Aussie rules in Kingdom with great vibes from Down Under

A stunning stone and timber home has a cool Down Under vibe, writes Trish Dromey

Cappanacush East, Kenmare - €285,000

• Size: Sq m 130 ( 1,400 sq ft)
• Bedrooms:3
• Bathrooms:4
• BER: C2

Although the scenic views at this stone faced property at Cappanacush near Kenmare are unmistakably Kerry, the architectural influence is unexpectedly Australian.

Returning after 33 years living Down Under, the owner planned to build a Kentucky-style timber chalet, just like the one she had in the Snowy Mountains, with a veranda where she could sit out and enjoy the views of Kenmare Bay and the Caha Mountains.

She found the perfect site in 1994 when she was in Kenmare on holidays and when she went back, spent time drawing up plans for the home she wanted to retire to.

However, when she returned in 1999 to build her dream cabin, she discovered that the planning regulations required her to do things a little differently. “ I gave my plans to a local engineer and he adjusted them for Kerry,’’ she says explaining that her chalet had to be built with stone facing at both front and back and couldn’t be timber, although she still got the veranda she wanted.” In Australia, you use it to stay out of the sun but here we use it to sit outside in the rain,’’ she laughs.

Initially her Australian/ Irish style chalet style property just had a small veranda under the overhanging eaves, but after seeing a elevated platform on a house in Italy, she and her husband decided to add on an large (500 sq ft) raised decking area with railings, so they could sit outside in the sunshine and enjoy the views.

Inside the property, the owner was able to stick to her original design to create a large, open plan kitchen/ dining/living area. Fitted with green stained timber kitchen units and beech worktops, this has a Stanley range and the type of timber panelled ceilings you have in a timber cabin, as well as two sets of French doors opening on to the front decking.

Double doors from living area open into a spacious master bedroom, which has an en suite shower room and another set of doors opening on to the veranda. The main entrance is at the back of the house where there is a utility room and a guest WC.

The first floor has two en suite timber floored bedrooms with timber floors and ceilings. One of the en suites has a full-length, period cast iron bath with claw legs which was sourced in Tralee and was brought upstairs with a great deal of effort.

Once the work on the house was complete in 2000, the couple turned their attention to the scenic almost one acre site with its stream and two small waterfalls.

A local craftsman built them a timber bridge with red railing to go over the stream which makes a practical but also very pretty garden feature. After that, the couple put in several rows of raised beds to grow a multitude of vegetables. What they couldn’t grow out doors they planted in a 28 ft long polytunnel.

“Here we grow corn, lettuce, strawberries, herbs for winter, tomatoes and courgettes,” says the owner adding that also have a fruit cage for growing gooseberries and blackcurrants. “For a while we kept hens and were very self sufficient”.

Amidst the vegetables in the raised beds are colourful orange nasturtiums and marigolds which the owner explains aren’t just for decoration “ They are complimentary plants which keep the aphids from eating the crops.” In addition to the fruit and veg plots there are wild gardens with hydrangea and Montbretia as well as wooded areas. “ My husband, a landscape gardener has planted quite a range of unusual trees including hazel and maple. We have also planted 400 small conifers which we can sell as little Christmas trees’’.

Although reluctant to leave the Australian/ Irish chalet with its peaceful tranquil gardens , the couple are now planning to downsize.

Guiding the property at €285,000 DNG Timothy O’Sullivan say that with its superb views of Kenmare Bay and surrounding mountains, this would make a wonderful holiday home. “The location is perfect, it’s just 10 kilometers from Kenmare and 25 from Sneem.”says auctioneer John O’Brien.

VERDICT: Bonzer views.