See how this Kinsale house was transformed inside and out

Architects designed impressive extension to semi-detached residence which also maximises sweeping sea views

Planting and stone work soften some of the lines of this modern extension. Stairs for access between terraces and to the garden are staggered for a slower, more interesting descent. Pictures: Shane Lynam

Location, location, location, goes the old cant when it comes to buying a home, and it says everything about the purchase of a semi-detached council house in the Ardbrack district of Kinsale back in the ’90s.

The buyer, a second-generation Irish-American with Kinsale roots, wanted her children to know her Irish family, so having gotten in there before houses started changing hands at boom-time prices, she made it a family holiday home.