Sleek finish, luxury living at €825,000 Glensinna in Rochestown
SUBSTANTIAL wear and tear is generally par for the course in the rough and tumble of family living, but with almost 4,000 sq ft to roam around in, some rooms at Glensinna, Meadowlands, Upper Rochestown were virtually untouched.
So says the current owner who lived at Glensinna from the time it was built in 2004, but who is now relocating for work reasons.
“When we moved in first, we did everything very fast,” she says “but then we changed a lot over the years, because the longer you live in a home, the more you get to know it, the more you understand the feel of it, and over time, you put in your own style.”
Even though she “swore we’d never have a good room”, they did, and true to form, it followed the fate of thousands of other “good rooms” around the country — superficially attractive and largely ignored.
She created a living room space more to her liking when a second reception room underwent a makeover in the last four years. The decor in both rooms is of an inarguably high standard, whether or not “good rooms” are your bag.
If big rooms are your bag, Glensinna is a definite winner. The entrance hallway could be the lobby of a boutique hotel. The kitchen/dining area is a huge space — almost 19’ x 10’ 6”. It comes with a fully fitted modern Italian Scavolini kitchen with integrated appliances, built-in conventional oven, steam oven and warming drawer. There are both double doors and sliding doors for added light. An archway leads to the playroom which measures 24 ‘ x 12’ 10” and which is framed at one end by four windows, three of which are set in a curved wall.
One living room, the “good room”, is almost 21’ x 15’, with windows to both the front and rear.
Even the utility room and guest WC are larger than average. There’s also a decent-size office, with bay window, downstairs, which the owner describes as “a real bonus right now”, given working from home is the new normal.
Upstairs, the layout is also along the principle that bigger is better. What started out as a six-bedroom timber frame house, evolved into a house with four bedrooms, all of which are doubles and three of which have ensuites and walk-in wardrobes.
The master bedroom, with a bay window, is a huge 20’ x 15’ 8” and has an exceptionally spacious ensuite with extra-large mains power shower and a separate 20 jet jacuzzi bathtub.
The main family bathroom is also upstairs, bringing the number of bathrooms to five in total, which explains while some look entirely unused.
A converted attic which runs the length of the house and is carpeted provides substantial storage space.
Glensinna’s incredibly spacious interior is not let down by a cramped site. On about one third of an acre, it’s nicely separated from its neighbours by a hand-built traditional stone wall. The gardens are extensive and include apple and pear trees.
“All of the planting took place early on, so it’s nice and mature. And there’s lots of room for the kids’ trampoline ” the owner says.
The garden is fully enclosed. To the rear, it is west facing and has a paved "suntrap" patio area and to the front, there’s parking, inside electronic gates, for five or six vehicles on the cobbled drive. There's also a detached garage.
The owner says the trend in the area is for one-off houses, with, in more recent times, kids peeling portions off parents’ land to build their own homes, thus keeping two generations close together. And keeping things local.
She says it’s a superb location: “I live in the countryside of Rochestown. That's what I love about it.”
They've spotted the occasional fox. In fact a fox inspired the name of the house, after one was spotted in what is now the kitchen during the building of Glensinna (Sionnach is the Irish for fox.)
The owner also likes the fact that there are plenty of people with young families around and that they’re within striking distance of Douglas Village in one direction and Passage West in the other.
“It’s the best of both worlds — cattle across the fields and Douglas in five minutes,” she says.
"It's so tranquil. The silence at night is absolute. And on a clear day, you can see the Knockmealdown Mountains from the front of the house."
She goes crab-fishing with her kids in Passage West and they’ve caught mackerel by the Bo’sun in Monkstown. A variety of walking and cycle tracks are close by, including the Rochestown to Passage West Greenway. There are also beaches nearby such as Lough Beg and Hovione.
“It’s a tug on the heartstrings to leave because it's the perfect place to raise a family,” the owner says, "but I’m relocating for work."
She believes the home may appeal to someone working in pharma as it’s just a 10 minute drive from Ringaskiddy, home to pharmaceuticals giants like Novartis and Pfizer.
“It’s the perfect area for that kind of career,” she says.
School-wise, Rochestown College Boys Secondary School is close by, while Douglas has a range of primary schools, reachable, the owner says, by “the traffic-free back road”.
Selling agent Glenn O’Connor of DNG Creedon says Glensinna “is definitely a trader-upper and, at that level, it might be someone returning to Cork from Dublin or the UK or the Middle East. It’s a trader-upper’s dream, with almost 4,000 sq ft”.
He describes it as “a truly magnificent family home in an exclusive location”.
: A stylish, spacious property, with oodles of room to self-isolate or to work from home, surrounded by countryside, but still just a short drive to the city.
Rochestown, Co Cork €825,000 Size: 351 sq m/3780 sq ft Bedrooms: 4 Bathrooms: 5 BER: B3
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