Split from the norm in Kenmare

Single-storey house with a raised wing was designed by an architect to maximise the Kenmare views, says Trish Dromey.

Sat, 15 Sep, 2018 - 01:00

Single-storey house with a raised wing was designed by an architect to maximise the Kenmare views, says Trish Dromey.

This stylish, architect-designed property, Killaha East, near Kenmare, offers the type of sea and mountain views that tourists travel to see, and for which house buyers are usually willing to pay extra.

When its owners found a site looking across Kenmare Bay to Carrantuohill, in 2005, they asked the Killarney-based architect, Harry Wallace, to design them a house worthy of the views.

“He’d already designed a few unique and unusual properties in the area, which we liked. We asked for modern and eco-friendly and gave him free rein,” says the owner.

The result was an unconventionally shaped, split-level, single-storey house, which has two wings, looks a little like the letter ‘Z’ and fits snugly into the slope of the site.

The wing at the front houses the main living areas and has a number of high windows with sea views, while the wing at the rear has most of the bedrooms. Modern and partly cedar-clad, it’s timber-framed, made by Cork company, Atlantic Frame, and has German-made, double-glazed, aluclad pine windows.

Decorated with the assistance of Kenmare property company, House Doctors, the interior has tiled and timber flooring, mostly neutral grey, cream-and-brown colour schemes, and a sleek, Siematic kitchen.

Behind five high windows at the front is an open-plan living area, where the kitchen, dining room, and sitting room are all on slightly different levels and are separated by low walls.

The kitchen at the rear has cream units, a breakfast counter, and three steps down to a tiled dining room at the front. Alongside the dining room, at a slightly lower level, is a long, timber-floored living room with a wood-pellet stove set against a feature wall painted in a strong shade of turquoise.

Next to the living room is a large, tiled master bedroom, which has a wood-pellet stove and three large doors/windows facing the McGillycuddy Reeks.

Designed to be self-contained, this bedroom has both a dressing room and a large en suite with contemporary fittings.

To the rear of the living room, there’s a door to a reception hallway. It connects the front wing to the one at the back, which is at a slightly higher level.

Here, there is a bathroom and three carpeted bedrooms, including one with an en-suite shower room. At one side of this wing, there is an integral garage and, on the first floor, there is a converted attic, which has two carpeted rooms used for storage.

Designed to provide the energy efficiency requested by the owner, the 3,450 sq ft house has a wood-pellet heating system, solar panels, and heat-recovery ventilation, all of which earned it a high, B2 energy rating.

Out-front, there’s a large, split-level, raised patio, with a section sheltered by a glass balustrade, from which the owners can admire the view, while dining al fresco.

“From here, we get evening sun until late in the day,” says the owner, adding that there is also a patio, which gets morning sun, at the other side of the house.

Stretching to three-quarters-of-an-acre, the sloping site has a large, lawned area at the front, bounded by trees.

Off the patio, there is a gravelled area and some trees and shrubs and, to the rear, there’s an area of natural woodland that shelters the house and gives it privacy.

One of five properties in a cul de sac off the Kenmare Road, the property has a gated entrance, with a tarmac driveway. It’s four kilometres, or a five-minute drive, from Kenmare.

Ron Kruger, of Engel & Voelkers, says the house, priced at at €525,000, is attracting both Irish and international interest.

“This is a stunning, architect-designed property in a very desirable location, with stunning sea views. We have had quite a few enquiries from both Germany and France.”

Verdict: Stylish and scenic