between, nothing showing on the Price Register since 2015, and nothing remotely close (€432,000 was tops, back in 2013, a different time in the market) to the asking price of No 6.
Cobh-based agent Johanna Murphy guides at €950,000. and that equates to just over €200 per square foot, and There’s quite a lot packed into this family+ home. Why family+? Well, while the main house is spacious, floored in marble, walnut, and carpet, and the Scavolinikitchen has everything you’d expect in a glossy, high-end space including the obligatory coffee maker, butit’s the ‘leisure centre’ which adds a whole other perspective and five-star suite of amenities.
The leisure end has a guest suite/bedroom 5 above it, ideal for visitors, independent family members, au pair or personal trainer. Down on the main marbled deck there’s a powerful counter-current heated pool with sliding door garden access, (air conditioning keeps the gym and pool condensation-free, despite perspiration), sauna, and walk-in shower.
And, having hosted regular pool parties for young and teenage boys, and tired of the towel laundering burden, the owners sourced a full-body hot air blow dryer, which gusts from head to toe, saving hugely on the dripping towel front (there’s a problem solved, that many of us didn’t know we might encounter.)
Other adaptations include cleverly siting a breakfast bar into a bay window, a family casual gathering/grazing point, the owners say. Window sills internally are finished with clear glass, a wipe to clean, and the hall’s set off by some feature cut limestone walls, with stair winding around in a twist to the main four first-floor bedrooms, of which two are en-suite, and the whole home has just been redecorated, from top to bottom.
More limestone features in a garden circular BBQ area, and the overall, thoroughly landscaped site’s about 0.75 acre, behind electric access gates.
One of the owners is a car fanatic so there’s a long, adjacent garage with roller doors at both ends, and a chalet/car port specially imported from Germany (see www.carporte.de) graces the front, and shelters another indulgence, an air cooled, refurbished Porsche.
All revved up.
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